Life, Freedom, and Grace
How often do you think a former slave reflects on their freedom—every day or hardly ever? As believers, how often do we reflect on our freedom? In Romans 6, Paul reminds us of something we should never lose sight of. What is that reminder?
Reading Romans chapter six, I saw a clear message about life, freedom, and grace. Paul the Apostle tells us that our old sinful selves died with Christ. This means that, as believers, sin no longer controls us because Christ has defeated its power. Paul says we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7). This idea is similar to what he shares in 2 Corinthians 5:17, where he reminds us that old things have passed away, and everything has become new. It is supernatural to go from being enslaved by our past desires and sins (Ephesians 2:3) to being free from the power of sin!
As believers, Paul says in Romans 6:11 that we should think of ourselves as dead to the power of sin and alive to God. How often do we really do this? When I picture Paul's idea of a freed slave, I think of someone who likely remembers their freedom every day. They cherish it and never take it for granted. This person does not act like they are still enslaved—they live as free individuals!
In Romans 6:12-14, we see that we should not let sin control our lives. We must not give in to its desires. We should not allow any part of our bodies to be used for sin. Sin is no longer our master; we have a new life and a new master—Christ! We should live with Christ's power and freedom to honor God. How often do we remind ourselves that in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin? In Christ, we have power over sin. In Christ, we can now do things that lead to holiness. What a life, what freedom, what grace!
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