Saved by Grace
October 22, 2025
Pastor Mike
This episode explores the transformative power of God's grace in the life of believers, addressing the crucial question of how Christians should live after receiving salvation. Based on Romans 6:1-14, the message emphasizes that grace does not permit continued sinning but rather empowers believers to live righteously. The episode explains that salvation is not merely a change in status but a complete transformation—becoming new creations in Christ. Through baptism, believers symbolically die to their old sinful nature and rise to walk in newness of life. The message stresses that while the capacity to sin remains, followers of Christ are freed from the obligation and desire to sin. Grace becomes like a steady river that daily refreshes and guides believers to live self-controlled, godly lives, no longer bound by the law but living under God's abundant grace.
Episode Notes
5-Day Devotional: Saved by Grace- Now What?
Day 1: Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Reading: Romans 6:1-4
Devotional:
The question Paul poses seems almost absurd at first: "Should we continue sinning so grace can increase?"
Yet this question reveals a profound misunderstanding that many still wrestle with today. Grace is not a license for sin; it's the power that breaks sin's chains.
Yet this question reveals a profound misunderstanding that many still wrestle with today. Grace is not a license for sin; it's the power that breaks sin's chains.
When you were baptized into Christ, something radical happened. Your old identity—the person enslaved to sin's patterns and passions—was buried with Christ.
This wasn't merely symbolic; it was a spiritual reality. Just as Christ emerged from the tomb in resurrection power, you too have been raised to walk in newness of life.
This wasn't merely symbolic; it was a spiritual reality. Just as Christ emerged from the tomb in resurrection power, you too have been raised to walk in newness of life.
Consider what this means for you today. The habits that once defined you, the shame that once clung to you, the guilt that once paralyzed you—all were nailed to the cross with Christ. You are not the same person you were before encountering His grace.
Reflection Questions:
- What "old self" patterns am I still clinging to that Christ has already buried?
- How does understanding my baptism as a death and resurrection change how I view my identity?
Practical Application:
Today, identify one specific sin pattern or old habit that you've been struggling to release.
Write it down, then physically tear up the paper as an act of remembrance that this old self was crucified with Christ. Declare aloud: "I am dead to this sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
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Day 2: United with Christ in Death and Life
Reading: Romans 6:5-10; John 11:38-44
Devotional:
The story of Lazarus provides a powerful picture of what Christ has done for us. Lazarus was not merely sick or sleeping—he was dead for four days, his body already decaying.
Yet Jesus spoke one word: "Come out!" And death itself had to obey.
Yet Jesus spoke one word: "Come out!" And death itself had to obey.
You were once like Lazarus—spiritually dead, bound in grave clothes, sealed in a tomb of sin. But Christ called your name, and you came forth.
The miracle isn't just that you were forgiven; it's that you were resurrected. You have been united with Christ in both His death and His resurrection.
The miracle isn't just that you were forgiven; it's that you were resurrected. You have been united with Christ in both His death and His resurrection.
This union means that death no longer has dominion over you.
Not just physical death, but spiritual death—the separation from God that sin causes. Christ died to sin once and for all, and in Him, so have you.
The life you now live is lived in union with the One who conquered the grave.
Not just physical death, but spiritual death—the separation from God that sin causes. Christ died to sin once and for all, and in Him, so have you.
The life you now live is lived in union with the One who conquered the grave.
Reflection Questions:
- In what areas of my life am I still living as though I'm in the tomb rather than resurrected?
- How does knowing that Christ's resurrection power lives in me change my approach to today's challenges?
Practical Application:
Spend time in prayer today specifically thanking Jesus for calling you out of spiritual death. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any "grave clothes"—old mindsets, relationships, or habits—that you're still wearing. Take one practical step to remove these bindings, whether that means having a difficult conversation, changing an environment, or seeking accountability.
Day 3: The Freedom to Choose Righteousness
Reading: Romans 6:11-14; Galatians 2:20
Devotional:
Freedom is often misunderstood. True freedom isn't the ability to do whatever we want; it's the power to do what we ought.
Before Christ, you weren't free—you were enslaved to sin, compelled by passions you couldn't control, driven by desires that ultimately destroyed.
Before Christ, you weren't free—you were enslaved to sin, compelled by passions you couldn't control, driven by desires that ultimately destroyed.
But now, crucified with Christ, you possess a new freedom: the freedom to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. The capacity to sin remains, but the obligation to sin has been broken.
This is the transformative power of grace.
This is the transformative power of grace.
