As has been standard through the book of Romans so far, Paul will also continue to stress how faith in Jesus supersedes the observance of the law. In this post, we'll glean a clearer understanding as to why he believes this to be true.
Also, I'll splatter my passion for all to read when I talk candidly about sexuality, consequences, the effects of sin and life without Christ and why there's no other way to live your life other than giving up everything that reeks of the bad you for everything that God can produce in a new you!
Let's get into it!
Romans 6 (Read it here)
In the latter part of Romans 5, Paul is emphatic about how God's grace and love are more powerful than any collection of sin and condemnation that has been stored up by humanity. This doesn't give us a license or excuse to sin because hypocrisy is a virus that leads non-Christians to quarantine themselves from God. You are either all-in or all-out. You can't pick and choose when to follow God and when not to. If you've truly put your faith in Jesus, then how can you be righteous while acting sinful? (vs. 1-2)
Paul reminds those within the church in Rome of their baptism. Baptism signifies a person's unity or association with Jesus. During baptism, when a Christian is immersed underwater, it signifies that we have died (like Jesus, because even he was following the will of God) to ourselves; God is now in control. And when a Christian comes out of the water, it symbolizes being raised (like Jesus again) from death (the curse of sin) to a new life filled with the Spirit! (vs. 3-4) Baptism is also a symbol of how Christ-followers will also be raised after their deaths to be joined with God in heaven. (v. 5; again like Jesus was)
Did you know that so much symbolism was packed into baptism? That's why I believe its important for all Christ-followers to 1.) Get baptized and 2.) know exactly what it means to do so.
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When Jesus died, God granted those who placed their faith in him freedom from the bondage of sin. We don't have to live a life full of animosity, fear and uncertainty towards God anymore. (v. 6) Instead of experiencing the life that is marred by sin, we can experience what God truly intended for us to experience; a life united with Him! (vs. 7-8)
The penalty for sin is death. (v. 23) But Jesus proved that death was powerless in the face of God's power when He raised his son from the tomb! Jesus will never die again. And after Christ-followers die, they will never die again, either. (v. 9) In fact, after Jesus judges everyone in the world, death itself will die. (Revelation 20:14) There is no room for death in heaven! (Revelation 21:4) Hell, its founder and its inhabitants will cease to exist!
The only control that sin or death holds over our lives is the control that we give it. We, like Jesus, can surrender ourselves to the power of God. Yet it is a daily, sometimes second-by-second choice, to allow God to be in control or for our own selfish, sinful desires to re-assume the reigns in our lives. (vs. 10-11) This is not a question of being saved but being captive of sin. People that are going to heaven (who are saved) still sin, of course.
You have to make the choice as to whether you're going to live apart from God (with all the inflicted and self-inflicted pain and suffering that we cause) or whether we're going to live with God's Spirit renewing, reshaping, breaking and molding us constantly! (v. 12)
Paul encourages Christ-followers to practice self-control, especially when it comes to how we use our bodies. Surrendering ourselves to God means that our bodies should engage in what is right for the glory of God. (v. 13) Our bodies should reflect, radiate and shine with the brightness and goodness of God!
Now what does that look like?
I hope you don't assume I'm talking about tattoos or piercings; for such things can honor God. For example, is a tattoo of a Bible verse or of Jesus on a cross sinful? They can definitely be used as a testimony to God's grace!
Ok, so what is Paul implying then?
Instead of me assuming what Paul is implying, let's go back to the laundry list of sins he stresses back in Romans 1 and focus on those that require the body:
- Sodomy
- Murder
- Fighting (quarelling)
- Prostitution
- Adultery
- Pre-marital sex (fornication)
There are other ways to honor the body God gave you, of course. For the most part, other than those mentioned above, the other ways are pretty subjective. A few that come to my mind are: gluttony (I'm guilty of), "cutting," smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse. These all have negative effects not only on our physical bodies, but also our emotions and even the genetic makeup of the children we choose to have! That (negative physical and emotional effects) is definitely true with sexual immorality, is it not?
