Romans 6:1-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? 3Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4We 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.

“5For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. 6We 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. 7For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

“8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. 10The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. 11So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

What’s Your Viewpoint?

If someone were to ask you to define “The Good Life,” what would you tell them? What, in your way of thinking, is “The Good Life”? Well, not everyone is going to answer the same. But some people think of it in terms of being on a permanent vacation without a care in the world, just sitting back and relaxing, with no responsibilities, just doing whatever makes them feel good, eating what they like, watching movies, listening to music, playing games, and having all their worldly and fleshly desires gratified them every day.

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

And, sadly, many people have a similar perspective about faith in Jesus Christ. They have this notion that once they “accept Christ as Savior,” now all their sins are forgiven, and now heaven is what is guaranteed them when they die. Done deal! And so many of them are being taught that God does not require of them that they deny self, die to sin, and obey God, in practice. Or if they do teach repentance and obedience to God, they make them optional, as something recommended, but not critical to their salvation.

But God and His Word do not share that same perspective. His word teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ, if it is genuine biblical faith, will result in us dying with Christ to sin and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to His righteousness. For if, by faith in Jesus Christ, we were spiritually baptized into His death, our old self was crucified with Him so that we will no longer be slaves to sin, but so we will now be servants of righteousness.

Not For Ourselves

The life we now live, we live by faith in Jesus Christ, according to His will and purpose for our lives. The life we now live should not be for ourselves, to please our flesh, and to sit back and enjoy worldly living while Jesus is largely ignored and put on a shelf somewhere only to be brought down and used as is convenient. For faith in Jesus Christ, which is of God, and not of human flesh, must result in us denying self, dying to sin (repenting of sin), and following our Lord in obedience, or it is not faith which saves.

Yes, we can do nothing in our flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. No amount of good works on our part will secure for us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But our salvation, if it is biblical, it must result in us living for the Lord and doing the works He requires of us that we must do if we are to be those who are saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. Works do not save us. But salvation without works is not genuine. So if sin and disobedience to God are our practice, we do not have salvation.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

The Good Life
An Original Work / September 4, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Your Life

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17
An Original Work / October 22, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Set your hearts and minds on things up above
Where Christ sits with God; not on earthly things.
For you died and your life is now hidd’n with Christ.
When Christ, who is your life, is seen, you will be with Him.

Your sins, put to death. Don’t walk in these ways.
Don’t lie to yourselves or to others, too.
Since you have taken off your old sinful past,
Put on the new self in Jesus. Get rid of such things.

Therefore, holy ones, put on gentleness;
Kindness; patience, too. Be compassionate.
Bear with one another. Forgive others, too.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. O’er all, put on love.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts now.
You were called to peace. Be ye so thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly now
As you teach and instruct others. Sing songs unto Christ.

Spoken: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17 NIV 1984).