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In Romans 6.1, the Apostle Paul asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” His answer is an emphatic, “No!” Jesus Christ died and rose again so that we might progressively eradicate sin from our lives.As I explained in yesterday’s comments on Romans 6.1-4, baptism symbolizes the dividing line between sin and salvation in a Christian’s life. Romans 6.5-10 moves from symbol to reality. If baptism provides a powerful reason to stop sinning, then our actual union with Christ provides an even more powerful reason.

Consider what Paul writes in Romans 6.5-10:

According to verse 6, “we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Christ died for the purpose of doing away with sin in us. Sin is the “old self.” It is that part of us that is enslaved to immoral passions and out-of-control addictions. God does not want us to live that way, so when Christ died, our “old self” died with him. Why in the world would anyone want to resurrect the “dirty old man” in our souls?

Now pay attention to verses 8 and 10: “if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” and “the life he lives, he lives to God.” If we are united with Christ in his resurrection, we will live “to God.” In other words, we will live for God’s glory, according to God’s standards, and in God’s presence. Sin does not redound to God’s glory. It does not measure up to God’s standards. And it cannot be found in God’s presence. Consequently, if we are united with Christ in his resurrection, sin can be no part of our lives.

But obviously, sin continues to be a part of our lives. Our “old self” died on Christ’s cross. We “know” this, as Paul puts it in verse 6. But our final triumph over sin awaits our future resurrection from the dead, which will put us beyond the reach of sin. We “believe” this will happen, according to verse 8. It is a matter of faith.

Not just faith, however! As we will see in tomorrow’s devotional, there are practical steps we can take right now to progressively eradicate sin from our lives.

According to Romans 6.5-10, Jesus Christ died and rose again so that we might progressively eradicate sin from our lives.

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In Romans 6.1-4, the Apostle Paul asks a thought-provoking question about the relationship between grace and sin.Here’s what Paul writes:

Paul’s thought-provoking question follows hard on the heels of what he writes in chapter 5. In verse 2, he argues that we have access to grace because of faith, not works. In verse 8, he reminds us that Christ demonstrated God’s love by dying for us when we are still sinners. In verse 16, he writes, “the gift [of grace] followed many trespasses and brought justification. In verse 17 he speaks of “God’s abundant provision of grace.” And in verse 20, he concludes, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” No wonder Paul asks in Romans 6.1, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” If grace increases whenever and wherever sin increases, maybe we should sin more to receive more grace.

There’s a kind of logic at work in this idea, but it’s a faulty logic. As Paul points out, such a conclusion misinterprets what grace accomplishes. Grace not only covers our past with divine forgiveness, it empowers us in the present so that we can live holy lives. Paul highlights the transforming power of grace in two ways. First, he highlights the role of baptism in the Christian life in Romans 6.1-4. Then, he highlights the purpose of Christ’s death and resurrection in Romans 6.5-10.

Today, we’ll look at baptism. Tomorrow, we’ll look at Christ’s death and resurrection.

For Paul and the early Christians, water baptism symbolizes the most important dividing line in a person’s life: the dividing line between sin and salvation. When the pastor puts someone under the water, it’s as if that person dies with Christ on the cross. His or her old life is over. When the pastor pulls someone up out of the water, it is as if he or she rises from the dead in order, Paul writes, to “live a new life.”

Think of baptism like a wedding ring. You can be a Christian without being baptized, just like you can be married without a wedding ring. But like a wedding ring, baptism is a powerful symbol of your union with Christ. When you wear a wedding ring, you no longer go looking for dates with other people. You’ve found your lifelong mate. And the ring signals to others that you’re off the marriage market. Similarly, baptism symbolizes to you and to everyone else that you belong heart and soul to Jesus. You’re off the sin market, so to speak.

So, as I said earlier, the logic of continuing to sin to get more grace is faulty logic. You’ve been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Grace changes you. It makes you desire sin less and holiness more. When you’re baptized, you don’t sin to get more grace any more than you wear a wedding ring to get more spouses.

