24 and [we] are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

25 God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

— Romans 3:24-25

3 Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

4 We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.

6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

17 But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.

— Romans 6:3-4, 6, 14, 17

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

In Romans, Paul teaches about justification by faith and redemption. Redemption means being brought back or rescued from a condition of captivity. In ancient times redemption was often a term used in the context of slavery. When a person was redeemed, he was set free. Paul uses this language to tell us that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross has paid the price to set us free from the power of sin and death. Think about that for a moment. Grace isn’t just forgiveness. It’s freedom from the law of sin and death through redemption.

Through Grace, God doesn’t just remove our guilt; He breaks the chains that have held us captive. We are no longer defined by our failures, our addictions or our past. We are no longer slaves to sin. Grace set us free to live. The lifeguard intended for us a life marked by love, purpose, and peace. How would our lives change if we truly embrace this freedom!