Romans 6 : 11 – 13: Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. NKJV
What does it mean to be a disciple of the teachings of
Christ? Does it mean that we have salvation, and we’re just waiting on the
return of Jesus to take us out of this body of sin? Paul taught Timothy on the
importance of rightly dividing the Word of God so that, as a minister, he wouldn't
be put to shame.
Anyone can twist the Word to fit just about any belief
out there in the world. If someone should alter the Word of God to
accommodate a lifestyle that isn’t consistent with the entire gospel of Christ,
then it ceases being truth and has no power to save a soul or change a person’s
heart.
Paul didn’t mince words when it came to establishing the
principles that God, through Christ, has set in His Word for the believer. Our
old sin nature that was given to us by the sins of Adam cannot inherit the
promise of eternal life. Therefore, God had to offer up a spotless Lamb to pay
the price for man’s sin debt so that we can be bought (or ransomed) from the
rule of Satan over mankind’s soul.
When Jesus died on the cross, He stripped principalities
and powers of their authority and made an open spectacle of them through the
cross. He descended into hell and took back the keys of authority over hell and
the grave. Now that Christ has ascended into heaven and shown Himself as the
Lamb and the High Priest to the Father, we all have been given the opportunity
to leave the domination of sin and die to our flesh nature and live a holy and
righteous life before God.
Since Christ has died for all humans and redeemed us all
from the curse of the law of sin and death, we no longer have to live our lives
in bondage to Satan or sin. The key to living free from the sin nature, or the
Adamic nature, is to surrender our hearts to Christ and make Him our Lord and
Savior. If this is true, and the Word declares to us that it is, then why do so
many Christians choose to live in sin and not walk in righteousness and
holiness?
The answer is found in Romans 6 : 11 – 13: Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign
in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. As long as we
choose to walk by faith in obedience to the voice of God and the Word of God,
we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If we die to our flesh through
obedience to God’s divine will, we will no longer be ruled by sin through the
lusts of our flesh nature. So if we die to the flesh nature, we won’t sin.
The flesh nature gives place for sin to rule our hearts and ultimately, our
lives. However, this does not have to occur in a believer’s life.
As Christ’s disciples, we must not live this new life
according to the old lusts of the carnal or flesh nature. We must submit to
God, resist the Devil, and he will flee from us, just as he did with Jesus, who
was submitted to God in the wilderness. If you find that today’s word demands
more than you’re able to offer, then today can be the first day of the rest of
your walk.
Begin practicing your faith by obeying God and allowing
Him to set you free from any habit, addiction, or relationships that might be
holding you in bondage to the flesh nature. As you obey daily and seek God with
your whole heart, He will do the work of setting you free from the old man and renewing
you to become the person in Christ that He ordained from the foundation of the
world. You can do it, and these devotions can help you succeed. Now place one
foot in front of the other and begin to walk out your salvation through faith.
You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you.
Walking It Out by Faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Pastor Asa Dockery
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