United in Holiness

We are working our way through the summer heat with what I hope is a refreshing call to unity during a time of deep division in our society. If no other group of people can find a way to unity, surely the church can! We began with a call to be United with our Minds, holding fast to the essential and non-negotiable belief of the church, that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again…seen by well over 500 people. We followed that with a call to be United with Compassion, showing deep care (suffering WITH) the many who are suffering in these troubled days, even those who do not like us so much. Today, I call the church to be United in Holiness, recognizing that if we have chosen to FOLLOW Jesus, we will not behave the same way those who follow darkness behave. Paul gives profound instruction on the matter of holiness in the Book of Romans, in which he describes a great paradox surrounding the Amazing Grace in which we live. Romans 6:1-11 “...Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Baptism is a powerful metaphor.

We now walk in newness of life.

Why would we want to remain slaves?