In Romans 6.1-4, the Apostle Paul asks a thought-provoking question about the relationship between sin and grace.

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â..In Adamâ..s Fall, we sinned all.â. Thatâ..s the doctrine of original sin according to The New England Primer. But is the doctrine fair?

Consider what Paul writes in Romans 5.18-21:

To be perfectly honest, the doctrine of original sin seems unfair. Why should we experience the negative consequences of Adamâ..s sinful choice? To borrow Paulâ..s words, why should Adamâ..s trespass result in our condemnation? Why should his disobedience make us sinners? Why should his sin usher in the reign of death over us?

In lieu of a decisive answer to the question of fairnessâ..which I donâ..t haveâ..let me offer three questions of my own.

First, have you acted any better than Adam? We think the doctrine of original sin is unfair because we seem to get punished for Adamâ..s sin. Or at least we suffer the consequences of it. But itâ..s not as if weâ..re all that innocent ourselves. Itâ..s not as if, in other words, we hadnâ..t sinned ourselves. Adamâ..s sinful choice had consequences for all of us, but weâ..re pretty good at making sinful choices all on our own.

Second, do you realize that your choices affect others, for better or worse? If parents choose to work hard, live frugally, and spend wisely, their children reap the benefits. But if they choose to slack off, live beyond their means, and spend their money on booze, their children suffer. Is that fair? Perhaps not. But thatâ..s the way the world works. What our parents did affects our lives to this day. What we do affects our children in the days to come.

Third, is it fair that we receive the benefits of Christâ..s death? We criticize the doctrine of original sin because we seem to be punished for Adamâ..s sin. The argument seems to be that we should receive only what we deserve. Oddly, however, we donâ..t make that argument when it comes to salvation. We certainly donâ..t deserve salvation. We havenâ..t earned it through sinlessness. So why donâ..t we stand on our rights when it comes to grace?

As I said, I donâ..t have decisive answers to the question of the fairness of original sin. I can only tell you how I think about the matter. When I consider my own sinfulness and the consequences of my actions on others, I can see how Adamâ..s sin might affect my life today. But when I go on to consider the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I realize that fairness is not the only thing in life, or even the most important thing. Grace is. And â..where sin increased, grace increased all the more.â.

Is the doctrine of original sin fair? I don’t have a decisive answer, but as I read Romans 5.18-21, I have three followup questions.

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In Romans 5.15-17, Paul compares and contrasts the trespass of Adam and the gift of Jesus Christ.Here’s what he writes:

Paul compares Adam and Jesus at one point. For both, the action of “the one man” affects “the many.” Adam and Jesus are representative men. Their actions uniquely affect us.

But Paul quickly overwhelms this single point of comparison with several strong contrasts. The first contrast he draws is between the nature of Adam’s and Jesus’ respective actions. Paul describes Adam’s act as a “trespass,” but Jesus’ act as a “gift.” A trespass is an illegal border crossing. Adam crossed the boundary between permitted and prohibited when he ate the forbidden fruit. He deserved to be judged. By contrast, a gift has nothing to do with what a person deserves. It is “grace,” that is, an undeserved favor.

The second contrast Paul draws is between the result of Adam’s and Jesus’ actions. Adam’s action is a trespass. It deserves judgment. And so, Paul writes, “the judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation.” The condemnation Paul speaks of is not merely Adam’s condemnation. It is ours too. In various ways, we also are trespassers of the boundary between permitted and prohibited. Thankfully, however, “the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.” Despite the fact that we have sinned again and again, Jesus’ death and resurrection makes it possible for us to experience God’s grace, again and again.

The final contrast Paul draws is between how Adam’s and Jesus’ actions affect our lives in the here and now. The choice before us is between life and death. For those stuck in Adam, “death reigned through the one man.” But those who have responded to faith in Jesus “reign in life.” Pay attention to the grammar here. For unbelievers, death reigns. It is the subject of the verb. It is in control. But by contrast, believers “reign in life through…Jesus Christ.” By the grace of God, we become the subjects of the verb. We are in control. We might say that sin makes us victims, but salvation makes us victors.

