“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 the body dies, it no longer responds to
this world. All our possessions, 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 the 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 and wretched
sin. The drunkard in the ditch, the king
on the throne, and anyone in between find themselves in this awful shape before
Almighty God. We come into this world 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 in this world (that
doesn't stop us from looking). This is
why we needed Jesus. We needed a Savior. 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 be delivered we must travel the same road Jesus
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 to ourselves, 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 all of himself (or herself) over to an Almighty God. Everything. Everything 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. 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, is 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 are no longer your foundation. Pleasure and comfort your continual
pursuit. When the Holy Ghost comes in
you love not the world, nor the things in the world, because the love of the
Father has captivated your very being, and you’re alive in Him and 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. Will you heed
the call? Will you break with the
world? Will you die to sin? Would you live holy?
