Romans 6:2
We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 6:7
Anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
· In our new relationship with Christ, we have been freed from sin. However, in our actual day to day lives, sin is too often present. How do we reconcile these two realities?
· Romans 5:20 to 6:14
· 6:1 raises the question of whether we should go on sinning that our grace might increase.
· Paul answers in the negative that we: are dead to sin (6:2), are no longer enslaved by sin (6:6), are freed from sin (6:7) because the old self is crucified (6:6).
· By way of affirmation we have the power to overcome sin because: we are united to Christ (6:5), we have life with Christ (6:8), and a new self emerged when we were raised with Christ.
· Paul tells us that we are dead to sin but alive in Christ.
· The power is not ours, but Christ’s.
· We still have our free will and can choose to sin. We on our own can not resist Satan’s power.
· Our new self has the power to call upon God to help us resist sin because we have been raised with Christ.
· We have shared in the blood and the resurrection and have power over sin. However, we still live in the world where Satan makes his call upon us. It is our responsibility to call upon God in Christ’s name to resist sin. This is consistent with our free will. For sin shall not be our master because we live not under the law but under grace. We have been saved through Christ but we must incarnate His power in our everyday lives by calling upon Him. If we do not make this choice we will continue to fall victim to Satan’s power.