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Scripture: Romans 6:1–2, 6–7 (KJV)

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Devotional

To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said two things:

  1. “Neither do I condemn thee.”
  2. “Go, and sin no more.”

Grace and holiness are never in competition in Jesus. He saves us fromcondemnation and from the power of sin. Many people think, “If God forgives me, I can just keep living the way I want.” Paul answers that thinking: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”

Easter proves that:

  • Our old life of slavery to sin was nailed to the cross with Christ.
  • His resurrection life is now available to us through the Holy Spirit.

“Go and sin no more” is not a threat; it’s an invitation into a new kind of life. Jesus does not simply wipe our record clean and then leave us trapped in the same chains. He breaks the chains. He doesn’t say, “Try harder” but “Walk in what I have already accomplished.”

This doesn’t mean perfection in this life, but it does mean direction. A person who has truly met the risen Christ cannot be content to stay in the same sins. Easter life produces Easter change.

Reflection

  • Are there “respectable sins” you excuse because you know God is gracious (habitual anger, gossip, lust, dishonesty, bitterness)?
  • When you hear “Go and sin no more,” do you hear only condemnation, or do you also hear an invitation to freedom?
  • In what one area is God clearly calling you to walk differently because of the cross and the empty tomb?

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
Thank You that Your grace not only forgives my sin but also calls me out of it. Forgive me for using Your mercy as an excuse to stay the same. Show me where I have been clinging to sin You died to free me from. By Your Spirit, help me to “go and sin no more”—not in my strength, but in the power of Your death and resurrection. In Your name, amen.

Action

Name one specific sin that “so easily besets” you. Write it down and then, in prayer, “nail it to the cross” by confessing it specifically to God and asking for His power to turn from it. Tell a trusted believer and ask them to pray for you and lovingly hold you accountable in this area.