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So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace - a new life in a new land! When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life - no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did. (Romans 6:1-11 The Message)
We live in Seguin, Texas now. It is a beautiful place and so far we love it. We've bought our own home and for the second time in our lives are home owners. When we moved out of the district parsonage on Monday last, we spent the night in San Marcos and although I didn't voice it out loud, I thought "We're homeless. At least for the night. Tomorrow we close on our home and we won't be." Silly thought, but it was true. We bought a new home and it is the right size for two grandparents. The parsonage was huge and we could store things; things we didn't see for seven years and now that they've come back we wondered why we brought them here to Seguin! The rule of thumb according to the movers, "If you haven't missed it or used it for that long, why keep it?" Easier said than done. But, the passage above spoke to my heart. While I miss the old house and all that goes with living in a seaside city, I can no longer live there. It is not my house. My home is here where I live. Paul says the same thing about sin. If we have lived in a "country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace - a new life in a new land!" We, thanks to what Jesus did for us, live a new life. Our life, freed from sin, is a life now lived in grace and normal thinking people should not think "I want to go back to there." Sin kills. Why live in a land of death when Jesus has pulled us into a land of life?
Sin is attractive. Sin calls us by name, just like Snoopy hears chocolate chip cookies calling his name, sin knows our name and calls to us. But Jesus knew our name when He died for us and called us by name out of sin and into grace. "Dear One, come out of sin and into my love!" What an invitation! How can we say no to Jesus and yes to sin? Jesus has cancelled sin and we should have no need of it any longer. So, yes to the questions above; you and are should be living new lives, free from sin. The old has passed and the new has brought us to this place.
PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for the new life you have shared with this dear reader and me. Help us to glorify You as we live in this new place of grace. May sin be in our rearview mirror and may we never look back. This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Explore this new city of grace! Talk to someone about it!
Eradio Valverde
