January 10th
5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:5-14 NKJV
The Apostle Paul gives us many points on how to get to freedom from sin’s bondage. There are several things that we should know:
1) Our “old self” was nailed to the cross so that our body of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil that we might no longer be slaves to sin (Amplified Bible) (vs 6)
2) If we have died to sin, we are free from sin (vs 7)
3) Christ died for sin once for all and he now lives life to God (vs 10)
4) Sin shall not have dominion over us, Christ’s followers (vs 14)
5) We can identify ourselves with Christ, reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, just as Jesus does now (vs 11)
If we review the above list and get it into our minds, we then can stand on it and believe it in faith. Faith is the final link that completes the path to freedom from the slavery of sin. Paul says in verse 8, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.”
When we start believing what we know is true from the Bible, we start to live with Christ to God! Living to God means at the very least not living in slavery to sin. When we’re slaves to sin, we obey sin’s lusts and passions. When we’re alive to God, we obey Him and do not yield to sin’s enticement. Through identifying with Jesus, knowing the truth in our hearts and believing the truth in faith, we can live to God. Without Christ’s provision for us, this would be impossible to do!
Questions for further thought:
Do you feel like a slave to sin or righteousness right now?
Why is faith a necessary ingredient for reckoning ourselves with Jesus?
Other than avoiding sin, what things can you do to live for God?
What important power do we have over sin? (vs 12)
Prayer:
“Thank you, Jesus for accomplishing the ultimate victory by dying for me on the cross! I want to live my life to God from this point forward. Please fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit and sharpen my conviction to live in obedience to you. Lord, please strengthen me to put to death any sinful habits I have been tolerating. I reckon myself with you, Jesus, dead to sin and alive to God! I praise you, Lord, now and forever. Amen!”