There used to be a chant sometimes said at college
basketball games:
“Foul, foul, if you should
But if you foul ‘em, foul ‘em good!”
The logical-although-misguided reasoning behind this chant was
the penalty for a foul was going to be the same if it was a “little” foul or a
“big” foul. So if one is going to get a foul called on them, it might as well
be a big one, one that has dramatic results!
It is unfortunate when that kind of thinking is applied to
being a Christian and sin. For some, the thought might be that if God forgives
our sins when we ask for forgiveness, then we might as well go ahead and sin,
having a good time in doing so, and then ask God for forgiveness later.
Paul, the author of Romans, argues strongly against this
view. Here is The Message translation
of Romans 6:1-2, “So what do we do? Keep
on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the
country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?”
For Christians, baptism symbolizes the death of our old
selves and the new birth of our new lives, lives that transcend the power of
death. “…and it is no longer I who live,
but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Paul wants to make it clear to the church in Rome that
actions do matter. The old axiom “Actions speak louder than words” rings true.
If we proclaim we are Christians, but then our actions indicate otherwise, our
hypocrisy harms the Kingdom of God.
Instead of “Foul ‘em, foul ‘em, if you should,” we should
live by:
“Love ‘em, love ‘em, yes we should.
When we love like Christ, we love them good.”
Dear God, please help us to overcome temptations to sin and
to lead righteous lives. Let everything we say and all of our actions reflect
your love and grace. Amen.
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