Scripture: Romans 6:1-2, 4 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ... we were buried with [Jesus] 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."Observation:
(1) Clearly, Paul thinks it is ridiculous that anyone who claims to have faith in Jesus would continue to walk in sin or to take it lightly.
(2) Again, sin is our #1 problem as humans. Not in a corporate sense but in an individual sense. Each person must do something to deal with this problem of personal sin or else they must face the just reward of their sin - death, separation from God eternally (see Romans 6:23).
(3) The urgency behind Paul's argument comes from how much Jesus suffered during and before His death. Do I realize what Jesus took because of my every selfish act.
(4) We must understand that we cannot do what Jesus did because He knowingly died as our substitute. We cannot make up for what we've done. Any good thing we do has no power to cancel or balance the evil we've done. The only thing we are capable of doing is to die a death which we are fully deserving of. It is our due for breaking God's law.
Application: My life now should be characterized by the goodness, truth, love, grace, peace, etc. of God. In every way that I am able to replicate God's positive attributes, I should. God is the source of life - that is what I should walk in.
Prayer: Father, I could repeat here all of the ways that I sin, but we've talked about that already today. I just ask You to help me to be led into "newness of life." Make me noticeably different - joyful, a lover of what is good in others, hopeful rather than condemning, a blesser. Amen.
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