When you set Adam and Jesus side by side and contrast their respective actions, you see how much damage Adam’s trespass did to humanity, especially when we repeat his mistake. But you can also see how much more powerful Jesus’ gift of salvation is. And that gift is only the beginning of “God’s abundant provision of grace.”

In Romans 5.15-17, Paul contrasts the trespass of Adam and the gift of Jesus Christ.

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Via Compass Direct. For my first post on this subject, go here.

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IRAN : CONVERT PASTOR RELEASED ON BAIL

Formal court case apparently pending against Ali Kaboli.

June 13 (Compass Direct) â.. A convert Christian jailed six weeks ago in northern Iran was released last night and reunited with his family.

The family of Ali Kaboli, 51, continued to decline comment on the reason for the long-time Protestant believerâ..s arrest or any conditions of his June 12 release by police authorities in his home city of Gorgan.

But sources told Compass that a hefty bail was posted to the court for Kaboliâ..s release, indicating that a formal case could be pending against him. Reportedly he is prohibited from receiving guests at his home and is not permitted to travel to Tehran.Â

Kaboli was arrested without explanation on May 2 from his carpenterâ..s workshop in Gorgan, capital of Golestan province. With the exception of one telephone call to his family, he had been refused any outside contact. A former Muslim who converted to Christianity as a teenager, Kaboli hosted house church meetings in his home and traveled in the Caspian Sea region as an itinerant evangelist. In recent years, he has been threatened, arrested and interrogated a number of times for his Christian activities.

Under Iranâ..s strict apostasy laws, Kaboli could face the death penalty for converting to Christianity 35 years ago.  In recent years, authorities in Iranâ..s northern provinces along the Caspian Sea coast have been particularly harsh toward the growing number of house churches cropping up in the region, arresting lay pastors and individual members known to be involved.

Government officials have warned that anyone caught conducting these â..illegal religious meetingsâ. would be duly prosecuted.  Nearly two years ago, local Protestant denominations had been ordered to cut their ties with any house church groups meeting throughout the country.

Since then, church leaders have been under relentless intimidation to compromise with government investigators by providing the names of their members, particularly any who are converts from Islam. Since last yearâ..s election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian authorities have ratcheted up their pressures against the handful of remaining Protestant congregations still allowed to meet in official church buildings.

Another Iranian convert Christian has remained jailed since September 2004, allegedly convicted of â..concealingâ. his Christian identity from the Iranian military while serving as an army colonel. Incarcerated in Tehranâ..s Evin Prison, Hamid Pourmand had converted to Christianity more than 25 years ago.

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What is original sin?

When our Puritan forefathers taught their children the alphabet, they made sure to include small doses of theology along the way. So, for example, the New England Primer, first published in 1690, used this couplet for the letter A:

That’s about as succinct a statement of the doctrine of original sin as you’ll ever find. The original sin is “Adam’s Fall,” his disobedience of God’s commandment in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, Adam’s disobedience brought death into the world as God’s judgment against sin. But that judgment did not just affect Adam. It affects us too.

Here’s what Paul writes about the topic in Romans 5.12-14:

Notice the logic of Paul’s words.

First, Adam introduced sin into God’s creation by disobeying God’s commandment. The story of Adam’s disobedience is found in Genesis 3.1-19. Here’s the background to the story. God had created a perfect world and placed Adam and Eve in the middle of a garden paradise. He told them that they could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead of rejoicing in the bounty of food God had provided them, Adam and Eve chose to eat the one fruit God had forbidden them. Why? Because a snake told them to go ahead and try it. The lesson here is that sin always begins with ingratitude and ends with irrationality.

