You Are Brand-New!

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” – Romans 6:1-4

Emancipation is more than release—it’s a redefinition. For the born-again believer, it means being set free from the ownership of sin and placed under the reign of grace. Paul has been guiding us toward this truth with precision and care. Just as a prisoner released from years of confinement may still live as though behind bars, many Christians struggle to live in the freedom Christ has already secured. Old habits, guilt, and spiritual routines tether us to a life we’ve been liberated from. But Paul’s message in Romans 6 is clear: we are not gradually becoming free—we are already free. This is not about striving to be better; it’s about standing in who we now are in Christ. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). That’s not partial salvation—it’s complete, eternal, and unbreakable.

The saints of old understood this well. John Flavel wrote that Christ’s intercession keeps the door of mercy open, even when new sins arise. That’s the power of positional assurance. We are not trying to earn our way back into God’s favor every time we stumble. We are held by the One who “continues forever” and “has been perfected forever” (Hebrews 7:28). Paul doesn’t temper grace with a list of rules, nor does he backtrack to protect it from abuse. Instead, he teaches that sanctity flows from justification. Our transformed life is not the cause of salvation—it’s the result. The first few verses of Romans 6 bridge the gap between what we were and who we now are. We are not merely improving—we are new. And that newness is permanent.

You are not defined by your past, your failures, or your efforts. You are defined by Christ. If you’ve been striving to earn what’s already been given, rest in the truth that your salvation is secure. You were crucified with Christ, and now you live by faith in Him (Galatians 2:20). Let that truth shape your testimony: “I once was lost, but now I am found.” You are not becoming free—you are free. Walk in that freedom. Let grace reign. Let your life reflect the transformation that began the moment you believed.

“Paul takes sanctity as entirely the effect of Justification, not at all its cause” – H.C.G. Moule