Dead to Sin
The apostle Paul wrote of
Christ, “For the death that He died, He died to sin
once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to
God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:10-11).
The believer’s “old man” or
“old self” is what he was spiritually before he
believed on Christ when he was still under sin,
powerless, depraved, ungodly and even an enemy of
God.
Our fallen nature was not
changed at conversion. It was not annihilated, but
it was “rendered inactive, made of no effect” (Rom.
6:6). Our physical body is not sinful. It is neutral
and can be controlled by sin or by the Holy Spirit.
It was controlled by sin before we trusted Christ
for salvation.
“In Jesus Christ we died to
sin, and the old nature was crucified so that the
old life is rendered inoperative.” This is a great
fact for the believer to rely upon.
Now that we have died with Christ the power
of controlling sin is broken and is rendered
powerless or ineffective (Rom. 6:3-5).
There is a change in
relationship with God and sin. Because of this new
living union with Christ the believer now has a new
relationship with God and different attitudes toward
sin. Sin is no longer his master. Christ is the new
master. We no longer want to continue in sin. Now
because we are in Christ we have a choicer whether
we choose to sin, or choose to obey our new Master.
In our unregenerate state we
were slaves to sin. Now that our old self was
crucified with Christ we have been delivered from
this slavery. “Anyone who has died has been freed
from sin.” We have been declared righteous, “freed,”
with the result that sin no longer has the legal
right to force us into its slavery. Sin no longer is
the master of the believer because he has died with
Christ and risen with Him “knowing this, that our
old self was crucified with Him, in order that our
body of sin might be done away with so that we would
no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom. 6:6).
Not only did Christ die for me,
but I died with Him. That is my new identification.
I am no longer identified with the first man, Adam,
but with the Second Man, Christ. Christ paid my sin
debt and broke sin’s power over me. By His
substitution for me on the cross Christ charged my
account with His own imputed righteousness. By
identification with me He imparted or made that
righteousness a part of my daily life. Justification
is also a living relationship with Jesus Christ. It
is a justification that brings life. I am in Christ
and identified with Him and whatever happens to
Christ now happens to me. When Christ died, I died.
When He rose from the dead I arose in Him. It is now
a fact that I am now seated with Christ in the
heavenlies (Eph. 2:5-6; Col. 3:1-3).
The believer is “dead to sin.”
“I am crucified with Christ.” In Jesus Christ we
have died to the power of sin so that we no longer
want to continue in sin. It is no longer our master.
Before we were saved we had a cordial relationship
in which we were fully yielded to and dependent upon
that sinful nature. We were under the control of the
power of sin. It was our habit of life. We are now
alive in Christ. Christ raised us up from the dead
and now we walk in the power of His resurrection.
The issue is the believer no longer chooses to
continue in a cordial, dependent fellowship in sin.
The death of Christ not only
paid our penalty of sin, but God also used it to
break the power of indwelling sin in our life.
The Christian is under no
compulsion to live his life under the control of
evil nature again. We remain a free moral agent
capable of choosing good and evil, but it is
impossible for the Christian to habitually sustain a
relationship to evil which he sustained before he
was saved.
The Christian now has the
authority and the power to say no to sin. You do not
have to obey the sin nature. You now have a divine
nature you can choose to respond to which is alive
in Christ. You are free to choose. You do not have
to do what you do not want to do. You can be as holy
as you choose to be.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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