How can death be good news? In most cases death is a horrible loss. Perhaps we could say that death is good when it ends a miserable illness. But in most cases death is bad news.

What if everyone has a miserable illness?

The apostle Paul, in his letter to Roman believers in Jesus, describes a terrible illness called sin. He explains that sin transcends all cultures, languages, generations, and gender. Sin is any thought, word, motive, or action that opposes God’s will. While its expressions are many, it is nevertheless humanity’s incurable disease that only death can end.

Paul continues to explain how Jesus’ death on the cross killed the disease. Then Jesus rose back to life to show that sin’s corruptive power had been stripped away.

Jesus’ death truly is good news for those of us looking for a cure to our own sin disease. Because as we believe in and follow him, God joins us to Jesus’ death and resurrection as if it’s our own. It’s as if the power of our sin has been stripped away too.

Paul uses the word “consider” when describing how we can receive this good news. The meaning of the original word is “to keep a mental record of events for the sake of some future action.” In other words, Paul is saying that the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection and how he defeated sin are rock-solid facts that we always bring to mind. We likewise view ourselves as people who are dead to sin. Then we can courageously act as if this is true, applying what he has done to our daily experience.

Friend, in Christ you have been cured of your sin disease! While we feel the pull of sin’s urges on a daily basis, we can escape its grasp. Today, tomorrow, and every day we can resist its power and live for God because Christ’s Spirit lives within us.

Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be our second Adam, to whom we are united forever. Thank you for seeing us already as we will truly be in eternity: pure, blameless, holy, without sin or blemish. Thank you for pouring out this grace on us when we were yet your enemies. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Stop often to remember that you are united to Jesus in his death, burial, resurrection and ascension. He lives in you forever by his Spirit, giving you all the strength and wisdom you need to live as God wants.



Tags: Daily Devotional Romans 6
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