Again, even if you have always been a certain way, have had a track record of screw-ups or have been a cynic towards spirituality and faith, it doesn't have to be that way. You can live in freedom from all that judgment, condemnation and even from the rules themselves! (v. 14) This doesn't mean that sinning doesn't have its consequences, however. Even though God offers forgiveness to His children for past and future sins, the consequences of our actions aren't always prevented by God.
For example, if someone murders another human being, God is willing and able to forgive that, no question about it. However, repentance won't likely keep that person from going to prison! Or what if someone has sex with their girlfriend/boyfriend and the girl gets pregnant? God will definitely still love and honor the existence of that child and forgive the parents, of course. Unfortunately though, that decision to have premarital, unprotected sex (and unintentionally, a child out of wedlock) will present some unique problems/challenges that would've been non-existent if that sex were in the context of a committed marriage, right?
To make it simple, Paul says that you either have to be a slave to sin, which leads to death or to be a slave to righteousness, which is found in obeying God and trusting in His son, Jesus. (vs. 16-18) Even though using the imagery of being a slave (either sin's or God's) doesn't sound particularly appealing, its gets the point across. So you have to decide, who are you going to give your heart to: God, who created you and knows you better than you know yourself or to yourself and your selfish desires? Its really that simple. Choosing yourself will drive you deeper into sin and separate you from God, even though God doesn't want that. He wants you to be His holy child, like Jesus. (v. 19)
Jesus, even though he was human and capable of making his own decisions, followed God in complete obedience. When Jesus knew he was going to suffer and die, he thought twice about it, (Luke 22:42) like any normal human being would. But Jesus wasn't normal, he followed his Father, even to death. A person apart from God isn't even expected to do what's right. (v. 20) What would you expect? A person who is ignorant or indifferent when it comes to God and His law isn't going to worry about what God considers right, wrong, gracious and unjust. They are only left with their own interpretations of what those terms mean. Humans on their own don't think like God. (Isaiah 55:8)
Just ask anyone who has come to faith in Jesus. They'll tell you that they've done some stupid stuff before they came to Christ; things they wouldn't consider doing now since they are directed by God's Spirit! My wife says that if she hadn't came to faith in Jesus, gotten involved in ministry and began searching out God's purpose for her life, she would've killed herself. That's the power of sin and death at work and what Paul means by eternal doom; a since of being unable to escape the clutches of death! (v. 21; thanatos in the original Greek).
Once again, it doesn't have to be that way. You can come unashamedly to God just as you are, baggage and all. He will not only accept you but, through faith in the transforming power of Jesus, He will change you into someone you never thought you could be and worthy of favor and eternal rewards you never thought you could deserve! (v. 22)
Why wade in the purposeless and pain of life without God? I'm not saying things will become perfect but I guarantee you'll respond to anything that happens to you with peace and grace!
Questions
1.) Why do you think the proper context for sex (among other physical sins) is important to God? Why would He care about such things if our faith focuses so much about the condition of the heart and what we believe?
2.) Before coming to faith in Jesus people tend to live with a sense that God and His law doesn't apply to their lives causing them to sin without much thought. That all changes when God is granted control over them. If you are not a Christ-follower do you find that you ignore what God says is right and wrong? Why? If you are a Christ-follower, what has changed about you? What did you use to not care about but you do now because you live under the influence of God's Spirit?
3.) All sin leads to death, that's why all people will eventually die. Christ-followers will never die again because we will follow the life-death-resurrection-eternal life pattern of Jesus Christ. However, death can be self-inflicted. The power of sin and death can lead to utter hopelessness and the desire to "end it all." Do you believe that the main cause of this hopelessness is the absence of God or is it something else? Can the joy of salvation and eternal life be a literal feeling that drowns all hopelessness? Why or why not?
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