It is so easy to get caught in sin. Whether a sin the world considers a “big” sin – such as adultery, pornography, or other addictions – or something we may consider a “small” or “acceptable” sin – such as poor stewardship of time or money, improper priorities, unhealthy life habits – we all struggle with sin, and God says that to Him, one sin is not worse than another. To Him, if we break one commandment, it’s as if we’ve broken them all (James 2:10). Praise the Lord for the hope we have through Christ for lasting freedom from besetting sins!
In the next few blog posts, we will be focusing on just that truth: that true believers are free from slavery to sin. To hone in on this topic, we will dig into Romans 6:6-7,11-14. But before we dig too deeply, let’s go over this passage as a whole:
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; for he who has died is freed from sin. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. – Romans 6:6-7, 11-14
What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? This is a very important question as we consider the amazing things that happen when we place our faith and trust in Christ alone for Salvation. It is important to note that the encouraging promises of this passage are for true believers, so we will first look into what it means to be a true believer, and then we will be able to see more clearly how we are considered crucified with Christ.
Many of us know the “Romans Road” that leads through the truths of Salvation. Looking briefly as some of these passages, we can see that everyone who has ever walked the planet – except Jesus – has sinned and cannot measure up to God’s perfect standard (Rom. 3:23). It doesn’t matter if we think our good deeds have outweighed the bad, because our good deeds hold no weight for Salvation (Is. 64:6). The payment for our sins? Death – eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23). So, we have a problem here. What’s the answer? Romans 5:8 tells us that even though we are sinners who do not deserve saving, Jesus Christ still chose to die for us, taking the death penalty so we wouldn’t have to. And not only that, but He later rose from the dead to show that He has power over death, and that He truly defeated the power of sin (1 Cor. 15:4, 55-57).
Okay, awesome. So what do we do to receive this saving from eternal separation from God and the power of sin? Romans 10:9 tells us we have to confess that Jesus alone is Lord – He’s the boss, and we are done living our lives our way and surrender to following Him – and believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins and rose again in victory. That’s it – it’s a free and amazing gift that anyone can receive! It’s not about what we’ve done or will do. It’s all about Him, and only through Christ’s sacrifice that we can be true believers.
Perhaps you have accepted this gift of salvation, and if so, that is wonderful! I hope you find the next several blog posts encouraging, as we will look into how we are free from slavery to sin. But if you have never accepted the gift of Salvation or are unsure, what’s stopping you? Ask a pastor or trusted Christian friend to think through these things with you, or by all means call us! We would be thrilled to talk to you more about Salvation as well.
Our God is a loving and merciful God, and He has provided what we need to live for Him through the sacrifice of His Son. Stay tuned into our blog, as we will be looking into the rich truths of this Romans passage and learn how to live as people who are free from sin’s power.
