The closing scripture in Romans chapter 5 says, “…as sin reigned in death, even so grace might REIGN (basileuō: to exercise kingly power) through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21) Grace exercises kingly power over sin. So, Paul asks a very intriguing question, “…should we KEEP ON SINNING so that God can show us more and more of His WONDERFUL GRACE?” (Rom. 6:1) In other words do we glorify the power of grace and it’s ability exercise power over sin (not just power over but KINGLY POWER OVER). His answer is “CERTAINLY NOT (ginomai mē: God forbid)! How shall we who DIED TO SIN live any longer in it?” (Rom. 6:2) In the KJV it says, “GOD FORBID. How shall we, that are DEAD TO SIN, live any longer therein?”
God is forbidding us to continue practicing sin while we are professing to be a Christian! “…do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly WE SHALL ALSO BE IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION, knowing this, that our old self was CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, in order that our BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, so that we would NO LONGER be SLAVES TO SIN; for he who has died IS FREED FROM SIN.” (Rom. 6:3-7)
“…consider yourselves to be DEAD TO SIN, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore DO NOT LET SIN REIGN (basileuō: to exercise kingly power) in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts…But now you are FREE FROM THE POWER OF SIN and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:11-12, 22-23)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham