“How can we who died to sin still live in it?.. We were buried with him… into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are… under grace…
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?.. Now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”
“You also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit.” Romans 6:2,4,6-7,11-14,16,19b; 7:4-6
So much happened divinely at our salvation that is hard to fit into everyday experience. While we dwell here below we have a daily struggle to appropriate the heavenly accomplishment of the the crucifixion and resurrection, though it indeed has been finished and is true and effective for us. Paul’s admonishment is to reckon it all so. Believe it. Live it. Do not let sin reign, instead present yourselves to God. As long as we are in the flesh, we are called to exercise the putting off and putting on, and can do so in the power of His Spirit. (John 19:28-30)
But we make excuses. Temptation is too strong. I’m exhausted. I was made this way and cannot help myself. We have such whiny attitudes and constricted vision! Humanly speaking, these are accurate, but have been swallowed up in Christ’s victory! The ongoing challenge for us is to reckon that so, by faith. As long as we see everything through narrow sin-stained lenses, and rely on self effort, we will fail. But our call is to count on what Christ has done for us and Christ in us and put it into consistent practice. There is the secret to our victory! (Romans 7:15-25; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Colossians 1:27)
What habitual practices need we name and put away today? What specific promises of God will we claim over flesh tendencies, weak and strong? When will we make deliberate presentation of ourselves to righteousness, for Jesus’ sake?
Lord, may I believe and act on all that You have made true, and so glorify Your dominion and grace.
As the rain and snow 