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Raised to New Life

Words of Faith Final

Raised to New Life
Words of Faith 8-25-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 6
    What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? [2] By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? [3] Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

   Some had apparently reasoned that since grace increases "all the more" in the face of sin, believers ought to sin more, so they can experience more grace! Beyond the obvious self-serving nature of this argument lies a cycle of "sin and grace" that will never bring about a walk reflecting a truly new life in Christ.
   Such arguments circulated in the first century among the gnostic groups. Gnosticism was a philosophy of "dualism" believing the material world should be shunned as the spiritual world is embraced. One expression of Gnosticism was called "libertine" and celebrated "freedom from the flesh" through acts of debauchery. "The more we 'sin,' the more we show our freedom from the material world." This way of thinking had apparently infiltrated the church.
     Paul brought up this theory of "going on sinning" only to reject it vehemently: "By no means!" Yes, grace increases all the more, but it is no reason for us to taunt God with our sin. Grace does not call us to sin. It simply cannot. "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"
    Paul made a powerful argument about baptism. For Jewish people, baptism was an enormously significant act.  Through the act of baptism, non-Jews marked their conversion to Judaism. The mikveh (ritual baptism) was the final removal of "Gentile impurity," by which one turned their back on pagan life and sin. With the mikveh baptism, there came a vow to follow God's commandments and become a new person with regard to Jewish law. Now, Paul tied this into the powerful imagery of death and life found in Jesus.  
   A person who becomes a follower of Jesus gives up their old life. Through participation in Christ's death, Paul says, their death to the old life in sin, which was crucified in Christ, is an accomplished fact. Grace sets us free from sin; it does not call us back into it!
   All this may sound like a lot of theology, but the simple fact is that today is a day to walk in freedom, not slavery. The practice of the Gospel calls us to realize that now is a time to walk in victory, not defeat. Grace is not just the power of forgiveness that covers our sins; it is the power of freedom to overcome temptation and sin. We were baptized into his death so that the power of sin would die.  
   In the same way, the image of Christian baptism is very powerful. Christian baptism is a baptism into death so that we might be raised to live a new life. In baptism, a believer is buried with Him and raised with Him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:12).

        Lord, thank You for Your grace that forgives. Thank You even more for grace that is the power of new life and freedom in Jesus. I surrender this day to Your grace, that I may walk in freedom, not in slavery to sin. May I be raised up with Jesus in the power of God.  Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.