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I remember carrying around guilt for a long time. I would constantly remind myself of things I had done. The events would play over and over in my mind and I was ashamed. Whenever, I read this verse I would bring further condemnation upon myself. That is because I did not understand what Paul was really saying. Instead Paul wrote this to encourage us. He is using this as a comparison to help us understand our new nature fashioned after Jesus Christ.

The subject and the good news of this passage is that we are now under the control of righteousness as born again believers. No longer subjected to our old nature. The things of the old nature were obvious, those things brought death, shame and denunciation. Paul is simply reminding us of how it used to be so that we could understand on how it is now.

Galatians 5 paints a pretty good picture of what Paul is talking about here, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." ( Galatians 5:19-25 ) Paul's conclusion is that the difference between the two natures are so obvious. We are able to see the fruits of each nature operating in people. Those who live according to the sin nature exhibit that natures characteristics. Those who live according to the Spirit demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. We are those who live by the Spirit.

So this verse in Romans 6, is not a verse of condemnation Paul wanted to make sure we understood the difference between the two natures so that we would know how to live according to our new nature. If you are struggling with thoughts of condemnation, than know that it is not the Lord who is accusing you. He has already forgiven you and freed you from sin's grasp. Paul confirmed this in I Corinthians 6, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." ( I Corinthians 6:11 ) and if we were washed clean by God... if we were sanctified, which means set apart, by God...and if we were justified, which means, just as if I'd never sinned, by God...then you are free of accusation by God as well.

When I understood this, the all feelings of condemnation disappeared. Since then, the Lord has worked a miracle in my life, because memories of those things are so distant that now when I read this verse, my heart soars knowing what Paul was saying. Those things have passed. Everything that brought shame is gone. Those things resulted in death and benefited you not. "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." ( Romans 6:17-18 ) Amen!

Today may you free your mind from any guilt and condemnation that continues to hold you in chains. It is not on account of God. He loves you. He has forgiven you. He wants you to be free. Today, may you experience this freedom in Christ Jesus. Amen!

For further information about becoming born again, please visit these article:
The Gospel: How To Know Without a Shadow of a Doubt that You Have Eternal Life
Born of Water and of Spirit

Every thing that Jesus Christ offers us, was provided over two thousand years ago. Forgiveness of sins, eternal life, freedom from death, healing for our bodies... the list goes on and on... all of it was provided when he redeemed mankind from the power of darkness. This is not something we are waiting for, it is something we have in our spirits as born again believers. In today's passage, Paul gives us the key to how we receive this. He wrote that all of these things became present tense realities when we wholeheartedly obeyed what we heard. It happened by faith when we committed ourselves to Jesus.

It took faith. Jesus is what set us free from being a slave to sin, but it was our faith that activated this change in our own hearts and made it a present tense reality. The writer of Hebrews said that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" ( Hebrews 11:1 KJV ) Which means that when you entrusted the Word of God into your heart, it took root and grew. When ready, by faith you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior. It was faith in what Jesus Christ did, two thousand years ago that saved you. God provided the means, but it took faith or action upon our part to become a reality. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say in verse 6 of the same chapter, that "without faith it is impossible to please God" ( Hebrews 11:6 ) which means, that faith pleases him.

Today we can praise God that we are free from slavery because of our faith mixing with God's grace and mercy. No longer kept in bondage to our old nature but freed completely in order that we should become slaves to righteousness overflowing from our new nature. Today, I pray that this revelation sinks deep into your heart and yields much fruit! Amen

Did you know that you are not bound to the Old Testament Law as a born again believer? This comes as a shock to many Christians who have made a practice of abiding by the Ten Commandments their whole lives. However, in the previous chapters of Romans, Paul clearly taught that the Law is what strengthened sin in us and arouses in us the need for a Savior. The entire Old Testament Law can be used to point us to Christ. With Christ, we have been freed from the power of sin. Therefore Paul is instructing us to offer the parts of our body to God as instruments of righteousness ( Romans 6:13 ). This is based on the New Covenant and the righteousness we obtained through Jesus. Because we are righteous under this covenant of grace we need to operate that way.

