Sin no longer has dominion! - October 2nd, 2011

¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:10-14

History and Context:

As noted before the book of Romans was written by Paul to the church in Rome, probably around 55 - 57 AD. The history and beginnings of the church in Rome is not fully known. Most scholars believe that they established themselves without the help of any Apostle and without seeing any signs or miracles. There was a strong mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome at this time and they seem to have gotten in many arguments. The Jewish Christians wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised and to follow the law to the letter, whereas the Gentile Christians attempted to say that they were better and that the Jews were rejected as God's people. The Gentiles also believed that the law was abolished. Paul addresses both of these issues in his letter.

The Text:

This passage out simply is Paul showing us the example of Christ and telling us to live accordingly. Jesus Christ came down and He died as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. A lot of times we focus on the forgiveness that comes from that. We talk about how His blood washes us clean so that we appear righteous towards God. This is true and important but it is not where the results of His sacrifice end. Paul is sharing with us hear that we, in our decision to follow Christ, have also become dead to sin. We also died to sin and found true life in God. This means that not only did Christ's death wash us from our sin but He also gave us the power to overcome sin. Sin no longer has dominion. I am not a sinner saved by grace, because of grace I am a saint adopted by God!

 

The Challenge:

We have been freed from the bondage of sin and sooner or later we should start acting like it. If we are no longer slaves to sin why would we keep sinning? It's time to evaluate our actions and throw out any that are not holy. Let's not take the sacrifice that Jesus made for granted! Let's start living in the freedom that He has given us.

 

The Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the sacrifice that you made for me on the cross. I am sorry if there was any time that I simply took that sacrifice for granted, help me to never do that again. I thank you that you already gave me that power. Thank you Lord! In Jesus' name, Amen!