What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:1-11, NRSV)
I love this passage, because we say that life changes when Christ comes in. And that is true, 100% true. Jesus loves us to much to leave us where He found us, because He found each and every one of us steeped in sin and filth! And He washed us clean and walks with us as we journey and live life showing forth the love that God has for us.
But we get hung up on sin and how others are doing things we think they shouldn’t. And Paul would agree we should not cause others to stumble, but we can also not force what keeps us from God on others, because they may not sin the way we do. We know Christ died so that we can know what love is. So that we can understand that the greatest form of love is for someone to lay down their life for another, even when they don’t deserve it.
God changed you, so don’t go back to being what you were. And live in a way that shows forth the love that God has for all of us. Be a part of Christ’s walking dead, those who are walking wet, dead to sin and alive in God!
aSacredRebel 