In today's passage Paul tells us that sin is not our master because of grace. While we were controlled by the old nature we were subjected to the Law as slaves. As Slaves under the Law, we experienced guilt, condemnation and wrath because we constantly failed to measure up to it. The Law also made sin come alive in our hearts ( Romans 7:9 ) and strengthened the power of sin against us ( 1 Corinthians 15:56 ), and that is why we needed a Savior, because it was impossible for us to do it on our own. However, if we choose to live and operate under the Old Testament Law as believers then we are choosing to remain in bondage to sin and forfeit the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. That is why we need to operate as New Testament believers who have been freed from the law.

Here is the good news for today: we are freed from sin and the bondage of the Law. So sin cannot master us. Understanding this freedom from both the Law and the control of our old nature is necessary to break free from the dominion of sin in our lives. When we understand that we are subjects of God's favor and mercy then we will operate that way, because what you believe is what you will do. Through the New Covenant we are under grace. That grace gives us the freedom to pursue Christ and a life of holiness will be the result. Not by works of the Law, but by being alive in Christ. When we live as though we are free of our old nature then we are living accordingly to the Spirit and we will see the fruits thereof.

Today, I pray that you understand all that is yours through the New Covenant by God's grace. I pray that you life reflects our Saviors in every way. Not by works, but because of a His grace. God bless you!

For more reading on the Purpose of the Law:
Romans 3:19-20 - The Purpose of the Law
Romans 3:21 - A Righteousness Apart From the Law
Romans 3:22-24 - By Faith We Are Justified Freely
Romans 3:28 - Justification Comes By Faith, Not Works
Romans 3:29-31 - Our Faith Uploads the Law

Perception changes everything. We act and live out of what we perceive to be truth. Biblical truths are absolute, but unless we identify them as truth we will not live by them. That is why understanding the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ should take priority in your life. The difference between living a victorious Christian life and a defeated Christian life does not depend upon God. He has done absolutely everything imaginable for us to experience this victory each and every day of our life. The victorious Christian life comes by knowing what has been provided for you and choosing to operate in it. That is why we need a perspective change rooted in the scriptures for transformation to occur in our lives.

In today's passage this transformation comes when we understand that we have the power to choose how our mortal bodies are used. The fact is, that Jesus broke the power of sin over our lives. This took place in our spirit and manifests in our flesh when we renew our minds to this absolute truth. The old nature only has power over us if we choose to give it power. In the same way, our new nature only manifests in our flesh if we let it. The choice is ours but Jesus already provided it. When we understand this, then our outlook of circumstances change. And with this new perspective change, we will experience new life in every aspect of our being.

When we understand that sin has no control over us then based on this revelation we will change. A perspective change dictates how we act based on what we know to be true. Once when understand our new nature then we will choose to live according to it. Paul teaches us in today's passage that since we have been freed from sin, choose to offer your bodies to the Lord for his use. This takes faith. Faith is an action based on what we believe. Faith is substance ( Hebrews 11:1 ). It takes faith to believe that we are freed from sin and operate that way. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness." ( Romans 6:13 Amp ) If we believe we have been release from sin, then why would we continue to operate as though we were in bondage to it. However, if we know that we now are alive in Christ and freed from the dominion of darkness, then we will choose to operate as agents of the kingdom of light. If we won't give sin any control or place in our lives then our body will not be subject to it.

Our lives and bodies can be instruments of righteousness based on whether or not we offer it for use. They have been deemed holy and set apart for special use. So understanding this will open unlimited possibilities to bless the kingdom of God operating in His behalf. Paul urges us in Romans 12, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord, stemmed from a revelation of His great mercy. Today, I pray that you understand this truth with your sprit and start operating in faith accordingly to His perfect will for your life. With this you will experience freedom in everyway imaginable. Amen

