6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

7 For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.

9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.

10 The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.

11 So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

20 For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness.

21 What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death.

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 6:6-11; 20-23

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

In today’s world, the problems we face, greed, pride, violence, and hatred aren’t just societal issues. They are symptoms of a spiritual illness that only God can heal. Paul isn’t pointing out humanity’s broken condition to leave us in despair. He’s revealing our need for God by recognizing the depths of our brokenness. We are able to see the depth of God‘s love and the magnitude of His grace. It’s only when we understand the problem of sin that we can fully appreciate the gift of salvation. Without understanding our need for a Savior, the gospel would simply be good advice, but with this understanding the gospel becomes life-changing good news.

Paul in Romans challenges us to be honest with ourselves to look past the façade we build and face the reality of our hearts. It’s easy to think we can fix ourselves or control our own destiny, but Paul’s message invites us to surrender our pride and admit that we cannot save ourselves. This humility is the first step toward finding true healing, freedom, and transformation in Christ.