6:22
Becoming a Christian is not simply the adoption of a different set of beliefs, it involves being born again (John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:23), becoming a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). We “have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God”. The fruit of this is that we are sanctified (an ongoing process), and the end result is eternal life. And “eternal life” is not merely never-ending life, it is becoming Christlike. To think that sin is compatible with being a Christian is nonsense.
It is also worth noticing that “becoming a Christian” (not a very Biblical phrase, by the way) involves God’s actions as well as ours. “Becoming a Christian” tends to put the focus purely on our part (i.e. our repentance and putting faith in Christ, both of which involve the work of the Holy Spirit), whereas it involves God’s work as well. And this is not just what Christ did on the cross, but we are born again by the Spirit.
6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We see again the utter nonsense of considering that sin and the new life are compatible, and the utter stupidity of considering sin to be a desirable thing. Sin leads to death, that is the final destination that it leads us to. You also have to work for this! In contrast the outcome of the gospel is eternal life, and this is a free gift. And it is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. The offer of the gospel is that we become like Jesus. Note also that Jesus is our Lord. Thinking that we can be a Christian with ourselves as Lord is nonsense.
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