Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

6 What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's gift of undeserved grace will show up even better? ² No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? ³ Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? ^4 (A) When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.

⁵ If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. ⁶ We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. ⁷ We know sin doesn't have power over dead people.

⁸ As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. ¹⁰ When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. ¹¹ In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.

¹² Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires ¹³ or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. ¹⁴ Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's undeserved grace and not by the Law.

Slaves Who Do What Pleases God

¹⁵ What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's gift of undeserved grace and not by the Law? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. ¹⁷ You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you followed the example set forth in the teaching you received. ¹⁸ Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.

¹⁹ I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.

²⁰ When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. ²¹ But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. ²² Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. ²³ Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Saul Disobeys the Lord

15 ^(A) One day, Samuel told Saul:

The Lord told me to choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord: ^2 (B) “When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay!

³ “Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.”

⁴ Saul sent messengers who told every town and village to send men to join the army at Telaim. There were 210,000 troops in all, and 10,000 of these were from Judah. Saul organized them, ⁵ then led them to a valley near one of the towns in^[a] Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack. ⁶ Some Kenites lived nearby, and Saul told them, “Your people were kind to our nation when we left Egypt, and I don't want you to get killed when I wipe out the Amalekites. So stay away from them.”

The Kenites left, ⁷ and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah^[b] to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. ⁸ Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. ⁹ Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak.^[c]

The Lord Rejects Saul

¹⁰ The Lord told Samuel, ¹¹ “Saul has stopped obeying me, and I'm sorry that I made him king.”

Samuel was angry, and he cried out in prayer to the Lord all night. ¹² Early the next morning he went to talk with Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to Carmel, where he had a monument built so everyone would remember his victory. Then he left for Gilgal.”

¹³ Samuel finally caught up with Saul,^[d] and Saul told him, “I hope the Lord will bless you! I have done what the Lord told me.”

¹⁴ “Then why,” Samuel asked, “do I hear sheep and cattle?”

¹⁵ “The army took them from the Amalekites,” Saul explained. “They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the Lord your God. But we destroyed everything else.”

¹⁶ “Stop!” Samuel said. “Let me tell you what the Lord told me last night.”

“All right,” Saul answered.

¹⁷ Samuel continued, “You may not think you're very important, but the Lord chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸ When the Lord sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. ¹⁹ Why didn't you listen to the Lord? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?”

²⁰ “But I did listen to the Lord!” Saul answered. “He sent me on a mission, and I went. I captured King Agag and destroyed his nation. ²¹ All the animals were going to be destroyed^[e] anyway. That's why the army brought the best sheep and cattle to Gilgal as sacrifices to the Lord your God.”

²² “Tell me,” Samuel said. “Does the Lord really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him. ²³ Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can no longer be king.”

²⁴ “I have sinned,” Saul admitted. “I disobeyed both you and the Lord. I was afraid of the army, and I listened to them instead. ²⁵ Please forgive me and come back with me so I can worship the Lord.”

²⁶ “No!” Samuel replied, “You disobeyed the Lord, and I won't go back with you. Now the Lord has said that you can't be king of Israel any longer.”

^27 (C) As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel's robe. It tore! ²⁸ Samuel said, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he will give it to someone who is better than you. ²⁹ Besides, the eternal^[f] God of Israel isn't a human being. He doesn't tell lies or change his mind.”

³⁰ Saul said, “I did sin, but please honor me in front of the leaders of the army and the people of Israel. Come back with me, so I can worship the Lord your God.”

³¹ Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord. ³² Then Samuel shouted, “Bring me King Agag of Amalek!”

Agag came in chains,^[g] and he was saying to himself, “Surely they won't kill me now.”^[h]

³³ But Samuel said, “Agag, you have snatched children from their mothers' arms and killed them. Now your mother will be without children.” Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces at the place of worship in Gilgal.

³⁴ Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his home in Gibeah. ³⁵ Even though Samuel felt sad about Saul, Samuel never saw him again.

The Lord Chooses David To Be King

The Lord was sorry he had made Saul the king of Israel.

(For the music leader. To the tune “Lily of the Promise.” A special psalm by David for teaching. He wrote it during his wars with the Arameans of northern Syria,^[a] when Joab came back and killed twelve thousand Edomites^[b] in Salt Valley.)

You Can Depend on God