Dead to Sin, Alive to God

Yesterday’s thoughts about ‘considering’ myself dead to sin are being tested again. This time when my mind was attacked with sinful suggestions, I found myself saying that I am dead to sin. This helps with resisting temptation, but this time I was surprised at feeling grief. What is that about?

It seemed the wrong way to think, but maybe it isn’t so bad. I might wish I was not ‘dead to sin’ at least this grief indicates I believe that I am. This particular temptation has always had a strong pull on me but I realize that each time I repeat this response it will have less of an impact. Eventually truth will win and life in Christ will reign.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9–11)

In these verses, death is not necessarily physical. It can mean ‘separation’ such as ‘dead in sin’ means separated from God. Dead to sin does not eliminate temptation but thinking it helps resist whatever is trying to lure me into sin. Thinking I am dead to sin is not a natural way to think!

Why is it that after so many years of being a Christian, this has taken me so long to consciously practice this thinking? I know much mind-changing happens without any effort on my part. When Christ came in, He brought many new attitudes. However, there are deeply-rooted weaknesses in every person. The temptation that hit me this morning has been on-going since childhood, a real part of my old nature and produced some deeply entrenched habits. This has distracted me on and off for years. Now is the time to be pro-active, to apply the truth of God to a lie about one of my reactions to life’s challenges.

Tozer says it well: “Christ makes the difference between death and life, always and everywhere. He is the Prince of Life, and whatever He touches lives. The fabled (King) Midas had a magic power which made everything he touched turn to gold. It is not fable, but wondrously true and real, that the power to give life belongs to Christ. Nothing He touches can ever die, and whatever is dead has only to be touched by Him and it lives again forever.”

I’m not lost when I lose a battle with sin in my life, but each battle won makes me stronger in prayer, more alive in Christ and more effective in living for Him. As the Bible says, if the Spirit of Christ is in me, I have life. Without Him, I cannot do anything.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5)

Lord Jesus, I am thankful to be a branch, even a little twig, because I am attached to You! Thank You for my position in the vine, and for the Spirit who makes fruit-bearing possible. Also, thank You for helping me realize my deadness to sin and for the sure hope that all grief will pass and I will eternally rejoice without any shadows messing with the new life You have given me.