Die to Sin

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2

Dying to sin means ceasing to live in it. We no longer respond to it’s enticements. We no longer adjust our living pattern to accommodate it’s desires. When we’re dead to it, it cannot continue to rule our life.  We die to it so we can live for God and make him master of our life.

Here are some suggestions to help you die to sin each day:

• Ask God for help: We’ll need God’s help in learning how to die to sin. God promises that He will give our bodies strength through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:10-11) to crucify our sinful desires (Romans 8:13).  God is fully acquainted with the difficulty of the temptations we face. Hebrews 2:18 (NKJV) says, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
• Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God:  This is where our faith unleashes the power of God in us to accomplish what we cannot yet see. When we reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, we accept it in our hearts. Paul wrote, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11 NKJV). One simple way to execute this is to claim this verse whenever we are tempted. We can say, “I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ; sin has no power over me.”
• Claim Christ’s sacrifice for your healing: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Here again, our faith releases God’s healing power when we claim Jesus’ sacrifice. For example, when tempted, we can say repeatedly, “I am cleansed and healed by the blood of Jesus,” until the temptation leaves.
• Don’t let sin rule your body (Romans 6:12): We have the power to choose what we do with our bodies. The devil cannot make us sin. We make sin king of our lives by the choices we make. We can make God ruler of our lives by choosing obedience. Paul explains that the people who “wholeheartedly” obeyed were set free from sin (Romans 6:17-18).
• Don’t present your body as an instrument for sin, but rather, present your body to God as an instrument for righteousness (Romans 6:13):  When we allow God to use our body, we are less likely to fall back into sin. A way to exercise this is to go before God in prayer in the morning and offer yourself 100% to him for that day. The prayer can be something like:

“Father God, I offer myself completely to your purposes today. Please use my body, soul and spirit glorify you today. Please strengthen me to not allow my body to be used for any sinful purposes. Thank you, Father. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

• Remember why you are dying to sin:  We die to sin so that we can bear fruit for God’s kingdom. God gives us a “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that bears the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This fruitful life is far better than any pleasure sin can offer us!