Alive to God

The gospel changes how believers are to think about sin. ROMANS 6:11 (ESV) says we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is not pretending temptation does not exist. It is believing what God says is true because of union with Christ.

Sin often tries to speak as though it still owns us. It says, "This is who you are. This is what you always return to. This is stronger than you." But Scripture tells believers to reckon differently. In Christ, sin is no longer master. The old rule has been broken.

That does not mean obedience becomes effortless. Romans 6 continues with commands not to let sin reign in the mortal body and not to present members to sin. We must actively resist what once ruled us. But resistance is not built on self-confidence. It is built on the truth that we are alive to God in Christ.

ROMANS 6:14 (ESV) says, "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Grace does not excuse sin's dominion. Grace breaks it.

If you belong to Christ, do not speak about sin as though it is your rightful lord. Bring temptation under truth. You are not called to live as a slave to what Christ died to free you from. Consider yourself alive to God, then present your life to Him.

This truth must be practiced by faith. There may be days when sin feels loud and old patterns feel familiar, but the believer is not called to take identity from temptation. We take identity from Christ. To consider ourselves dead to sin is to agree with God over the voice of the old master. Then we act accordingly: refusing what belongs to death and offering ourselves to the One who has made us alive.