Romans 6:1-14 - Sin, grace and baptism

If sin is fun and grace is free then why stop sinning?  Paul says that's a ridiculous thing to ask for anyone who really knows Jesus...

Romans 6:1-14

Paul is saying that a Christian is someone who has died.  The death of Jesus now also represents the death of their old sinful self with all its selfish priorities and desires.  The Christian is someone who realises the seriousness of sin and sees that it leads to death.  They also enjoy the incredible forgiveness and freedom that God's grace through Jesus brings.  For someone like this, who realises the seriousness of sin and experiences the joy of grace, the idea of wanting to continue in sin is absolutely ridiculous.

For the Christian, they also have the Holy Spirit - God himself living in them and this means they have the power to make the right decisions and to live for Jesus.  Before, they were slaves to sin and helpless to stop but now, they have God himself and all his power at work in them to change them day-by-day to be more like Jesus (v6-7).

Paul describes some of the symbolism that's involved in believer's baptism.  When Christians go under the water and come up again, they're identifying themselves with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  The water is just water but it's packed with meaning for the person being baptised.  It's a sign that they have crucified their old selves (Galatians 5:24) and it's a sign that just as Jesus came back to life, they too live a new life - not one centered on themselves anymore but on Jesus instead.  Living 'with him' (v8) is something that starts now as well as continuing forever in heaven.

Paul's advice for Christians is to count themselves dead to sin, dead to its leadership and mastery and instead to live full lives for Jesus, led by by him.  The forgiveness and freedom that Jesus brings to Christians is not what's in question here, only the extent to which Christians make the most of that freedom to live large lives for Jesus rather than small selfish lives for themselves.

Questions...
1. Are you dead to sin and alive to Jesus yet?  If not, what do you make of the idea here that you're a 'slave' to sin?  How long could you go without thinking, saying or doing something selfish?
2. If you are dead to sin and alive to Jesus, have you been baptised?  If not - what are you waiting for?  If so, how is your life and your choices showing people what Jesus has done for you (like your baptism did)?

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Romans 5:12-21 - Two men

Paul has been explaining how the death of Jesus has made people right with God.  This leads him to reflect back to how the problem of sin got started and to draw some links between what Adam did and what Jesus has done...

Romans 5:12-21

Christians differ as to how to properly understand the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis.  Some say it's literally true and that Adam and Eve are our first parents.  Others say it's figuratively true and Adam and Eve represent the human race.  Either way, the main points of Genesis are clear and what Paul says here about Adam's story still stands, whether it's literally true or figuratively true.

Paul talks about two men.

The first man is Adam.  In Genesis we read that God made people good and gave them freedom to choose to love him back in obedience or to go their own way and rebel.  They went against God and this brought consequences for all humankind from that point on: guilt and shame, work became toil, pain, struggle and ultimately death and separation from God (Genesis 3).  Humankind was (and still is) in rebellion against God, sinning by nature and by choice.

The second man is Jesus.  Paul says the implications of the gift of Jesus' death on the cross are far greater than the consequences of Adam. In other words - God's solution for sin is plenty big enough to deal with the problem of sin.  The first man brought sin and death but the second man brings grace and life.  The first man brought judgment and condemnation but the second man brings justification and righteousness.  The single act of the first man's rebellion against God that started all this mess is undone by the single act of the second man's obedience to God on the cross.

Paul reminds us that the purpose of the law given to the Israelites through Moses was to show sin up more so we could know just how bad we are and how far we've fallen from God's standards.  But it also goes to show just how gracious God is when he came to die in our place for our sin so we could be brought back from death to life.

Questions...
1. What are the main points of Genesis chapters 1-3, whether you take it literally or not?
2. How good is God?  How bad are we?  How does the law help us?
3. Are you following the first man or the second?  What does Paul say the consequences are for you?

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