Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Devotion

“Walk in the newness of life.” What does that mean? One of the difficulties for me in studying the book of Romans has been working through the particulars while keeping the big picture in mind since the letter to the Roman church was written as “so this/then this.” The sixth chapter of Romans starts with “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” In order to understand what “newness of life” is, we must also understand what “sin” and “grace” are.

Popular adages in kids ministry are “sin is missing the mark,” “sin is anything we think, say, or do that breaks God’s law,” and “grace is a free gift from God that saves us from our sin.” While these may be a good place to start, we mustn’t stay here. We must keep asking defining questions.

What is the mark?

What is God’s law? 

What is the gift?

The mark—or God’s law—is summarized by Jesus in this way: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength;" and "Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The gift of grace is what saves us and covers our sin (Romans 5).

So, as Paul asked, why does it matter if we sin when we live under grace? We must be careful to understand that grace is not a license to sin; grace is both pardon from sin and power to not sin, but to walk in the newness of life! The new life Paul writes about is a life of righteousness, a life fleeing from sin, a life where we are not slaves to sin. It is a life where God is first and where our desires align with his desires. 

The big picture is that through Christ’s grace, each of us is a new creation and not a slave to sin! 

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for making me a new creation, dead to sin. May you show me your grace as power today to stand up to sin and live in the newness of life, to be alive in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Nevan White
Administrative Assistant for Congregational Care

Resources

• Listen to Wesley’s Understanding of Sin by Cliff Sanders.
• Listen to Understanding Grace by Cliff Sanders.

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