Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 8
Sunday


WHO'S THE
BOSS?

READ:
Romans 6:1-14
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Sin shall not have
dominion over you, for
you are not under law
but under grace.
__Romans 6:14
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As my wife was babysitting our two young grandsons, they began to argue over a toy. Suddenly, the younger (by 3 years) forcefully ordered his older brother, "Cameron, go to your room!" Shoulders slumped under the weight of the reprimand, the dejected older brother began to slink off to his room when my wife said, "Cameron, Nathan's not the boss of you!" that realization changed everything, and Cam, smiling, sat back down to play.

As followers of Christ, the reality of our brokenness and our inclination to sin can assume a false authority much like that younger brother. Sin noisily threatens to dominate our hearts and minds, and the joy drains from our relationship with the Savior.

But through the death and resurrection of Christ, that threat is an empty one. Sin has no authority over us. That is why Paul wrote, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14).

While our brokenness is very real, Christ's grace enables us to live in a way that pleases God and expresses His transforming power to the world. Sin is no longer our boss. We now live in the grace and presence of Jesus. His dominion in our lives releases us from the bondage of sin. __Bill Crowder

``````````````````````````Thank You for Your grace, Lord, that```````````````````````
``````````````````````cleanses us inside. Your grace is greater```````````````````````
```````````````````than all our sin. We know we can't live without````````````````````
`````````````````````it. And we're grateful that we don't have to.````````````````````
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God pursues us in our restlessness, receives us in our
sinfulness, holds us in our brokenness. __Scotty Smith

*********************Today's Bible Reading __ Romans 6:1-14************************

1 What shall we say then?
shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound?

3 Certainly not! How shall
we who died to sin live any
longer in it? 3 Or do you not
know that as many of us as
were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His
death? 4 Therefore we were
buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just
as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of
life.

5 For if we have been united
together in the likeness of
His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His
resurrection, 6 knowing this,
that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done
away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin. 7 For
he who has died has been
freed from sin. 8 Now if we
died with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with
Him, 9 knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the
dead, dies no more. Death no
longer has dominion over
Him... 11 Likewise you
also, reckon yourselves to be
dead indeed to sin, but alive
to God in Christ Jesus our
Lord.

12 Therefore do not let sin
reign in your mortal body,
...13 but present...your
members as instruments of
righteousness to God. 14 For
sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not
under law but under grace.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Previously in Romans, Paul has been teaching about our redemption
and justification__how through faith in Jesus Christ, God made us
right with Him (3:21_4:25). Paul now deals with another aspect of
our salvation__sanctification (Rom. 6:1-8:39). Because we have been
given a new life and a new relationship with God (6:4-14), He expects
us to live differently and to mature in holiness.