We Have Been Set Free From Sin, No Reason to Go Back
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
This is one of those things that I need to be told every single day. Tell it to your friends and family all the time.
We are no longer able to live in sin, now that our sinful life has died with Christ.
This all comes out of the worry that if we tell people all of their sins are forgiven forever, won’t they use that as an excuse to sin?
The teachings about baptism in the New Testament have more to do with association and groupings than they do about water. In this passage, Paul refers to us being ‘baptized into Christ’ and ‘baptized into His death’. When you become a Christian, you are immersed into the life of God through the sacrifice of Jesus and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed in John 17 that He would be in us and we would be in Him, and all of this is the answer to that prayer.
Now we have a new life. Why would we want to go back to our old ways? It’s hard because habits are strong, but our old ways of living like animals with no influence of the Holy Spirit are like a buried body. They are long gone. We are as different from that old life as a dead body is different from a live body. We are as different from that old life as a slave is different from a free person.
Because of the covenant that Christ has made with all who believe in Him, whatever happens to Him happens to us. When He reigns and rules, we will raise from the dead just like He did and rule under Him. When He reigns in glory forever and ever, He said Himself that we will be with Him.
That kind of thinking is what brings us to life. It leaves the dead body of sin behind and walks in a new way, talks in a new way, loves one another in a new way.
We have been set free from sin. It’s worth repeating.
We have been set free from sin.
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