You wouldn't linger in a pile of manure just to enjoy its essence, would you?
Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We 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.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 29: The Marks of the True Church
The true church can be recognized
if it has the following marks:
The church engages in the pure preaching
of the gospel;
it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments
as Christ instituted them;
it practices church discipline
for correcting faults.
As for those who can belong to the church,
we can recognize them by the distinguishing marks of Christians:
namely by faith,
and by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness,
once they have received the one and only Savior,
Jesus Christ.
They love the true God and their neighbors,
without turning to the right or left,
and they crucify the flesh and its works.
Though great weakness remains in them,
they fight against it
by the Spirit
all the days of their lives,
appealing constantly
to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of the Lord Jesus,
in whom they have forgiveness of their sins,
through faith in him.
Summary
The Apostle Paul is a master of the literary style employed in the rhetorical question that chapter six begins with, which is called a diatribe. Paul uses this technique to anticipate what his readers might be thinking and bring immediate correction when necessary. And the conclusions Christians often come to regarding how we are to live as people saved by grace is one that's often ripe for correction.
If, as Paul writes in the verses that finish out the previous chapter, "where sin increased, grace increased all the more," it's not illogical to conclude that the more you sin, the more grace you'll be given, and consequently the more God will be glorified as He pours out His grace and mercy upon you; therefore a great way to glorify God is by stacking up sin for Him to pour grace on.
Although such reasoning may technically be logical, the Bible here tells you in black and white what your common sense already concluded: NO! In squashing this anticipated error, Paul reminds you that you've experienced an ontological transformation. Since you probably haven't used that word yet this week, it simply means being or essence.
Since you've put your faith and trust in Christ, you are essentially (or ontologically) different from other people. You're no longer a lost sinner whose every inclination is evil. You've died to sin, so you must not live in it any longer. In other words, your very essence now is in Christ, so your words and deeds must match your new nature.
Dig Deeper
Remember where we're at as we work our way through our Confession. Just as there's all sorts of religious organizations which claim to be the 'true church,' there are all sorts of people who claim to be 'true Christians.' Just as there are objective standards that can help define which churches truly are part of true church (Preach the true gospel, proper administration of the sacraments, and the practice of church discipline), there are objective standards that define what a true Christian will look like.
A true Christian will "flee from sin and pursue righteousness." He will recognize the ontological / essential change that has occurred in him that has changed his very identity as a person and makes him fundamentally different. She will more and more be disgusted by sin in every form and not want to be near it, much less dwell in it herself.
Since our readership is made up (mostly) of people with rural roots, think of a time you've fell into a pile or puddle of disgust (we've all been there). How quickly did you extract yourself from it and find the nearest hose to remove the filth from you?
As a Christian, sin must disgust you in the same way. Just as you would never linger in a pile of manure just to enjoy its essence a bit longer, extract yourself from sin, which smells even worse to our Holy God and Savior. Instead, use every bit of energy you have to pursue things that are right and good and holy, which matches the new divine essence you've been given.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His glory raised Christ Jesus from the dead;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that more and more you'll recognize and be disgusted by indwelling sin and for strength and desire to pursue righteousness;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Titus 2
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