View this lesson in a browser and print a "take-away" weekly copy. CLICK HERE (see link below)
Grace Abounding
In Romans 5:20, Paul makes a powerful statement: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” His point was that no matter how much sin there is or how terrible the results of sin are, God’s grace is sufficient to deal with it. What hope that should bring for each of us, especially when tempted to feel that our sins are too great to be forgiven! In the next verse, Paul shows that though sin has led to death, God’s grace through Jesus has defeated death and can give us eternal life.
Read Romans 6:1. What logic is Paul dealing with here, and how, in the verses that follow, does he respond to that kind of thinking? Rom. 6:2–11.
Paul follows an interesting line of argument in chapter 6 as to why a justified person should not sin. To begin with, he says that we shouldn’t sin, because we have died to sin. Then he explains what he means.
Immersion in the waters of baptism represents burial. What is buried? The “old man” of sin—that is, the body committing sin, the body dominated or ruled by sin. As a result, this “body of sin” is destroyed, so that we no longer serve sin. In Romans 6 sin is personified as a master who rules over his servants. Once the “body of sin” that served sin is destroyed, sin’s mastery over it ceases. The one who rises from the watery grave comes up a new person who no longer serves sin. He or she now walks in newness of life.
Christ, having died, died once and for all, but He is now alive forevermore. Death can no more rule Him. So, the Christian who is baptized has died to sin once and for all and should never again come under its dominion.
Of course, as any baptized Christian knows, sin doesn’t just automatically disappear from our lives once we come up out of the water. Not being ruled by sin isn’t the same as not having to struggle with it. We have a daily, moment-by-moment battle to keep reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive unto Christ. Though the promises of victory are there, we must claim them—by faith. We always must remember, too, that God’s grace abounds, even when we sin. If not, what hope would any of us have, even after being baptized?
What has been your experience with the power of sin in your life, even after baptism? What choices are you making that allow sin the power over you that it shouldn’t have, despite all the promises we have in the Bible for victory over it?
| SUNDAY | August 8 |
In Romans 5:20, Paul makes a powerful statement: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” His point was that no matter how much sin there is or how terrible the results of sin are, God’s grace is sufficient to deal with it. What hope that should bring for each of us, especially when tempted to feel that our sins are too great to be forgiven! In the next verse, Paul shows that though sin has led to death, God’s grace through Jesus has defeated death and can give us eternal life.
Read Romans 6:1. What logic is Paul dealing with here, and how, in the verses that follow, does he respond to that kind of thinking? Rom. 6:2–11.
Paul follows an interesting line of argument in chapter 6 as to why a justified person should not sin. To begin with, he says that we shouldn’t sin, because we have died to sin. Then he explains what he means.
Immersion in the waters of baptism represents burial. What is buried? The “old man” of sin—that is, the body committing sin, the body dominated or ruled by sin. As a result, this “body of sin” is destroyed, so that we no longer serve sin. In Romans 6 sin is personified as a master who rules over his servants. Once the “body of sin” that served sin is destroyed, sin’s mastery over it ceases. The one who rises from the watery grave comes up a new person who no longer serves sin. He or she now walks in newness of life.
Christ, having died, died once and for all, but He is now alive forevermore. Death can no more rule Him. So, the Christian who is baptized has died to sin once and for all and should never again come under its dominion.
Of course, as any baptized Christian knows, sin doesn’t just automatically disappear from our lives once we come up out of the water. Not being ruled by sin isn’t the same as not having to struggle with it. We have a daily, moment-by-moment battle to keep reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive unto Christ. Though the promises of victory are there, we must claim them—by faith. We always must remember, too, that God’s grace abounds, even when we sin. If not, what hope would any of us have, even after being baptized?
What has been your experience with the power of sin in your life, even after baptism? What choices are you making that allow sin the power over you that it shouldn’t have, despite all the promises we have in the Bible for victory over it?
No comments:
Post a Comment