My cousin Neill is a pastor, and Romans 5:12-21 is one of his favorite passages because of the simultaneous simplicity and profundity: sinful nature and death infected humanity by one man's disobedience, but grace, righteousness, and life have entered by the Second Man's faithful and obedient death.
5:17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
I also especially appreciated these verses this morning:
6:1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ... 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Unfortunately, there is a great battle within me (as Paul describes in chapter 7) that prevents me from simply living out the verses above. Paul later explains the key to experiencing the life of Christ:
8:1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ... 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus Christ who brings life to a dying world. Lord, please help me set my mind on the Spirit so that I may be your slave of righteousness and experience your life and peace. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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