Reflection for Wednesday Feb 20, 2008

Perhaps the most striking language of the passage from Romans 6:1-14 is the way in which death is invoked repeatedly to further the idea of finding grace through Christ. The idea of dying through baptism - what is usually a joyous occasion - is dissonant, to say the least. What Paul is getting at, though, is made evident in verse six: it is our old self, the one that has not acknowledged Jesus as our savior, that dies in baptism, and with it the burdens of sin. And baptism, by this meaning, is not the sacrament most often celebrated with bouncing babies, but our conscious choice to embrace a life of faith. With this spiritual baptism we look to the death of our sinful desires - our natural instinct to seek earthly pleasures, even though we are all created in God's own image. It is this part of our lives that must die to live as Christ lived.

The term "death", of course, implies finality - it's hard to be sort of dead. And by using "death" Paul seems to give us a zero-tolerance challenge: you must kill all of your base desires and actions to offer yourself to God. But Paul also includes a counter-offer of sorts by mentioning life right after he talks about dying to self. In every instance the focus is on the fact that, if only we can bring ourselves to give up our desire to be the one in charge, then we can truly become alive with Christ by living our life in a new way.

Given that we are human, and therefore imperfect, there will be times when we will give in to sinful impulses, and not stay “dead”. It is impossible for us to live up to Christ’s law, so we will all fail at some points in our lives. Thankfully, the verse 14 reminds us that salvation does not come through following the law, but through grace. And under grace, provided by Christ’s sacrifice, we will be forgiven and we need not be perfect.

by Katy and Matt Sandiford