Day 201 Bible Readings for July 21 – Romans 6: 3-4 (ESV)

Hosea 1 & 2, Romans 6: 1-14, Psalm 106: 23-32

Romans 6: 3-4 (ESV)

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Verses 3 and 4 from Romans 6 shows Paul reminding us that once we have faith in Christ and were baptized into the faith, we are also baptized into how Christ died. Jesus was crucified on the cross and his physical body died, and he was buried and laid in a tomb. Three days later, Christ was resurrected by God his father and lived a new life. I believe Paul wants us to identify with how Christ died so we know as Christians that when we have been born again, it is like a physical death to our old self. When we are saved, we have a new life. Our old self died like Christ and was resurrected by God. If we believe this, then our relationship to sin is changed. We can no longer sin in the same way because we are different people who have been given a new life.

Does this mean sin will never be in our life when we become a Christian? No, because we are still in a physical body. But if we really believe we have a new life when have been saved by Christ, then our nature has truly changed. Sin can longer control us as it did before our new life with Christ. We have been set free in Jesus from sin, who gives us strength and grace to battle with sin.