What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 

Romans 6:1-4 

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I love music. Not just the melodies, the instruments and voices, but I also love how the lyrics plus the sound convey a story in a way nothing else can. The written word is compelling, but sing those words, and I believe they are profoundly transformed into something powerful enough to evoke memories and mark moments (think wedding songs). 

There are many ways to worship God, but music is woven throughout the Bible from the Old to the New Testament: “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;  let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1); “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

Before I knew Jesus and what He did for me, it was like life without music. There was goodness, difficulty, powerful moments, sadness, joy, guilt, harmony, fear, determination—all the human emotions and experiences. But now, with Jesus, it’s like all of it is set to music. The world is the same, but I know the truth of my sin and Jesus’ sacrifice for me, I have His Word to help me understand what obedience and grace look like, and I feel an inexplicable love and understanding that I’ll never be alone. I look the same and have the same human condition, but I’m profoundly changed. From just words to music—that’s what the power of forgiveness and grace feels like to me.

Knowing who Jesus is and who I am in His grace, my prayer is that I never take that for granted, that I never sin lightly and that as profound as the change in me is, that my love for Jesus and desire to serve Him is the biggest outward manifestation of that change. Like Romans 6 challenges, once we’re transformed by the truth of Jesus, let’s live that way.

Next Steps

• How would you describe your own experience of transformation or being born again as a follower of Christ? As you reflect on that, how do you experience the world differently?
• Read about one of the most profound transformations in the Bible – the story of the Apostle Paul. You can find some of his story in Acts 26:1-19
• I love the lyrics of this song, King of Kings. It’s the story of what Jesus did for us, sung from a posture of awe and praise. In so many ways, it’s our story of transformation too!