Day 5:
Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Rom 6:17-18)
There is a math of the mind that reasons, “If God will ultimately substitute Christ’s good work for my bad behavior, then I might as well keep sinning!” But is that really what we should think? In Romans, chapter 6, the Apostle Paul counters the shady math of that thinking by telling us: “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? By no means!”
Paul is cautioning us not to take God’s grace and mercy so lightly, but he never waters down the gospel of God’s grace. And that’s because our right standing before God is by faith, not by our works—so that no one can boast in anything but Christ!
We should not live by sin or guilt; instead we should confess our sins and rest in God’s grace and mercy!
Prayer: Father, thank you for freeing me from the slavery of sin and making me a servant of righteousness. May I never presume on your grace but rather respond in gratitude and obedience.