Safeguarding old Adam

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” - Romans 6:1-4, ESV

I love cheap grace. It is my Old Adam’s favorite pastime. When I sin in thought, word, or deed, my Old Adam reminds me that grace abounds all the more. “Go ahead! You do you, Christian! Enjoy yourself. Be free,” says Old Adam. “Don’t you know you live in Christian freedom? God doesn’t forbid anything… Jesus set you free from God’s Will, right?”. Lies. Lies. Lies. Have you ever said something similar? I’m sure you have. This is the way of sinful humanity: we take God’s grace and mercy and pervert it. We take God’s freedom in Christ and abuse that freedom for our own sinful purposes.

Paul’s words are helpful in safeguarding the Old Adam within you and me. Are we to continue sinning so that grace can abound? By no means! May it never be! No way! Not a chance! In Christ, the baptized do not receive a get-out-of-jail-free card for rampant, unrepentant sin. Christ does not free you from your sin for you to return to it. Grace is given to us all in Christ so that we would be safeguarded against the Old Adam inside all of us.

Indeed, the Christian lives with two Adams within him/her. There is an Old Adam that is inherited from our parents that loves selfishness and sin. There is also the New Adam that is given to each believer in baptism. The Old Adam says “you do you”. The New Adam says “you do Christ”. The Old Adam says “live and let live”. The New Adam says “live as my child”. The Old Adam says “tolerate sin”. The New Adam says “safeguard against sin.” All the time, the baptized believer has two Adams within him/her.

The hope and clarity that helps tolerate this cognitive dissonance is grace through faith in Christ. In Christ, all who are in Jesus’ care and family and grace are set free from the tyranny of the Old Adam. In Christ, all who have the New Adam’s heart are given the opportunity repeatedly to drown the Old Adam within him/her with God’s Word and His sacraments. Cheap grace? May it never be. Just grace. Grace in Christ for you. May that always be.

The Rev. Matthew Berry is pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston, Missouri. Based in Sikeston’s Historic North End, Concordia is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), a theologically conservative, biblically sound, Christ-centered church.