ALIVE AND FREE

Romans 6:5-11
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Sin’s Power is Broken

5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.


What a graphic illustration! SLAVERY! The images from Alex Haley’s TV mini-series “Roots” flash in my mind. There was very little joy in Kunta Kinte’s life as a slave. His life was filled with both mental and physical cruelty.

That is the illustration Paul uses to describe our lives in sin; our lives without Jesus Christ. We were slaves to sin, powerless to live free, joyful, abundant lives. Christ died to break the power of sin. Sin’s chains can no longer hold us just as the grave could not hold Jesus. His resurrection is not just an illustration, an image. His resurrection is a reality.

When we enter a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “…our old sinful selves … crucified…”, we too are resurrected from the bondage of sin. We too are alive and free, in Christ.