Romans 6

Bible Passage:  Romans 6

I would just like to focus on the first 7 verses of this chapter today:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin.

We know these verses very well – especially with regards to baptism.

But as I was reading these verses, another thought came to mind….

“Do I claim myself to be Christian but do not live a Christian lifestyle?”

Paul reminds us that once we are baptized, we should be reborn.  We are a new creation and sin should not be found in us anymore.

The old sinful man should die.

We should be living a life different from the one we once did (although for those of us who are baptized as infants – it is hard for us to visualize this).  But whatever it is – whether we were baptized since birth or got baptized in our later years – it is very important now more than ever to live the Christian life that Paul wants us to.

People who are not Christians are watching us to see if we are really living a better life – a holier life – a changed life – and a life with hope.

They would not want to be Christians if they see us as being no different from them or many others who continue committing the same sins.

If Christ has no effect in our lives – why should they believe in Him?

In Romans 6:1-2 Paul ask if we should continue to sin because we know that the grace of God is with us.

His answer is “Certainly Not!”

So consider this:  If we continue to sin, we have become bad examples of what being a Christian is all about.  And it dilutes the power of the message that we are telling non-believers about Jesus.  They will not see any benefit of knowing Jesus.

Romans 6:3-7 continues on to tell us that when we are baptized we are putting away our body of sins and that we are being born again in a newness of life.

We do not talk about being reborn a lot nowadays.  But basically, after our baptism, we are supposed to be committing ourselves whole-heartedly to Jesus and telling the rest of the world that we are His – because in our lives – we are like Christ.

So …

The next time we are tempted to do something stupid, something questionable, something objectionable for a Christian – just consider – what does Jesus tells us to do?  What does the Bible instruct us?

Jesus sees all our actions – in the open or in secret.  Nothing is hidden from Him.

But let us not hide the fact that we are Christians – and start living today as if we are truly born again.