Under New Ownership (Romans 6:1-23)
When Paul confronts the believers in Romans 6 with the question, "Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?", his resounding answer is Certainly not! It is easy to misinterpret God's infinite mercy as a permission slip to keep living however we want, but grace is never a license to stay in the mud. True grace does not simply rewrite your final destination; it changes who holds your heart.
When you surrender to Christ, a spiritual ownership transfer takes place. In the past, sin was your master, dictating your choices and keeping you bound in a lifestyle that leads to spiritual death. What the world calls freedom, living according to our own selfish and sinful desires, is actually a dangerous illusion of choice while remaining trapped in captivity to sin. True freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want; it is being liberated from sin’s grip so you can serve the God who made you.
Because your old self was crucified with Christ, dead people don't serve old masters. The authority that sin once held over your life has been stripped away through your union with Jesus in His death and resurrection. Sin will still attempt to make demands on your life, making loud claims and trying to boss you around, but it no longer possesses legal ownership over you. The Holy Spirit has set you apart, living within you to plant new desires, produce real spiritual fruit, and shape you into an instrument of righteousness.
Every human life is yielded to a master. Sin pays wages, and its settled payout is death, but God offers the unearned gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Like Moses, who chose to stand with God’s people rather than embrace the fleeting pleasures of unrighteousness, we are called to walk in the newness of life. Examine your heart today: are you yielding to your former master, or are you offering every part of yourself to the Savior who bought you and set you free?
Choose today whom you will serve, recognizing that grace frees you to love and obey your true Master. Surrender your fleshly desires, and ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your walk. Let your life be living proof of His transforming power, standing bold and unashamed in the light of His righteousness.
-Pastor Joe Kramer