| Yesterday's Bible Study |
In this verse, we have a vivid reminder that we are dead to sin. In other words, we are no longer slaves to our old ways and passions, but instead, are free and able to reject sin and live as Christ has instructed us. Today, we'll think about what it means to be dead to sin---and alive in Christ.
Because Jesus has given us a new life and new desires, we are no longer alive to sin. He paid the cost for our sin on the cross, and we can stand before God without a blemish because of what He did for us. We no longer have to give an account of our sins because God has already forgiven us.
We must, Paul writes, reckon ourselves dead to sin. This means we have to intellectually understand and put on the truth that we are dead to sin. We have power over sin because we are dead to it, so when we are tempted to sin, we have the ability to deny it. We don't have to fall into its grip any longer because Jesus has set us free. Paul wants us to both intellectually understand that we are free from sin and take on the power that comes from it.
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We are not simply dead to sin and then left with a vacant part of our bodies. Much to the contrary, we become dead to sin when we become alive in Christ. Where sin once had dominion, Jesus now reigns. While we once had no power to control our gossiping tongues, laziness, pride, lust, and greed, we now have Jesus, who has given us a new heart and new desires.
It is possible to become more and more alive in Christ each passing day. When we first become Christians, we are alive in Him from Day 1. However, we mature by becoming more and more alive in Him--and deader and deader to sin. As we learn more about who Jesus is through actions such as prayer, Bible study, worship, and attending church, we will become stronger in Christ. We will love Him more and want to please Him even more. At the same time, we will be more and more repulsed by sin. We will discover the life that is in Jesus, and the death that is in sin.
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