Proper 7 / Pentecost 5 / OT 11
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?
-- Romans 6:1b
In Romans 5:20, Paul asserted that where sin increased, grace multiplied. Since the grace of God is a sign of the incredible love of God, the cynic could well conclude that by sinning we are providing the opportunity for the grace of God to shine all the more brightly. Paul quickly challenged this ridiculous conclusion with the rhetorical question, "Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?" As wonderful as grace is, sin is an affront to God and only overcome at a cost. The reason Christ died for us was to set us free for a new life. "So that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life." Paul used the analogy of slavery and spoke of us being "enslaved to sin." If you were a slave and someone came and set you free, it would be a wonderful moment, but you would not want to return to slavery so that you could experience that moment of liberation again. The "newness of life" is a life that is shaped by a new focus. If sin is reflected in the self-centered focus of living in response to our personal desires and fears, then the "newness of life" is "living to God." With Christ, we have overcome death and are set free for a whole new life. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Since Paul was speaking to the community of the church, his invitation was for the church to refuse to make its decisions according to what would make the church prosper and to shift to making decisions according to what would be pleasing to God. It is a worthy consideration for the contemporary church as well.
-- Romans 6:1b
In Romans 5:20, Paul asserted that where sin increased, grace multiplied. Since the grace of God is a sign of the incredible love of God, the cynic could well conclude that by sinning we are providing the opportunity for the grace of God to shine all the more brightly. Paul quickly challenged this ridiculous conclusion with the rhetorical question, "Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?" As wonderful as grace is, sin is an affront to God and only overcome at a cost. The reason Christ died for us was to set us free for a new life. "So that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life." Paul used the analogy of slavery and spoke of us being "enslaved to sin." If you were a slave and someone came and set you free, it would be a wonderful moment, but you would not want to return to slavery so that you could experience that moment of liberation again. The "newness of life" is a life that is shaped by a new focus. If sin is reflected in the self-centered focus of living in response to our personal desires and fears, then the "newness of life" is "living to God." With Christ, we have overcome death and are set free for a whole new life. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Since Paul was speaking to the community of the church, his invitation was for the church to refuse to make its decisions according to what would make the church prosper and to shift to making decisions according to what would be pleasing to God. It is a worthy consideration for the contemporary church as well.
