Romans 6:15-19

Romans 6:15-19
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Imagine, for a moment, that you have a four wheel drive vehicle that you like to take deep into the backwoods.  Let's picture you getting it stuck, and a friend comes along, at great cost and inconvenience to themselves, who gets you out of the mess you're in, afterwards promising that whenever you get stuck, they will come along to help free you.  Knowing that, will you act differently?  Will you be even more reckless because you know someone will come for you, even though it will continue to be very difficult for them?  Or will you perhaps be a bit more careful, because you love and respect them and are grateful for all they have done, and while they have given a tremendous offer, honoring the relationship means you will try and be a bit more aware of what you are doing?
  Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, has freed us from sin.  We no longer live under the law, but find forgiveness and grace in his arms.  Our sin no longer has the power to condemn us.
  Technically, we could sin with wanton abandon and Jesus Christ would still forgive us.  But, the reality is that to do so would be to disrespect the great price Christ paid to free us from sin.  Honoring God and the gift means we should live in gratitude, which means avoiding the very thing that condemned us in the first place.  Sin leads to death, and Christ has intervened to lead us into life.  May we honor the gift, and the giver, by fleeing from sin and serving God above all else.