CHRISTLife — TwentyTwo: A Liberating Separation

See what it says right there?  Yup, right above in the graphic!  “…dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  You (me, too!) are separated from sin…now and forever!  And that is SUCH a liberating separation!

If you would, please read through Romans chapter 6…and take note of six questions (and the answers, too!) that Paul asks.  Just click right here…come back when you are done!

Now THAT was encouraging, yes?  There is so much communicated throughout this chapter that would fill up our inner identity album pages.  But also of note are 6 direct questions.  These questions, to me, are equally confrontational and encouraging!  Perhaps, at first glance, you might even consider them rhetorical questions, i.e., questions which seem to need no answer. But, rather these are questions we really do need to stop and answer!  Let’s take a look at them….

• What shall we say then…are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

The answer—’May it never be!’ or ‘Certainly not!’ is supplied.  And, of course, we never want to take God’s grace for granted!  In fact, in the verses immediately preceding (verses 20 and 21) we are told “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” However, we recognize the Truth that we are dead to sin and do our best to NOT sin.

• How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Endeavoring to always be mindfully aware of all that Jesus accomplished, we put forth our greatest effort to NOT still live in it.

• Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

This ‘baptism’ is not speaking of water baptism.  Rather, as Galatians 3:27 tells us “For many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” we have surrendered or given up all that we had or have.   Since we are a new creation in Christ, our own will and desires and hopes are buried. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?

May it never be! As verse 13 proclaims “…and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

• Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

Oh what a beautiful picture—a slave to God obeying and having the result of righteous living before Him! Verse 14 reminds us, “…sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”  Oh yes!

• What benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?

The ‘things we are ashamed of’ were our sinful behaviors and lifestyle.  We are dead to those things, no longer slaves to anything but the One Whom we obey—our heavenly Father!

I hope that my answers to these 6 questions are just the beginning of this discussion. I would love to hear your answers either below in the comments, or over on our group study page!

Oh, one more thing…Mrs. Myers entitled this chapter ‘A Liberating Separation.” And that is a FACT and it IS the Truth.  However, it is our responsibility (yours and mine) to maintain the separation that our Lord accomplished for us.  We must consider ourselves dead to sin and keep ourselves separated.  It is a lifelong reckoning. Let’s not forget that.

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