Romans 6:1-14 The Apostle Paul starts out with a proposition. If God's grace increases as sin increases, then why not sin more so that we can have more grace. On the surface it may sound logical - sounds like a good way to get the best of both worlds. Paul quickly say, "By no means!" When we came to Christ, we died to sin. The problem is, our bodies are alive, and the memory of sin is still there, and the habits are still ingrained. We are stuck with a choice to go on in sin according to our memories and habits or to live by faith in the reality that we are now dead to sin. The Apostle brings out the symbol of our baptism, which is really a double picture. It speaks of our identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; but it also speaks of our burying our old man of sin. We leave him in the watery grave and our new life in Christ rises from that grave. In verse 6 we read. "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be done away with, ..." The "body of sin" that is mentioned is not our physical bodies, but the whole package of habits and memories associated with our old life of sin. It is that package that needs to be constantly put to death. Every sinful act confirms the sinful habit, and makes the nature more and more prone to sin, one sin makes the heart more prepared for the next. Every gracious act confirms the gracious habit: serving righteousness moves us toward holiness; one duty fits us for another; and the more we do the more we are able to do for God. It becomes a constant choice on our part. To which life will we choose to offer ourselves to? Will we offer the parts of our body as instruments of righteousness or as instruments of wickedness? The first choice is to reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive to Christ. Then we must choose not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its evil desires. It doesn't mean that we will never sin again, but that as we constantly choose not to sin, sin is dethroned and righteousness rules. We are not under the law, but under grace.

Wanted Dead and Alive