This is a valid question if you have ever heard the true gospel as Paul preached it. Throughout the book of Romans, Paul makes it abundantly clear, that we are completely justified by faith in Jesus. Justification means, that you are returned to a state that is just as if you had never sinned. God's grace completely covers each and every sin you have ever committed or will ever commit. The writer of Hebrews concurs with this amazing statement when he said, "But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." ( Hebrews 10:12-14 ) So if Jesus only made one sacrifice for all sins, for all humankind, for all time, then every sin, past, present and future has been paid for and forgiven. In other words, sin cannot keep you out of heaven, that barrier was bridged two thousand years ago. Sin is not an issue with God. Since God has provided the means and the way to him through his son Jesus, the only thing that can keep you out of heaven is unbelief. According to the gospel, The only thing required of us, is that we must accept this free gift of grace by faith in order to be translated into the kingdom of heaven. At that time, God puts his born again spirit inside of us and this is where the transformation of righteousness takes place. (for more reading on this, please visit these blog posts: Romans 2:12-13 - Being Declared Righteous Before God, Romans 3:21 - A Righteousness Apart From the Law, Romans 3:25 - The Sacrifice of Atonement, Through Faith in His Blood)

This righteousness through trusting in Jesus as your personal savior has been the theme of the entire book of Romans up until this point. That is the gospel, the true gospel, the gospel in which Paul preached. So if you know that the sins of the entire world have been eradicated by Jesus, then the question naturally arises...does that mean, it is okay for me to continue on in sin? Unless you ask this question, chances are you haven't heard the entire gospel as Paul preached it.

Paul's answer... an emphatic NO! Paul's logic? We can't continue in something that we have died to. We were dead under the law by the accusation and guilt that permeated us. However, Christ made us alive through faith. ( Colossians 2:13-15, Ephesians 2:5 ) Christ defeated and triumphed over the sin nature and because of it, when we were born again, he replaced our default nature with his nature... pure, holy and righteous. ( II Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 4:24 ) Since we died to the old nature, we have no obligation to it to continue operating as if we belonged to it. ( Romans 6:11, II Corinthians 5:21, Colossians 2:20 ) Therefore, we cannot continue in sin because it is completely foreign to our new nature which is the nature of Christ.

Our born again spirit is where we have the nature of Christ. Trouble arises if we look to the natural realm for Paul's statement to make sense instead of the spiritual realm. We may look around and see the effects of sin and the daily struggle with sin, then question the validity of Paul's statement. If the sin nature is still so apparent in our lives, how can Paul's statement be true? To understand this concept we have to understand the what part of our make up Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about our born again spirit. That is the part of us that has been completely sanctified, sealed and redeemed at the time we accepted Christ as our savior. If we see evidence of the old nature or sin nature, then we are looking into our soulish realm and focusing on the flesh instead of what is in our born again spirit. This difference between our spirit, our soul and our body is a key factor to understanding this passage.

To defeat sin in our natural realm we must overcome it by living by the spirit. The Bible stresses the difference between living in the flesh rather than living according to the spirit. Paul says that we have died to sin, and since is no longer our nature, we cannot continue in it. He is talking about our born again spirit. Even though we see in the natural realm our struggles with sin, the spiritual side trumps the physical side of our being. Reality is not our struggle with sin, reality is that we have victory over sin and that victory exists in our born again spirit. To bring further clarity to this, lets look at Romans 8 says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" ( Romans 8:5-9 ) So if we are struggling with sin instead of experiencing life and peace, then we are not living according to the spirit or living out of our new nature.

How do we live by the spirit? By works? By resisting sin? By controlling your desire to sin? Absolutely not. Colossians 2:6 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him..." ( Colossians 2:6 ) How did you receive the Lord? By works? By resisting sin? By controlling your desire to sin? No, you received the Lord by faith. So living by the spirit is living by faith. Another important key to living by the spirit is fellowshipping with the Lord and reading his word. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." ( Romans 12:2 ). Which means that renewing your mind in the Word brings effortless change causing the remnant of the sin nature upon your natural self to disappear. That is how you continue in faith and that is how you live by the spirit, and that is how you see the physical manifestation of the death of your old sin nature.

Today it is my prayer that "he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion" ( Philippians 1:6 ) and that journey encompasses faith in the Son. May you be blessed as you recognize grace to which you were called and the complete victory that is yours through Christ.