Paul's words in Galatians capture this beautifully: "I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Your identity is no longer rooted in your failures or successes, but in Christ's finished work. You are free to present yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness because His righteousness now defines you.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Your identity is no longer rooted in your failures or successes, but in Christ's finished work. You are free to present yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness because His righteousness now defines you.
Reflection Questions:
- Where do I still feel enslaved to sin rather than free in Christ?
- How can I practically present my body as an instrument for righteousness today?
Practical Application:
Create a "consecration list." Write down specific ways you can offer different parts of your life to God today: your hands (what you do), your mouth (what you say), your eyes (what you consume), your feet (where you go), your mind (what you think about).
Choose one area to focus on today, actively dedicating it to God's purposes throughout your day.
Choose one area to focus on today, actively dedicating it to God's purposes throughout your day.
Day 4: Grace That Transforms, Not Permits
Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 2:1-10
Devotional:
Paul's words to the Corinthians are both confronting and comforting: "And such were some of you." He lists behaviors that disqualify people from God's kingdom, but then adds the most beautiful conjunction in Scripture: "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified."
This is the scandal of grace. Not that it permits sin, but that it transforms sinners. You were dead in your trespasses, walking according to the course of this world, carrying out the desires of the flesh.
Past tense. That was your former identity.
Past tense. That was your former identity.
Now you are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared beforehand for you to walk in. Grace didn't just forgive your past; it transformed your future.
You are not merely a forgiven sinner, but a new creation with a new nature and a new purpose.
You are not merely a forgiven sinner, but a new creation with a new nature and a new purpose.
The transformation isn't always instant in its outworking, but it is immediate in its reality. You have been washed, sanctified, and justified. The question is: are you living in alignment with who you already are in Christ?
Reflection Questions:
- What aspects of my "former self" am I still identifying with rather than my new identity in Christ?
- How does understanding grace as transformative rather than permissive change my daily choices?
Practical Application:
Write out 1 Corinthians 6:11 on a notecard, personalizing it: "Such was I, but I was washed, I was sanctified, I was justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Place it where you'll see it throughout the day. Each time you see it, thank God for one specific way He has transformed you.
Place it where you'll see it throughout the day. Each time you see it, thank God for one specific way He has transformed you.
Day 5: Living Daily in God's Abundant Grace
Reading: Romans 5:8; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17
Devotional:
The Christian life is not a one-time event but a daily journey of transformation. You are a new creation—this is your positional reality. But you are also being renewed day by day—this is your practical reality. The two must align.
God's grace is like a river, Paul suggests, continuously flowing, constantly refreshing, perpetually replenishing.
You don't earn it, you don't deserve it, and you can't exhaust it. It is the steady, reliable presence of God's love poured out while you were still a sinner and continuing now that you are His child.
You don't earn it, you don't deserve it, and you can't exhaust it. It is the steady, reliable presence of God's love poured out while you were still a sinner and continuing now that you are His child.
This grace empowers you to present yourself as a living sacrifice—your spiritual act of worship. Not dead on an altar, but alive and active, daily offering every moment, every decision, every relationship to God. This is how your mind is renewed, how your life is transformed, how you learn to discern God's good, pleasing, and perfect will.
The old has passed away. The new has come. Today, tomorrow, and every day after, you have the privilege of walking in this newness of life, drawing strength from the inexhaustible well of God's grace and mercy.
Reflection Questions:
- How am I actively presenting myself as a living sacrifice in my daily routine?
- What would it look like to draw more intentionally from God's grace today?
Practical Application:
Begin and end your day this week with this simple prayer: "Lord, I present myself to You today as a living sacrifice. Renew my mind, transform my heart, and help me walk in the newness of life You have given me. Let Your grace be sufficient for every challenge I face."
Throughout the day, when you encounter difficulties or temptations, pause and consciously draw from God's grace, reminding yourself: "I am not under law, but under grace. Sin has no dominion over me."
Throughout the day, when you encounter difficulties or temptations, pause and consciously draw from God's grace, reminding yourself: "I am not under law, but under grace. Sin has no dominion over me."
Closing Thought:
You have been saved by grace. Now what? Now you live—truly live—in the freedom, power, and transformation that grace provides. Not perfectly, but progressively.
Not by your own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not under the weight of the law, but in the liberty of God's bountiful grace
Not by your own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not under the weight of the law, but in the liberty of God's bountiful grace
© 2026 Pod Pastor Mike. All rights reserved.