Dead to Sin and Alive to God

Readings:
Ezra 6
Romans 6:7-11

Focus:
Romans 6:11: "In the same way you must also regard yourselves as dead to sin and alive to God, in union with Christ Jesus."

When we have given our lives to Christ, we have become identified with him in his death and resurrection. Because we are identified with him, then it is as if our old nature had been crucified, in order that it should no longer be a slave to sin.

Because that's what life is like for us without Christ. Without him, we are slaves to sin. Even when we have given ourselves to him, it is hard enough not to sin. We fall down again and again, and need to ask for forgiveness.

But because of our identification with Christ, we are given the grace to experience the power of the resurrection in our lives now. We have the confidence that we will ultimately overcome our shortcomings and, at the end of our lives, live eternally with God. God's power cannot fail. We are alive to God, in union with Christ Jesus.

No More Sin

Readings:
Ezra 5
Romans 6:1-4

Focus:
Romans 6:1-2a: "What are we to say, then? Shall we persist in sin, so that there may be all the more grace? Certainly not!"

Paul has just been arguing that because of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, we no longer need obey the law in order to gain salvation. Instead, we only need to accept what Jesus has done for us, give our lives to God, and receive God's free grace.

The next logical question that might be asked is that, if our sin causes God to respond with grace, then should we sin more in order to receive more grace?

Paul has an answer to this: definitely not! Once we have turned our lives over to God, we have become identified with Christ. We are symbolically buried with him, and, just as he is raised from the dead, we also start a new life. In this new life, we do not commit sin on purpose. Instead, we flee from it as much as we are able.

And indeed, the more we know him, the less we want to sin. It does not make us happy any more.

I know someone who is a recovering alcoholic. Before she gave up drinking, she thought life would be boring without it. Then she starting going to AA, and became sober. Now she realizes how much better life is. She just didn't know, when she was drinking, how great, how much better, drink-free life was! So it is with sin. We think it's fun, but we just don't know how much more fun, how much happier, sin-avoiding life is.

Grace Results in a Verdict of Acquittal

Readings:
Ezra 4
Romans 5:12-21

Focus:
Romans 5:16: "And again,the gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man's sin; for the judicial action, following on the one offence, resulted in a verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds, resulted in a verdict of acquittal."

Paul's thesis in this passage is that through the sin of one man, Adam, death entered the human race, and all humankind was condemned, and doomed inevitably to sin. But through the sacrifice of one man, Jesus, God gave a free gift of grace to the human race, and every member of humankind that accepts this gift is liberated from condemnation, and welcomed to eternal life with God.

And although in each case the action comes through one man, there is no proportion between them. The single sin of Adam allowed sin to enter the world and condemned humankind to the effects of a broken creation. But after multitudes of sins had been and would be committed, God offered free grace through Jesus Christ to any who would accept it. Although sin was multiplied, God responded not with more condemnation, but instead with grace and forgiveness; he responded with acquittal.

As it says in verse 21, the result for those who accept this grace is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

By the Grace of Jesus

Readings:
I Chronicles 28
Acts 15:1-11

Focus:
Acts 15:11: "For our belief is that we are saved in the same way as they are: by the grace of the Lord Jesus."

In speaking to the gathered Christians in Jerusalem, Peter expressed one of the most basic truths of Christianity. We are not saved by being good or by following rules. We are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, given to us when we acknowledge that we are lost in sin and need his forgiveness, and that we accept what he did for us.

My husband used to tell a joke--and yet a story with truth in it--about a man who died and arrived at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asked him why he should be allowed into heaven. The man said, "I've been a nice person all my life and tried to respond kindly to people, and I took good care of my family."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

The man said, "I was faithful to my wife, and never got drunk or committed any crimes, even white-collar petty crimes; I didn't even keep extra change."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

So the man said, "I attended church almost every week, and gave 10% of my income most of my life."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

Then the man said, "I supported missionaries and gave extra money to causes like world hunger, diseases, and other charities."

St. Peter said, "That's still not good enough."

The man, starting to feel desperate, said, "I took in foster children, and I helped at homeless shelters, and I took time off work to go on short-term mission trips where I built housing for desperately poor people."

St. Peter said, "That's still not good enough, and you've still got a long way to go in order to get close to being good enough."

The man felt overcome by despair at this point, and said, "It's only by the grace of God that I'll ever get in here!"

St. Peter said, "You're in!"