Once again, Paul is making some powerful claims about our new life in Christ. Think about this (from the NLT):
6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
Romans 6:6-8 NLT
We are no longer slaves to sin! We are set free! This truth is one that I think we don’t always fully comprehend. In some sense we don’t act as if we are free. We say things like, “I’m only human.” But Paul says we’re not the kind of human we used to be. Is that how we live? Is that how I live? We need to think this way:
11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11 NLT
Paul continues …
19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.
Romans 6:19 NLT
His solution to becoming holy is to let ourselves be slaves to righteous living. I will be pondering this …
