Meditation Commentary on Romans 6:11-15
11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12Therefore do not
let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13And do not present your members as instruments of
unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For
sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under
grace. 15What then? Shall we sin because we
are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Is there a clearer picture of contrast than that of death and life? The words death and life are complete and absolute opposites. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “dead” as “lifeless” and one of its definitions for “life” is “a state of an organism characterized esp. by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.”
If we use
Merriam’s definition to look at “life” and “death” in spiritual terms, we see
that one who is allowing sin to live in his or her life is not able to grow in
Christ. One that is “alive to God in Christ” will be sensitive to the Holy
Spirit’s promptings and will be able to, in a sense, “reproduce” believers as a
result of their testimony. Never in God’s word does He leave sin as an option
for His children. He is commanding us in saying “do not let sin reign in your
mortal body.” At times, many Christians view sin as something optional, banking
on the fact that they have forgiveness in Christ. This is a horrible outlook to
have, and is unpleasing to God! 2 Corinthians
Every converted follower of Christ has received a priceless gift. “Priceless” does not even come close, nor begin to describe the value of this gift. Christ has taken the punishment of death for sin. Christians are now “not under law but under grace.” Does this leave one little excuse for sin on one’s part? Most certainly not! Christ did not die a gruesome death, taking the weight of the world’s sin upon Himself so His Children could live half-hearted, uncommitted lives for Him.
If a husband
constantly tells his wife that he loves her, yet she knows he is willingly
giving his affection devotion to another woman, do you he really loves her?
Would she think he loves her? A Christian has one purpose in life, and that is
to love God (Matthew
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