For many years I had the wrong interpretation of the Law. I always assumed that people were justified by following the Law until the time of Christ, then people we were saved by grace. I thought the Law was given as the way to God in the Old Testament. However this is not the case, Paul clearly states that the Law is what strengthened sin in us and arouses the need for a Savior.

The entire Old Testament Law can be used to point us to Christ. Paul tells us, that the Law speaks to those who are under the power of it. The purpose of the Law was to show that no one could keep it and by knowing this, it stripped every excuse that could ever be made. Every mouth is silenced in comparison to the Law, because God doesn't grade on a curve. Human comparison allows the dismissal of the severity of actions, but in contrast to the law, Paul says there is no excuse.

Because there is no excuse to those who are under the Law, and through it the world is held accountable to God, we know that the Law cannot bring us the righteousness of God. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law." ( Romans 3:20 ). And James tells us, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." ( James 2:10 ). If the Law wasn't given to make us righteous before God, why was it given?

Paul's answer... because through the Law, we become conscious of sin. We become aware of it. We recognize it. The acquaintance with the Law or condemnation of the Law, is what works us towards repentance and faith. This consciousness breaks the deception of thinking that we can be good enough to be accepted by God. The Law took away every hope of salvation except faith in a savior. This was the purpose of the Law.

This is Paul's closing argument as the prosecuting attorney. Paul finishes his case against both the Jews and the Gentiles and the impossibility of their salvation apart from Christ. He has made such a powerful case that one would think the next step is passing down the sentence of condemnation, however, now that the groundwork for the need for Christ is firmly laid, Paul will start building His case for the grace of God. What a beautiful thing!

Wow! This statement is the pinnacle of the entire case against humanity. Paul is the prosecuting attorney building his case against mankind. The first chapter of Romans showed the Gentiles guilt before God because of their innate knowledge of Him. The second chapter of Romans showed that the Jew were worst off then the Gentiles because they had the Word of God but did not keep it. And finally the beginning of chapter 3, concludes that everyone is guilty before God, citing back to Old Testament scripture supporting this claim.

This is not a new concept. They condition of mankind was hopeless before Christ. The Amplified Bible describes the state as 'under sin, held down by and subject to its power and control.' The grasp of sin so tight that we had no hope of defeating it. By looking at this collage of Old Testament scripture that Paul shared, it is evident that man was destitute to save himself. We needed a savior.

The truth expressed in this passage of scripture is crucial to understanding the Salvation message. Since we were never capable of reconciling ourselves to God by atoning for our own sin, God did it for us. He paid the price with His precious blood shed on the cross.

We have to recognize this in order to move pass the condition that we are in. Once we accept the terms that Paul has laid out over these many verses, we are free to move into the next section of scripture. Paul will move from being the prosecuting attorney to the defense attorney acquitting us on the bases of Christ.

Today, it is my prayer that you will join me on this journey of faith. I pray that God will enlighten your heart to the truth of His word. God Bless you!

Unfortunately many people struggle with understanding the difference between the Old and New Testament. For many people the only difference is one blank page dividing the two covenants. But these difference are far greater then the span between Malachi and Matthew.

This misunderstanding can be attributed to not comprehending a passage of scripture as this. At first glace it appears that Paul is saying that to be declared righteous before God, one must obey the law. This would lend towards the marriage of the two covenants as one. However, unless one understands the purpose of the Law and why it was given, this line between becomes fuzzy and understanding the differences will not come.

The sole purpose of the Law was to point us towards Christ. The law showed us the righteous requirements of God. The law showed us what sin was. The law showed us that we are completely incapable of obtaining right standing with God by our deeds alone. We are hopeless to fulfilling the law and need to fall at the mercy of God and His saving grace, which was the intent from the beginning.

Therefore, the purpose of the law shows us our need for a Savior and subsequently points us to Christ as our the Messiah. By accepting Christ, we are fulfilling the law. By obeying the purpose of the law, which points us to Jesus, we will be declared righteous by Him before God.

Looking at the entire book of Romans in relation to this passage of Scripture, Paul says the same thing. "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. " ( Romans 3:19-20 ) In only a few short verses after today's passage, Paul confirms that the purpose of the law was to bring us to awareness of the need of a savior.

