Daily Bread 4/29/2023

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    Daily Bread – April 29, 2023 (The Seventh Day – Genesis 2:1-3) Romans 6:1-2 – What shall we say then? Should we continue in sin that grace may abound? Let it not be! How can we who died to sin still live any longer in it? Some would define grace as a sort of a permission slip to live ungodly and still be accepted as godly. However, this is nothing new. Even in their day, Paul, Jude, John, and Peter had to deal with those who attempted to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4; 1 John 2:26-29, 3:6-8; 2 Peter 2:1-2). They had such a twisted concept of grace that they thought it meant they must continue in sin so they could be the recipients of grace (Romans 6:1-2). Yet, to the contrary, sin has no power to rule our lives because we now live under the domination of the Spirit of life, Who has been brought to us by the work of grace (Romans 6:14, 8:3; Ephesians 2:8). Sin will not and must not be given any place of dominion (Romans 6:14). Righteousness and true holiness has come by Jesus Christ, and we are commanded by God to yield our members as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16; Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21). If we obey sin, then death reigns over us regardless of what we believe about Jesus or the grace of salvation which He has supplied. However, if we obey the Word of His grace, then righteousness will be the fruit of our lives and grace will reign over us and govern our actions and conduct, equipping us to live righteously and godly lives (Acts 20:32; Philippians 1:11; Romans 4:16, 5:21, 6:16; Titus 2:11-12). We can be certain Paul definitely believed that, once we are born of God, we are given a holy and pure nature no longer under the domination of sin (Romans 5:12-21, 8:1-9; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:9-11; and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, 6:14-18; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:1-6, 4:24; and Colossians 2:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 2:12-13, 3:13, 4:3-7; and 2 Thessalonians 2:12-17, 3:3-6; 1 Timothy 1:5-11, 5:20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; also Titus 2:11-12, 3:3-11). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen