Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

THIS WEEK’S FOCUSED SCRIPTURE

Romans 6:19-23 (NIV) - 19I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But 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. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ‍

THOUGHTS FROM DENESE‍

You may have heard it before, but it is worth saying again – we are all serving something. This verse reminds us that before we are saved, we are slaves to wickedness, but after we are saved, we are slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. That phrase jumped out to me as I was studying this chapter. It says that we ARE slaves to righteousness – righteousness is defined as the quality or essential character of being morally right – but LEADING to holiness – the state of being holy. What that says to me is that by being a Christian, we have the quality of being right with God, but He is leading us to holiness. We aren’t there yet but will be some day and that’s okay!

I love that Paul starts this verse with, “I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations.” God knows we are human, and He has so much grace for us! Now we all know that is not our excuse to do whatever we feel like just because He gives us grace, but He does understand that we need help. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. If we have died in Christ, we no longer live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that God didn’t just leave it up to us; He knew we needed help.

If you have not already, ask the Holy Spirit to direct you today. Invite Him into every area of your life. Ask Him to search your heart to make sure your heart is aligned with His. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. That encourages me to know that I do not have to be perfect nor do I have to do this on my own – if we ask Him, the Holy Spirit will be right by our side every step of the way. Thank you, Father, that with Your help, we are dead to sin and alive in Christ!