“The Gospel in Peanuts: “The Wages of Sin are “Agggh!”” Devo

July 15th, 2018  

Devotional

“The Gospel in Peanuts: “The Wages of Sin are “Agggh!”” - Romans 6: 1-11

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Monday: “Died to Sin” -Romans 6: 1-2

Paul has a problem. There is some poor theology going around the church of Rome connected to sin and grace. Sin and grace became so connected in their minds, that Paul asked a question that everyone should have already known the answer to - do you need to sin more in order to have more grace? Absolutely not! This would be akin to saying that you need to spill things more often in order to have an excuse to clean.

What Paul is really asking is what do we believe about Grace? On the surface what we believe is that grace is God’s free gift to us that isn’t based on us earning it - instead it is the gift of salvation given lavishly to those who believe. But sometimes we skew too far to one side- thinking that we need to earn grace, working hard in order to prove to God how good we are. Other times, we skew too far to the other side - thinking we can do whatever we want, even after we’ve accepted Christ as our Savior, because grace will cover it. It would seem that Paul is addressing the later false-notion in this particular passage. 

Instead, once we have accepted Christ we have died to sin. In other words, it is now Christ that rules our life, not our sinful self. Will we still stumble from time to time? Yes. However, grace does not give us permission to freely sin in order to live into the gift of grace. 

What are some of the false-notions that you have heard about sin and grace? How do you respond?

Prayer: God, we thank you for the lavish gift that we can never deserve, the gift of grace. We know sometimes, O Lord, that it can be so hard for us to wrap our minds around your live, that our human-selves get in the way and distort what you intended grace to be. Forgive us, Lord, and set us on the right path again. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Baptized” - Romans 6: 3-4

Baptism has always been a hot button issue for the Church. How do you administer baptism? Who can baptize folks? How much water do you need? Who can be baptized? Do you need to be a certain age? But Paul doesn’t address any of these hot button issues - instead he gets right to the heart of what baptism truly means - being dead to our sins, so we can be raised to new life in Christ. 

I was reading a book this week that argued that sometimes we miss the beauty of baptism as the local church. We miss out on its power. Baptism proclaims that we find have a new identity - not as our own, but as Christ’s. Therefore, we become new creations, marked by the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ. 

What does baptism mean in your faith walk?

How do you support the people who are baptized into the body of Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we admit that sometimes we have made baptism into a ritual instead of a sacrament. We have argued away its meaning to the point where we forget that it is the offering of your very life and love. Forgive us, O Lord. Wash us anew. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Resurrection” - Romans 6: 5

Why do we have the promise of a resurrection like Christ’s, according to Paul? Because we are united in his death. And how are we united in his death? By becoming dead to our sins through baptism. 

Many find Romans to be one of the most theologically dense letters that Paul has written. We can get so lost in the wording and concepts, that we can miss the heart of what Paul is trying to point out - that the fullness of redemption isn’t realized… yet. 

Another book I was reading this week pointed out the phrases people sometimes use when they are not yet mature in the faith. One was about baptism and essentially said, I was baptized today, why am I still arguing with my spouse. Isn’t baptism supposed to change everything and make everything easier. 

The truth is that baptism does change us, but we are not fully there yet. Sometimes our humanness still gets in the way. Faith is a journey and a process on which we are meant to mature. We may not know the full glory of Christ until the Resurrection, but each day we proclaim our identity as one who is untied with Christ and keep growing more deeply in love with him. 

How has your faith in Christ changed your life?

What does being dead in sin mean to you personally?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the glorious promise of the resurrection. As we look forward to that day, Precious Lord, may we continue to seek your face and your will in all that we do with our lives in you. Amen. 

Thursday: “Slaves to Sin” - Romans 6: 6-7

Somewhere along the way, we have bought into the lie that we have control over our own lives. While God has given us free will, it seems that far too often we use that free will to choose sin - to the point where it becomes something that controls us. 

Then sometimes we try to escape one sin only to find that we are throwing ourselves into another sin - and the cycle continues. 

The only thing that can break the cycle is death to sin itself. Christ alone has the power to free us from our sin - we will never be strong enough to do this on our own. 

How has sin lied to you?

How has Christ freed you from the power of sin?

Prayer: Lord, today we praise you and the freedom you have offered us from sin. May we accept this gift in our lives. We know that too often, Lord, we want to hand control of our lives over to you, only to snatch it back. Forgive us Lord. May our lives be fully yours. Amen. 

Friday: “Alive for God” - Romans 6: 8-11

We don’t just die to sin for our own sake - we die to sin so we can be unleashed into the world to proclaim Christ’s name. Interestingly enough, the early church put equal emphasis on individual salvation and the health of the Body of Christ. 

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we are part of the much larger body of Jesus Christ - the Church. And the Church, with each of its members, is sent out into the world to proclaim the Good News - in the words of Paul to be alive for God. We are given not just a new life, a new identity, but a new purpose as well. 

How are you “alive for God” in your daily life? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the privilege to be alive for you in the world every single day. Renew our passion for your Kingdom and open us up to opportunities to proclaim you name. Amen. 

Family Activity: Why do we do things that we know that we shouldn’t do sometimes? What makes us do what we are supposed to do other times?