Once You Were, But Now You Are (Romans 6:15-23)

Baptism Sunday! 

I hope you’re able to join us this Sunday.  It’s a special day as we’ll be baptizing 13 people throughout our morning services.  Baptism is a powerful and meaningful picture of what Jesus has done for us through faith.  As we heard in Pastor Bob’s message last week: 

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:4-5). 

We can think of this Sunday as sort of a ‘Show and Tell’ of the gospel.  Baptism shows what Jesus has done and the sermon tells what Jesus has done.  Speaking of the sermon, keep reading.  

Romans 6 
This Sunday we’ll continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Romans as we work our way through Romans 6:15-23 (see below). 

This passage uses some strong language to communicate our relationship to sin and death, but also our relationship with righteousness and God. 

Sometime before Sunday, I’d encourage you to read and reflect on Paul’s words - what does he say about life before grace and life after grace?  

The change is staggering.  I hope this Sunday will encourage us to even more staggering-ness!

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Blessings, 
Pastor Tim