Reading: Romans 4-7
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord(Rom. 6:6-11).
What a joyous passage! As Christians, we all know that Jesus died so that we could have eternal life, but how many of us truly realize that He intends for that eternal life to start, not at the moment of our mortal death, but at the very instant that we accept Him as our Lord and Savior?
The more we understand the various aspects of the death of Christ, the richer our experience of its power will be. We believe Christ died on the cross for our sins, but many pass over what it means that the body of sin might be destroyed in our lives. There are those who still fear the pull of sin and believe that they must constantly fight against it lest they succumb. They do not understand that, in Christ, they are dead indeed unto sin. Sin is the reason Jesus endured the suffering of the cross and the humiliation of the grave. But all who have accepted Him as Savior and Lord are now dead indeed unto sin; it has lost all rightful claim over us. We are entirely and forever freed from its power. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (6:18). This does not mean we will never sin again, but it does mean that if we have truly found salvation in Christ, we will never be controlled by sin again.
Just as Christ’s death set us free from the power of sin, so too did His resurrection free us from the power of death. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection (6:5). Jesus died, but the Glory of God overcame death. He ripped the power out of Satan’s hands and returned. Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead (Acts 10:40-41). Once our sinful selves have been crucified in Christ, we are resurrected with Him into the holy family of God. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Heb. 2:14-15). Although we still face the reality of physical death, all of us who have received life everlasting through Jesus Christ now realize that it is not the end of life but, instead, the true beginning.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:55-57).
Thought for Today: Accepting Christ means rejecting sin. We cannot claim a new life while continuing to indulge our previous vices; we cannot claim to worship Him while sin vies for His affection.
Cross Reference: For Rom. 4:3: See Gen. 15:6. Rom. 4:7- 8: See Ps. 32:1-2. Rom. 4:17: See Gen. 17:5. Rom. 4:18: See Gen. 15:5. Rom. 7:7: See Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21.
Word Studies: 4:8 will not impute sin = no longer regards as a sinner; 7:8 concupiscence = evil desires or lust; covetousness.
Prayer for Radio:Sponsored By Thursday Morning Prayer • Government Officials: President Joe Biden, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ), Rep. James McGovern (MA) • Country: India (1,236,344,631) Southern Asia • Major Languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, 10 Other Official Languages • Religious Freedom • 80.5% Hindu; 13.4% Muslim; 2.3% Christian; 1.9% Sikh; 1.8% Other; 0.1% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Seek God as more important than food to satisfy your hunger (Prov. 3:13-18).