He goes onto say, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." ( Romans 3:21-24 ) First he says in our passage today that those who obey the law will be declared righteous. Then in Romans 3 he describes how to obey the law. He says, that the righteousness that the law and prophets testified about comes through faith in Christ Jesus. So we can conclude that the entire Old Testament law brings us to faith in Jesus.

Understanding this, is key to understanding and unlocking the truth of God's word. 'As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ( Romans 10:11 ) Today, may you dwell in the righteousness purchased for you. May you understand that you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. May this revelation unlock the fullness of Christ and propel you towards His plan for your life!

Jesus accomplished so many things upon the cross. Through him, we have total victory over sin and death. Paul stresses in this verse, that there are three very important ideas and truths to take away with us and understand. First, Jesus was betrayed and deliver over to death as the payment for our sins. Secondly, as he was raised to life, he conquered death once for all. Lastly, he ascended to heaven to acquit us before God and declare us justified before him.

Although it is true that Jesus was betrayed and delivered over to death, it is equally important for us to recognize that he had authority in the matter. He life was taken, only because he had already laid it down for us. We were without hope before God because sin had corrupted us, but Romans 5 says, "... when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ( Romans 5:6-8 ) We were without hope and enemies of God but Jesus still laid his life down for us, to take away our sin once for all. ( Hebrews 9:28 ). Through his death, sin had been completely paid for.

The resurrection of Jesus is the pinnacle of history as we know it. Jesus is the first person to rise from the dead and conquer death permanently. Romans 6:8-9 says, "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. " He conquered sin in his sacrifice upon the cross and then he conquered death in his resurrection from the dead.

Lastly, after his ascension, he now intercedes for us at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:14 says, "because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." So the end result for us if we believe in Jesus by faith, is justification. Justification is the act whereby Jesus makes us completely holy before God. To do this he not only forgives our sin, but he imparts righteousness to us, so that it is as if we have never sinned.

Both Abraham and David saw glimpses of this incredible feat that Jesus would do for us and they called us blessed. Today, if you believe in Jesus as your savior then have complete victory over sin and death because he purchased it for you. Today, we are completely blessed having been redeemed from the curse of the law and made righteous and holy before God. Praise Jesus for his love and this precious gift to us.

What Paul is describing here is the difference between living in the flesh as oppose to living by the Spirit of God. Paul is warning against trying to live a good holy live on our own accord. When we do this, we are setting ourselves up for failure because the same principal of the previous sin nature and condemnation of the law applies. We give that which we are dead to control over our lives because we are not living out of faith but out of works.

Just as it is futile to try to work your way into heaven, it is futile to work your way through the Christian life. When Paul said that nothing good lives within him, he was referring to the fact that without Christ and apart from his born again spirit there was nothing of good in him. When we operate apart from Christ and apart from our born again spirit then we will experience the dichotomy that Paul is describing in this passage. The innate desire to do what is right is in us, but the ability to carry it out is not. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out." ( Romans 7:18 Amp )

Does this mean that the Apostle Paul continually struggled with sin? Does this mean that we are bound to continue to struggle with it as well? No, absolutely not! Paul is using this illustration to contrast the different between faith and works, between living in out of the flesh verses living out of the Spirit of God. I believe the Apostle Paul understood this and lived a victorious Christian life. Christ lived through him in everyway imaginable that is why he said in Philippians, "For me to live is Christ..." ( Philippians 1:21 ). Paul did not struggle with sin because Paul lived by the Spirit of God. Again, Paul is using this to illustrate what life is like when we live by our own means. We will struggle constantly. We will desire to do what is right but will not be able to do it. Paul is setting the stage for chapter 8 by showing us how futile it is to live a life of works. When we do, we will fail.

Understanding this is huge! This is the difference between living a victorious Christian live and living a life of failure and disappointment. Today, I pray that in the same way you accepted Christ, by faith, you will continue to walk in him. I pray that you remove any efforts or works to please him and find out what pleases him by fellowshipping with him! In this, you will find freedom and experience victory!