“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Romans 6:1 & 6:15
Paul says this because he had previously made the statement in Romans 5:20 that, ‘Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.’ Some might argue, if grace abounds because of sin, then why not just go ahead and sin? For starters, God, whom we love, hates sin. He does not hate sinners, but, because He is holy, He can’t be in the presence of sin. Secondly, sin is never good, not for the sinner or the ones in the wake of the sin. We are never wrong to do right. Some may argue, ‘If I’m under God’s grace, why does it matter if I sin or not?’ Again, sin is never good. It never helps a situation, calms chaos, brings light to the darkness or adds blessings to anyone. Sin hurts God, ourselves and others - always. But because of Jesus, we can become:
BRAND NEW…
“…Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
A clear sign we have given our lives to Christ is a desire to live differently than how we used to live. This is because the Holy Spirit is working in us. Sin loses its appeal and living a righteous life is preferred. Paul said in Philippians 3:16, ‘Let us live up to what we have already obtained.’ God made us holy in His sight when Jesus died, and His resurrection provided a new path - to walk in righteousness. Jesus actually became sin for us and the more we realize this fact, the more it spurs us on to become who we truly are - new.
…AND BETTER THAN EVER.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of 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.”* Romans 6:6-7
Jesus died for our sins, and since we are in Him, we too died to sin. The body of sin has been done away with, which releases us from the hold of sin, allowing us to live a different (new) life - one that is pleasing to the Lord and is a benefit to ourselves and others. As a result, our life is working better than before, when we were of and in sin.
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