Through baptism we died with Christ
1 Then, what shall we say? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may come more abundantly?
2 Can we live again in sin? Of course not: we are now dead regarding sin.
3 Don’t you know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptized and plunged into his death?
4 By this baptism in his death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life.
5 If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his so we shall be by a resurrection like his.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with Christ, so as to destroy what of us was sin, so that we may no longer serve sin –
7 if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin.
8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him.
9 We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over him.
10 For by dying, he is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life that he lives is life with God.
11 So you, too, must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Do not allow sin any control over your mortal bodies; do not submit yourselves to its evil inclinations,
13 and do not give your members over to sin, as instruments to do evil. On the contrary, offer yourselves as persons returned from death to life, and let the members of your body be as holy instruments at the service of God.
14 Sin will not lord it over you again, for you are not under the law, but under grace.
15 I ask again: are we to sin be cause we are not under the Law, but under grace? Certainly not.
16 If you have given yourselves up to someone as his slave, you are to obey the one who commands you, aren’t you? Now with sin you go to death, and by accepting faith you go the right way.
17 Let us give thanks to God for, after having sin as your master, you have been given to another, that is, to the doctrine of faith, to which you listen willingly.
18 And being free from sin, you began to serve true righteousness – Rom 12,119 you see that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you are not fully mature.
19 There was a time when you let your members be slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert them now into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming holy.
20 When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation to righteousness,
21 but what were the fruits of those actions of which you are now ashamed? Such things bring death.
22 Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit and growing in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting.
23 So on one side is Sin: its reward, death; on the other side is God: he gives us, by grace, life everlasting in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
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Comments Letter to the Romans, Chapter 6
• 6.1 We are now dead regarding sin (v. 2). If we say that the Law has been abrogated we risk a misunderstanding. We do not mean that from now on we shall follow our instincts: we have been freed of a situation where the Law seemed to govern everything, but in fact sin found in us an accomplice: distrust of God. Dead to sin: this means that sin no longer finds a response in us. Dead: it is indeed the right word since it has been a definitive step, one that is intimately linked to the death of Christ. To die with him so as to rise with him: this is the meaning of baptism.
In the early Church, mostly adults were baptized: they had been evangelized and committed themselves to the community of the holy people of God. Baptism followed a conversion. When Paul speaks of baptism we must understand that it takes in the entire journey through conversion, including catechumenate , initiation in Christian life… Other wise, baptism would be no more than a rite.
We are all plunged into his death (v. 3). Baptism means entering into Christ to share the benefits of his sacrifice. It also means the acceptance of a complete change of life, that of Christ in his death and resurrection.
• 6. You must consider… It is evident that baptism, even when received with faith, does not make us perfect immediately. Is it enough for us to give our whole attention to commandments? What if the fear of temptation and daily faults paralyze us? Beware of scruples and guilt complexes! Paul proposes a different way: it is most important for us to believe that sin has no power over us. Our eyes will be fixed on Christ knowing that we belong to him and that he himself transforms us. Such an apparent carefree attitude serves us more effectively than nervousness. It is the way Saint Thérèse of Lisieux suggested for those who feel incapable of great things.
Do not allow sin any control over your mortal being. The faithful, although conscious of belonging totally to Christ, commit sins every day. Their sins, however, do not deprive them of what is most important, trust in the Father, which allows them to stand up after each fall (1 John 2:1). They know that they are and always will be sinners whom God forgives, as long as they try to amend and be better. We achieve freedom day by day by voluntarily submitting to the requirements of a better life.
In Paul’s time there were cases of slaves being exchanged by owners. A free person with debts could sell himself to his debtor in payment of his debts. The comparison used by Paul teaches us to be meekly at the disposal of the Spirit, as slaves who are not owners of their own persons. Let us look at what the Spirit advises before making any decision.
The Christian’s life must appear like slavery to whoever looks at it externally. Yet the Christian feels and knows himself to be free. The best example might be that of a mother totally dedicated to her sick child: she is totally free, because she has no other law than her love.