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What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

1. The sermon begins by asking "Why should you try to be and do good?" What typically motivates you to act morally or pursue goodness, and how does Paul's identity-based rationale compare to those?
2. Paul states that in baptism, Christians are "baptized into his death" and become "set free from sin." What does it practically mean for you to consider yourself "dead to sin," and what implications does this have for how you view temptation?
3. Bob said fighting sin is not about "sheer determination, hard work, white knuckling it," but about "living real-time in Jesus." What has been your experience with willpower in resisting sin, and how might focusing on union with Christ offer a different path?
4. The sermon provides two scenarios (nasty email, internet shopping) to illustrate real-time application. Can you share a personal struggle or temptation and discuss how intentionally "choosing to be in Jesus" might transform your response in that specific situation?
5. What are the things that make you conscious of being in Christ? What practices or rhythms in your life help you actively "reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God"?
6. Paul concludes the passage with "you are not under law, but under grace." How does understanding your identity through grace, rather than law, impact your self-perception, your approach to personal change, and your relationship with God?