Romans 6

Please bear with me as I seek to pen these thoughts on Romans.  I am coming to realize just how important these questions are that Paul asked in the beginning of Romans 6.

And he asked these questions, right after he finished expounding on Adam's transgression that led to sin and death, spreading to all men.  Then he magnifies Christ's act of obedience leading to Life (only in Jesus) - and the MUCH MORE grace abounding to those who receive Jesus, the gift of Righteousness and the abundance of this marvelous grace of God.  (Romans 5)

Here are the questions (Romans 6:1,2): 

"Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?"

 "How shall he who died to sin live any longer in it?"

One of the things I have truly observed as a Christian over my lifetime is the argument over grace and sin.  I remember working at a job in my early adult life where a man talked about grace, then turned right around and spoke of his freedom to smoke pot.  He's not the only one that talked like this in my lifetime.  I remember thinking then, doesn't sound like freedom or fun to me.  That's bondage.

Then there were those who were really "trying" to live the Christian life.  Each Sunday was much about coming to the altar each week to find or confess something "rotten" in them/us so we could repent more, do more in order to be more acceptable, more pleasing.  Well, that didn't sound like the joy of salvation or fun to me either.

And so the question was/is:  Does/did either "camp" then, know/understand the true grace of God in Christ?

And one of the thoughts I used to have was, that I wished I could sit down and talk with Paul, the Apostle and "hear" the true Gospel that had been revealed to him, which he preached throughout his life.  He even a few times, referred to it as, "My Gospel."

But then I realized by God's Word and Holy Spirit I can know it.  Paul didn't have to be here in the flesh.  This is because God's Spirit now dwells in my little ol' heart  to lead and guide me into all Truth.  The same Holy Spirit lives in us that dwelled in Paul.  God's Spirit alone is True and is the Truth.  John declared He is true and has no part in a lie.

Sometimes we have to just thank God for all the frustrations - frustrations like this can be used of God to cause us to seek Him for the Truth, for spiritual understanding - exactly like one digging for gold, because he  believes it is in the ground there somewhere.

The Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, praise the Lord, grants the power to understand God's Truth.  Ephesians 3 holds a prayer Paul penned for us to ask God to be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in our inner man, in order to comprehend/apprehend with ALL the saints the length, the breadth, the height, the width of Christ, His love.  God means ALL the things pertaining to Christ and His grace.

So, back to these marvelous questions Paul asks. 

I "see" that Paul never once tries to explain why Christians still sin.  This is not where (to me) he is coming from.  He is stating facts here.  He just powerfully wrote in Romans 5 how that one is dead in Adam.  Dead, Dead, Dead.

Death and sin are definitely relatives!

But then he writes that by and through God's grace of giving His Son, we ARE in the New Man - Jesus Christ.  Christ is Life AND Righteousness- not death, not sin, not evil, not weird.  These are statements of fact.

Now with this in mind, let us reread those questions. 

It's like saying, are you in North Carolina and California at the same time?  If you live in North Carolina, and BELIEVE you are, will you not now be conformed as a Carolinian? 

Christ Himself is Life - not sin.  We are looking to Him and His life within - not our flesh.  Flesh is dead.  And if man's performance is now by the flesh, why does he need Jesus and why would Christ have died and been raised?  Why would God even need to create One New Man?

It is the spiritual realities and knowing them that transforms us.  It is like a kid on the playground who experiences every day of his life some bully stealing his lunch, threatening his person, intimidating, telling lies, etc.  Until finally that kid walks up to that bully and says:  "I've had enough!  You can't intimidate me anymore, steal my lunch, etc!"

Well, in spiritual truths the devil is at work to blind the mind, deceive it, twist it, distort it, etc.

So we finally get enough and through the Spirit's wisdom, understanding and bravery powerfully say to the devil:  "I'm not falling for those lies anymore! You keep trying to steal the TRUTH from me.  I am in Christ and His powerful resurrection - I am NOT in Adam anymore - sin has no power over my flesh and being - only Christ and His Life!"

What do you think would really happen, if we honestly believe and lay hold of Truth the way God intends us to?

I was speaking with a friend and dear sister in Christ.  She quoted something I had heard years ago, but not in a long time.  And it is SO true.

"New level, new devil."

This means to me that whenever we are passionate about allowing God's Spirit to reveal precious things from His Word, we will experience a battle.  It's not God's Spirit withholding (He reveals freely).  The battle is about HOLDING onto the TRUTH, until it is formed in our being.  The battle is also coming out of traditional, lie-based thinking versus the powerful reality of God's Word of Life and Truth in Christ Jesus, our Lord!  When Jesus said this, He surely meant it:  "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

This weekend let's think upon the glorious reality of being in Christ - the Life of God,  WHO is the power over all sin and flesh!  That by being dependent on Him, (a/k/a abiding in the Vine), we are not going to be held in sin's power.   So, in Adam or in Christ?

More on Romans 6 later,

Sue Gaither