In Christ - I am crucified with Christ

I am crucified with Christ...

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

No Longer a Slave to Sin

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional

May 22, 2011

No Longer a Slave to Sin

"For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."                                 Romans 6:6-7

“I love the way The Living Bible presents Romans 6. ‘Should we keep on sinning when we don't have to? For sin's power over us was broken when we became Christians and we were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ; through His death the power of your sinful nature was shattered. Your old sin-loving nature was buried with Him when He died ... your old evil desires were nailed to the cross with Him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally wounded so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin's control, no longer needs to be a slave to sin’ (Romans 6:2-7).

“The death of our old self is positional, which means that when we became a part of Christ, our old self was shattered. Fatally wounded, rendered inoperative. Our old sin nature has no real power. That's why in verses 11 and 12 we are to ‘count [ourselves] dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body.’

“What a powerful command! Why are we told to count ourselves dead to sin? Because our ‘deadness’ to sin doesn't become evident in our lives until by faith we believe it. And what happens when we fail to count ourselves dead to sin? Then sin's power over us seems real, and we allow it to reign in our lives.

“Lord, thank You that through Your death, my old sin-loving nature was mortally wounded. I no longer have to sin! I have power to say no because I place my faith in You and consider myself alive to God!

“Blessings - Joni and Friends”

I can tell you with assurance that “counting yourself dead to sin” is hard work!  It’s amazing that no matter how many years down the road from conversion it’s been, I still have to “count myself dead to sin.”  I can choose to give in to sin – or I can choose to turn from it.  Sometimes it’s “easier” to give in - choosing to do the right thing EVERY TIME I have a choice to make takes a conscious effort and recognition that I DO have a choice.  There was a time in my life when things “just happened” – I felt like areas of my life were out of my control.  The TRUTH is that I hadn’t yielded those areas over to the Lordship of Jesus – and I had to come to that place of surrender and choose to give it to God – wholly and completely acknowledging the truth that I was dead to sin and alive in Christ.  I’m still a work in progress – but day-by-day I’m seeing evidence that I’m getting closer to that spiritual reality!  Sharon

PS – It’s really interesting – my “spell check” doesn’t recognize the word “sin” – it thinks it’s a misspelled word!  Isn’t that just like the world?  “Sin?  What’s that?  I’m a ‘good person!’”