Reading
SAA Notes
This passage is often used to teach immersion baptism. Paul is not speaking of the mode of baptism, but of the purpose of baptism – to live the new life, not the old one. A Christian is a slave to Christ, not to sin. This is the meaning of buried with Him in baptism, as Paul goes on to say explicitly.
SJA Notes
* Dear God, please show us how to live today.
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Our Lord was crucified and died so that we would no longer be slaves to sin! We are freed from the dominion of sin, that is true freedom!
It is not freedom to choose to turn back to our selfish ways rejecting God and walking in disobedience – That’s returning to slavery in sin.
This is a hard thing. A thing to wrestle with each day.
Because of what God has done for us through the Person of the Son, we are able to choose to walk in humble obedience under His will for us.
What a God we have!
* Gracious Father,
Thank You for writing Your word upon our hearts, Your Spirit refining us each day.
Please help us to present ourselves to You, instruments of righteousness.
Please make us more like Jesus each day.
Amen.