Romans 6:1 - Prayer Tents

When Death Becomes Life

6So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?G5101G2046G3767G1961G266G2443G5485G4121

2I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?G3361G1096G4459G3748G599G266G2198G2089G1722G846

3Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means.G2228G50G3754G3745G907G1519G2424G5547G907G1519G846G2288

4When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus.G3767G4916G846G1223G908G1519G2288G2443G5618G5547G1453G1537G3498G1223G1391G3962G3779G2249G2532G4043G1722G2538G2222

5Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.G1063G1487G1096G4854G3667G846G2288G2071G235G2532G386

6Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this:G1097G5124G3754G2257G3820G444G4957G2443G4983G266G2673G3371G2248G1398G3371G1398G266

7(SEE 6:6)G1063G599G1344G575G266

8If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.G1161G1487G599G4862G5547G4100G3754G4800G2532G4800G846

9We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.G1492G3754G5547G1453G1537G3498G599G3765G2288G2961G3765G2961G846

10When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.G3739G1063G599G599G266G2178G1161G3739G2198G2198G2316

11From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.G3779G3049G5210G2532G1438G1511G3498G3303G266G1161G2198G2316G1722G2424G5547G2257G2962

12That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day.G936G3361G266G3767G936G1722G5216G2349G4983G1519G5219G846G1722G1939G846

13Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things.G3366G3936G5216G3196G3696G93G266G235G3936G1438G2316G5613G2198G1537G3498G2532G5216G3196G3696G1343G2316

14Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.G1063G266G2961G3756G2961G5216G1063G2075G3756G5259G3551G235G5259G5485

What Is True Freedom?

15So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind?G5101G3767G264G3754G2070G3756G5259G3551G235G5259G5485G3361G1096

16Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do.G1492G3756G3754G3739G3936G1438G1401G1519G5218G1401G2075G3739G5219G2273G266G1519G2288G2228G5218G1519G1343

17But thank God you've started listening to a new master,G1161G2316G5485G3754G2258G1401G266G1161G5219G1537G2588G5179G1322G1519G3739G3860

18one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!G1659G1161G1659G575G266G1402G1343

19I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?G3004G442G1223G769G5216G4561G1063G5618G3936G5216G3196G1401G167G2532G458G1519G458G3779G3568G3936G5216G3196G1401G1343G1519G38

20As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter.G1063G3753G2258G1401G266G2258G1658G1343

21But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.G5101G3767G2590G2192G5119G1909G3739G1870G3568G1870G1063G5056G1565G2288

22But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!G1161G3570G1659G575G266G1161G1402G2316G2192G5216G2590G1519G38G1161G5056G166G2222

23Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.G1063G3800G266G2288G1161G5486G2316G166G2222G1722G2424G5547G2257G2962