Read the Bible

Done with Sin

¹ What's up, then? Should we keep on sinning so God's goodness can shine brighter? ² No, that's stupid. We have died to sin. If something is dead, how can it go on living and flourishing? ³ When we were dunked in baptism, we joined Jesus in his life and death. ⁴ Baptism means we share his death, burial, and his resurrection.

⁵ When we share in his death, we get to share in his life as well. ⁶ Our old self is being put to death on the cross so the power of sin can be destroyed. We no longer ride in sin, but in salvation. ⁷ Our living-death sets us free from the power of sin. ⁸ When we die with Christ, we will be raised to life with him as well. ⁹ Jesus was brought back to life, never to die again. Death doesn't have the reins to his life. ¹⁰ Sin has no power over those who have died. Jesus now rides with God. ¹¹ Now we do the same. We have died to our old selves and our old sin and now ride with God.

¹² Don't let sin have the reins of your life. Don't give in to those sinful desires you'll regret later. ¹³ Don't let any part of you be used for evil purposes. Give yourself over to God like you know you should. Surrender yourself to him. ¹⁴ Sin must not be your boss. You do not live under the Code, but under grace.

¹⁵ So, since we don't live by the Code, does that mean we can do whatever we want? It don't work that way, cowboy. ¹⁶ Don't you know that when ya hire onto an outfit, ya gotta do things the way they do 'em—whether ya hire onto sin's outfit, which leads to death, or ya sign on to ride for the Lord, which leads to life. ¹⁷ Thank God that even though ya used to ride for sin's outfit, ya took ahold of the things you've been taught. ¹⁸ Ya don't work for sin no more. Now you're one of the Lord's hands. ¹⁹ I'm using cowboy lingo because I don't want you to say fancy words tripped you up. At one point, we were all hands in sin's outfit. But now, we ride for the Lord and are slaves of his for his good purposes.

²⁰ When you rode for sin, it didn't matter how things were done on God's outfit. ²¹ What good did you get out of doin' the stuff that now you wish you wouldn't have done? Livin' that way is a trail straight to hell! ²² But since you don't ride for sin's outfit no more and now you ride for God, the good you get puts you on a trail to bein' more like Jesus and the trail ends with livin' forever in heaven. ²³ Workin' for sin's outfit pays ya in death, but God offers ya eternal life through Jesus.