What Are You Offering Yourself To? Romans 6

 

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Paul now addresses something very important.  It is not only important to the church in Paul's day, but ours as well.  Some in the early church were saying, "As long as sin leads to grace, why not sin more so grace can abound more."  Although this seems like an absurd argument it was being used to justify sin.  I have a feeling that Paul had a little stronger wording than "by no means".  He might have said, "You got to be kidding me.  Seriously!"  But we all know that just because we are saved from sin does not mean we don't battle against our old sinful nature.  Like Paul will say in Romans 7, "Though I know the good I should go and want to do it, why do I do what I don't want to do, what a wretched man I am!"

So Paul uses the argument, "If you are dead to sin because of what Christ has done for you, why are you still lviing in it?"  He also uses the imagery of baptism.   We are baptized once, but we can daily remind ourselves that our old self has been buried by what Jesus has done, so that we can daily rise again.  

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Paul re-iterates these principles again. Bottom line is that we have to opportunity to live a new life in Christ. Why return to the bondage of sin, when we have been freed from it? It is like someone who has been released from a life sentence in prison going back to being incarcerated.  Paul also brings into the discussion the idea of resurrection.  When we live a new life in Christ, we are living the resurrection life.  We always think the resurrection is only for when we die, but each day we can live in the power of the resurrection. 

Paul says it this way in Philippians 3:10,

"I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,"

If you constantly struggle and feel continually defeated the answer is not just to grin and bear it and try harder.  You need more power.  Through the Holy Spirit you have the power of Jesus' resurrection living in you.  This is a truth that many Christians think the power of resurrection is only available when you die.  Remember Jesus Christ died for since ONCE and FOR ALL. Sin, death and the power of the devil has been defeated once and for all, let's not let it get a hold of our lives again. 

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Paul moves to how one can practically live this out in their daily lives.  Paul says don't let sin reign in your body or offer parts of your body to sin.  We can be obedient to sin or to God.  The more we offer our bodies to sin and allow it to reign in our lives, it only wants more.  But if we offer ourselves to God on a daily basis, we can be used by Him for His glory and purposes and be renewed each day.  It is like the alcoholic who has been delivered from alcoholism.  When they turned to God, He delivered them from the certain destruction alcohol would eventually bring into every area of their lives.  Each day an addict can choose to live in sobriety and in freedom, or they can turn back to death by going back to drinking or using.  It is not altogether too different for a Christian.  We can live in the newness of life Jesus offers in the power of the Holy Spirit. Or, we can go back to to the slavery of sin.  Though we will never be perfect in this life, each day as we offer ourselves to God, He can renew us and lead us into life abundantly.  And isn't that what we all want ... abundant life in this life and the hope of eternal life in the life to come. 

What are some ways that you can daily offer yourself back to God?  LIke any discipline, spiritual disciplines work if you work them.  What areas in your life are you most susceptible to go back to old patterns and habits in your life?  What triggers you to do those indulge in those behaviors?  Do the results and consequences ever change?  Write a list of consequences of bad behavior and read it the next time you are tempted to return to that behavior!