What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him 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.” – Romans 6:1-4 (NKJV)
After spending most of Romans 5 explaining the difference between the Law and God’s grace through Jesus Christ, Paul begins Romans 6 by asking a simple question: Should we continue in sin so that more grace abounds? He quickly answers that question by saying, “No. How would we who have died to sin live any longer in it?” A lot of people think once you come to Christ, you’re changed, but the Bible mentions repeatedly including Romans 6 and also 2 Corinthians 5:17 that you didn’t just change, your old self died. Our old sinful nature is gone and now we’ve been born again by the Holy Spirit, having been set free from sin, and now we’re slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18). Now, we’re able to do what Paul mentioned in verse 4: We should walk in the newness of life. We shouldn’t continue on in our sinful ways, but walk the way God wants us to live our lives.
What does that really mean? Ephesians 4:1-6 tells us: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
As Christians, we’re to walk worthy of the calling we have received and to represent Jesus Christ in our words and our actions. Paul says in Ephesians to walk with all lowliness, or humility, gentleness, and patience. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 to be ready to give a defense to those who ask for the reason of the hope within you. Why would they ask you? Because they see you living your life in a way that honors God and represents the love of Jesus Christ and it looks different than the way the rest of the world lives. What a responsibility!
Paul continues on and says to bear with one another in love. We forget that it doesn’t matter what gifts we have, but if we do them without love, 1 Corinthians 13 says we’re like a clanging cymbal. Who wants to hear a clanging cymbal repeatedly in their ears? It becomes annoying and frustrating and we get angry as a result. That’s how a lot of Christian people treat when someone is going through a tough time: Ready to give an explanation or tell them how they should respond instead of simply loving the person.
Paul continues and says “try to keep the unity of the Holy Spirit in peace.” We get so stuck in our church silos that we forget that each Christian and every church belongs to Jesus Christ and we’re all apart of the larger body of Christ. We get so hateful and so stuck thinking about the business of our church operation that we forget about the larger mission to the share the gospel and make disciples of all nations as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission.
If you’re a Christian, you have a tremendous responsibility to live your life as God commanded you, to walk in love, to be humble, and gentle, and the only way to do that is to be rooted in a love relationship with Jesus Christ. If you’ve never done that, please reach out at [email protected] and I’d be happy to talk it over with you.
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