Second, Paul teaches us, disobedience requires punishment. According to Genesis 2.17-19, the punishment for disobedience of God’s commandment is death. Death is first and foremost separation from God and his blessings, then it is physical death, then it is eternal punishment. Death in all its dimensions entered the world through Adam’s sin.

But it is not as if God were unfairly punishing us for Adam’s sin. Paul goes on to say, “in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Adam’s actions brought about negative consequences for him and for us. But we should never think that God is treating us unjustly. Adam is not to blame for our shortcomings. We’re very capable sinners all on our own.

Paul concludes this paragraph by talking about the law. What he means is the Old Testament law. People sinned and experienced God’s judgment even before God revealed the law to Israel through Moses. What God expects of us is written in the Book of Nature as well as the Book of Scripture. So, none of us can claim ignorance as an excuse for our behavior. One way or another, we know what is right, but choose to do what is wrong nonetheless.

Is there any hope for us sinners? Yes! Paul speaks of Adam as “a pattern of the one to come,” that is, Jesus. We’ll talk more about him and how he reverses the pattern of Adam’s disobedience next time.

What is original sin? Check out the answer provided in Romans 5.12-14.

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…in which I talk about salvation as the foundation of Christian hope.

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When are we saved: in the past, the present, or the future?

I think about this question when I listen to people share their testimonies. They often say, “I was saved on such-and-such a date.” What they mean is that they came to Jesus on that date, whether in response to a public altar call or in the private of their own homes. For them, they were saved when they converted.

But then I remember a remark attributed to the great theologian Karl Barth. He reportedly said that he was saved on or around A.D. 30. Barth’s point was that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ saved him, not his decision to follow Christ.

But then I read Romans 5.9-11, which says:

Here, salvation is a future event. Two times, Paul asks “how much more shall we be saved?”

Douglas J. Moo explains the background to Paul’s question.

So, we come back to our original question: are we saved in the past, the present, or the future?

The answer, it turns out, is all three. Notice the time frame of Romans 5.9-11. The time frame of the statement “we were reconciled” is the past. The time frame of “we have now been justified” is the present. And the time frame of “we [shall] be saved” is the future.

The foundation of our salvation is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which happened in the past. Barth was right: we were saved on or around A.D. 30 “through the death of [God’s] son.” But we experience the blessings of Christ’s action in the here and now. Paul writes, “we have now been justified by his blood” and “we have now received reconciliation” (emphasis added). Because we have been justified by Christ and reconciled to God in the present, we can be confident that we will be saved by God at the Day of Judgment, which is still in our future.

You have been saved. You are being saved. You will be saved. These truths are the foundation of the Christian hope and optimism.

Whether we agree or disagree about the justice and advisability of our country’s war in Iraq, I think we can all agree that individual soldiers have demonstrated incredible heroism on the field of battle.One such soldier is Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith. Here’s how his Medal of Honor citation describes his heroic actions:

The citation described SFC Smith’s deeds as “acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty,” which they obviously were. SFC Smith sacrificed his life for the safety and wellbeing of his fellow soldiers. Such actions are the stuff of heroism.

And yet, Jesus Christ displayed an infinitely greater level of heroism on the cross. Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 5.6-8:

Compare and contrast these two forms of heroism. Both involve sacrificing your self for the wellbeing of others. But the similarities end there. Heroes such as SFC Smith died to save their comrades. Jesus Christ heroically died to save his enemies. Without in any way taking away from the heroism of SFC Smith’s actions, I would suggest that Jesus’ death on the cross is the infinitely greater form of heroism.

Paul tells us that Jesus’ death for sinners is a demonstration of God’s love for us. We are sinners. We have dishonored God and disobeyed his commandments in numerous ways. And because of our actions, we deserve nothing but judgment. We are, as it were, enemy soldiers fighting against God. God fights back with the weapon of love. Jesus Christ does not send his enemies to their deaths. Rather, he dies for his enemies, giving them a life they do not deserve. This is an act of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Love always is.

In which I compare and contrast two kinds of heroism, based on Romans 5.6-8.

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