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The reality of our union with Christ has freed us from slavery to sin.
God knows us intimately, even when we were His enemies. We could not save ourselves, so He underwrote the cost of our sin in order to have a relationship with us and bring us into His light and life. As a result, we are no longer who we once were, though the old flesh is ready to ensnare us still. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we put into practice what God has done in changing our position.
Romans 6 gives us an image that portrays our new life in Christ. We have died to sin, and, just like a piece of cloth is dipped in dye and comes out changed, so we have been baptized in His death, burial, and resurrection and now have His life (Romans 6:3–4).
This imagery involves the rich mystery that we have died with Christ and that we have been raised with Him. Even though we do not feel as though this is true, we must believe anyway. Our feelings are changeable, after all, but this truth is not. It is for this reason that we need to “consider [ourselves] to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
Even though the reality of our position is that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), we still need a spirit of wisdom and revelation in this world. Sin will try to trap us. As a result, we need to present ourselves to God instead of to sin.
Part of how we do so is reckoning ourselves as dead to sin and turning away from temptation. Temptation, after all, is deceitful. It will only present its pleasures to us and never its consequences. But temptation will lead us away from God, and the more we give in, the more sin will have a stronghold in our life.
As a result, we must submit ourselves to God and walk in the power of His Spirit. The more we do this, the more the false narratives we have embraced will be replaced by truth. It is not easy to present ourselves to God and live for Him, but this is essential to our spiritual walk.
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In order to fill your mind with truth, try reading through the identity affirmations cards in Ken’s spiritual renewal card set.
This teaching is based on Ken’s Handbook to Scripture.
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