“What shall we say
then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live
any longer therein?” – Romans 6:1-2
Death brings
finality. When our physical body dies, it no longer responds to this
world. All our possessions, wealth, whatever we cared for or had cared
over, is no longer our concern. We are forever separated from this world,
and the world from us. How can one dead,
live any longer in this world? They cannot. The same is true in the spiritual, if we are
dead to sin, we cannot live in sin.
Mankind is plagued by
sin, awful, wretched sin. From the drunkard in the ditch, to the king in
the castle; anyone who has sin within finds themselves in an awful shape before
Almighty God. They are standing condemned under the penalty of sin, and
captive to the destruction that comes from sin.
There is nothing that this world can offer that can deliver from this
condition. Furthermore, there is no salvation to be found from this world
(that doesn't stop us from looking).
Jesus Christ came, died, and rose again so that he might pave the way
for us to be delivered from our sins. Not in our sins, but from our sins. To find deliverance we must travel the same
road he did. We must drink from the same
cup and be baptized with the same baptism.
We must put ourselves on the cross, die the death, and be resurrected
into newness of life. Therefore, the only way to find deliverance is
through death. This death to sin is not
physical, but spiritual. It’s a crisis
experience in which the spirit of man yields the entirety of himself (or
herself) over to an Almighty God.
Everything. You. Are. It is given
as a sacrifice to God. When the Jews brought a sacrifice to the high
priest, they killed it, offered it, and burned it on the altar. So, we must do the same, give up and give it
all to God. It can be a hard thing for a
man to die this death. To come to the end of yourself, and all that you
are. However, this is the way out of
sin. All that you are must be brought and sacrificed on the altar; never
to be revived again. Once that happens,
once you die the death; then you are raised again into newness of life. This new life is witnessed by the Holy Spirit
and provision for life is given by that same Holy Spirit. The power to live holy, given through the
Holy Spirit. A Holy Spirit makes a holy heart, which produces a holy
life. A life free from sin. To continue living in sin, and under the
influence of sinful things is to continue living short of the fullness of the
promise of God. Sin binds us to this
world. It binds us to Satan. It binds us to every unholy, unrighteous and
hateful thing in this world. The carnal nature within produces carnal
acts without. When you are dead to it,
you no longer respond to it. The carnal
attractions don't entice. The worldly
amusements cease to amuse. Pride,
vanity, lust, envy, and greed; these are no longer your chief motivators. Safety and security no longer your
foundation. Pleasure and comfort your continual
pursuit. You love not the world, nor the things in the world, because the
love of the Father has captivated your very being, and your alive in Him; dead
to sin.
Jesus provided a way
out and that way is through death. If you have never experienced the
power and peace in living holy; you can. Christ is calling, wooing, and
sending this glorious gospel message of holiness. Would heed the
call? Would you break with the world? Would you die to sin? Would you live holy?
