Romans 6 reminds me of friends whose fathers were police officers. They seemed to escape any punishment for our petty crimes. I always suspected their dad pulled strings to fix things on their behalf. Sadly, many of those guys got into worse stuff later, perhaps because they never had to deal with any consequences. Today’s lesson is about the punishment fitting the crime. Paul begins with a question to those that think God’s grace is a “get out of jail free” card. “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” He answers with a definitive “no”, explaining that being baptized with Christ means we “were baptized into His death”. Baptism includes two steps, and both are critical. The first being the submersion, in which we are “united with Him in a death”. But we are also lifted out of the water so we are “also… united with Him in a resurrection”. This is more than just a symbol, it is a proclamation to the world that “our old self was crucified with Him”. Paul is clear that “anyone who has died has been set free from sin”. I understood the concept; we do not keep dead people in prison to serve out their term. I have studied human nature and know that with rare exception, people do not change on their own. Paul was not suggesting change, he was describing a new life. “If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him”. Life-changing faith believes not only that Jesus is God, but He was crucified for my sins. I was humbled to consider that my forgiveness was purchased at such a cost.
Those of us that are guilty get what we deserve when we are convicted, but because He was innocent, “The death He died, He died to sin once for all”. Paul makes the transition from faith to action. “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus… do not let sin reign in your mortal body”. He was suggesting a monumental shift in how I see myself. We are not just animals with no control over our behavior. Paul instructs us to live as a new creation, “offer yourselves to God… brought from death to life… offer… yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness”. I had been doing things my way and messing things up. Could I somehow become a useful tool for God’s purposes?
The chapter closes with a description that culturally made sense to a First Century Roman. Paul refers to someone being an obedient slave, or a slave by choice. A significant portion of the population were slaves, and depending on rank and skillset, some could live better as slaves than free. Paul presents a choice to each of us. We can choose to be “slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness”. Paul taught that by accepting Christ as Savior, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”. Paul urges us to pursue righteousness with the same fervor “you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity”. He asked a question that I pondered personally, “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” I was isolated and empty. Paul added emphatically, “Those things result in death!” That sentence hit me hard. He was right. In that moment, I knew I needed to change. Paul spoke about embracing this new commitment to honoring God. The benefit of this obedience “leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life”. The chapter ends with another verse that made perfect sense to me. I believe in hard work, and expect to be paid what I earn. God allows me to keep exactly what I am due. Paul writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God is perfect in mercy and perfect in righteousness. We can choose freedom through Christ, or bondage to sin. God will not interfere with the consequences. My friend, is it time to receive a new life in Christ?