Live Like You are Free

Romans 6:1-4 NIV

 

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

 

When we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith in him, we die with him to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. For this baptism mentioned here is a spiritual baptism, not water baptism, but which our water baptism symbolizes, especially if we use the mode of immersion. For we can be baptized in water and never die with Christ to sin, and never be raised to walk in newness of life in him.

 

Death to sin is what happens when we humbly bow the knee to Jesus Christ in submission to him as Lord in genuine grief over our sins and with full desire of the Spirit of God to leave our sinful lives behind us in order to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. We surrender our lives to Jesus Christ to be wholly his and so we willingly give up our lives of sin in order to now live our lives to please our Lord and Master. Thus, we should not go on sinning, for how can we who have died to sin live in it any longer?

 

Romans 6:6,12,15-16 NIV

 

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”

 

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”

 

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

 

Now, when we believe in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior with God-given faith in him, our old sinful self is put to death with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with (might be brought to nothing) so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin but so that we might become slaves of God and of his righteousness (vv. 18,22). For Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). And he died that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15,21; cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

 

So we are to no longer let sin reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its evil desires. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs (trains) us to renounce (say “No” to) ungodliness and fleshly passions and desires, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

 

For, if we continue walking in sin, and if sin is what we obey, and not God, and not his righteousness, then it leads to death not to life eternal. And so we will die in our sins and we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our tongues have confessed. For lip service only to God will not get us saved from our sins and heaven as our eternal home. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23).

 

Romans 6:20-23 NIV

 

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Now, many people are misquoting Romans 6:23. I learned it wrongly over 50 years ago when it was used independent of this passage of Scripture out of context along with other Scriptures which were also taught out of context in order to present a man-made gospel to the people of the world. And I am not here to say that no one was ever genuinely saved by that gospel presentation. I believe some were. But a whole lot more were not, because they were being taught a half-truth gospel out of context of the whole.

 

So, we have a whole lot of people believing that they are saved from their sins (all sins), and that they are on their way to heaven, but they were not taught Romans 6:23 in context of the rest of the chapter. For what is the central message of Romans 6? It is that if we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and if we have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, we are to now live no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves of God and of his righteousness.

 

For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, not to life eternal with God, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And this is talking about the wages of addictive habitual and deliberate sin, where we go on sinning, and where we don’t live in freedom from slavery to sin. For when we are slaves to sin we are free from the control of righteousness, and that results in death, not in life everlasting. But if we have become slaves to God, living as those who are free from slavery to sin, then the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

 

For the gift of God is not just forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God. The gift of God is freedom from our slavery (addiction) to sin and it is empowerment of God to now walk in righteousness and holiness, and in obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant), no longer as slaves to sin but now living as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. For, again, Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, not so we can continue in sin guilt free.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

He Lifted Our Burdens

 

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

 

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

 

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

 

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

 

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

 

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

 

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

 

https://vimeo.com/86854416