APR 16

Romans 6:1-7
Memorise Galatians 2:20
“How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

One of the ways which the Bible describes the complete transformation of salvation, is through the analogy of dying and living. Paul uses this in Romans 6 to emphasize that, as believers, we must put aside our old life of sin. He explains that when we are saved, we become dead to sin, and therefore must not live in sin any longer, but to walk in the newness of life.

But then we ask, what does it really mean to die to sin? Verse 6 tells us that the old man was crucified with Christ. The old man refers to who we were before salvation. It describes our old carnal self, who was a slave to sin and enemy of God. We did not know God, and were living only to fulfil our selfish desires.

Then by the wonderful grace of God, we heard the gospel and were saved! What happened then was that this old man died, never to return again. Just as Christ was crucified and died upon the cross, our old man died together with Him. This is what Paul was talking about in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”.

The implication of this is that we are now freed from sin (Romans 6:7). We are no longer imprisoned in the deathly grip of sin, but instead are now free to serve Christ. Whereas prior to our salvation, we could do nothing but sin, yet now that the old man is gone, we are able to not sin. Yet we must note that this does not imply sinless perfection. Though the old man is dead, yet our carnal fleshly nature still remains. Yes the old man who was a slave to sin is gone, but we still sin, not because we are forced to, but because we allow ourselves to succumb to temptation.

Now that we are saved, the Bible tells us that we must continually reckon ourselves to be dead to sin (Romans 6:11). It is a conscious effort on our part to resist temptation, and realise that it can no longer have a permanent grip on us. This is the reformed life – one that has repented and no longer serves sin!

Thought: Death is permanent. The old man is gone forever!
Prayer: Lord, grant me the strength to resist temptation and reckon myself dead unto sin.