Saturday, December 16th, 2023.
In Romans 6, Paul lays out the Christian life.
Rom 6:3-5 states that we are identified with Christ.
Rom 6:5-7 explains the crucified life of our old man being dead with Christ.
Rom 6:8-11 explains the resurrected life our new man alive eternal with Christ.
It is only after explaining our being together with Christ that Paul then explains how to respond to sin in our mortal bodies and members (Rom 6:12-14).
Without our being in Christ, crucified with Christ, and risen with Christ, then there would be nothing different about the Christian life than trying to keep the law.
It would be a standard of righteousness that we could get inspired to perform but would fail to keep (e.g., living like Jesus, what would Jesus do).
Our focus is not on kicking the old man out, since he is already dead. Our affection is not on our mortal body and its sins. Don’t try to replace something with nothing.
Instead, our old man of sin has been replaced with a new man in Christ.
Set your affections and attention on that new man, his identity, his calling, his destiny. Where does he get his life, strength, and power?
This is the worthy walk by faith after the Spirit.
This is life in Christ, and it is a gift of God.
Learn more about life in Christ as we study Romans 6 in our Tuesday night verse-by-verse meetings.
For Christ in you,
Justin “not I” Johnson