Dead to Sin, Alive to God

Passage: Romans 6:1-14

Key Verse: Romans 6:11 NKJV

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Good morning, friends.

When grace is this good, the next question almost feels inevitable: “If God forgives all our sins, does it even matter if we keep sinning?” Paul doesn’t sidestep the question. He leans in and answers with force: Absolutely, it matters!

Grace doesn’t just pardon sin; it changes our relationship with it. In these verses, Paul uses baptism as a picture of what has happened to us through Christ. When we believed, we were united with Jesus in His death, buried with Him, and raised to new life. That means something radical: we are no longer slaves to sin. The old self died, and the power of sin has been broken.

But here’s the part we often miss: this new life doesn’t just happen to us. Paul calls us to “reckon” ourselves dead to sin. In other words, we actively consider the old self gone and the new self alive in Christ. We offer every part of ourselves—our thoughts, choices, and bodies—to God so they may serve His good purposes instead of being used for selfish desires.

This is where growth begins. It’s not about trying to be perfect, but about learning each day to believe that Jesus really has set us free. As we trust Him more, we ask for His help to say no to sin and yes to the new life He’s given us, even when we don’t get it right the first time. This journey of growing in Christ, of being changed from the inside out, is called sanctification, and it takes time. But God is patient, and He’s committed to finishing the work He began in us.

Grace isn’t an excuse to sin; it’s the power to live free from it.

Today’s Reflection:

Where in your life do you need to start living like sin no longer has power over you? What would it look like to present that part of yourself to God today?

Closing Prayer:

Lord, thank You for breaking sin’s hold on me through Jesus. Help me to truly believe that I’ve been raised to walk in newness of life. Today, I give You my heart, my mind, and my body to use for what is good. Strengthen me to live in the freedom You’ve already won. In Jesus' name, amen.