Dead to Sin
October 9, 2016
Devotions:
The Law was given to demonstrate to the Isrealites that they were in sin and needed a savior. It was never meant to be a standard that they could live by because their flesh was weak. They had no power to overcome sin and their nature was a sin nature. If in redemption only their sins were forgiven they still had a problem because their nature was wrong.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:1-4 NASB
God's solution to the problem of our rebellious nature was to kill us. He could have killed Adam and Eve when they initially sinned but instead He already had in place a savior. All of the Old Testament pointed to this savior. When Jesus died, we died with Him, was buried and rose again to newness of life. Jesus did not need to die for HIs sake but for ours. Here in Romans Paul refers to the new birth as a baptism. When we believe on what Jesus accomplished for us by becoming our sin and dying under the penalty of our sins and then winning the victory by paying the full price so that He rose from the dead victorious and righteous, so did we when we were united with Him. Then we are dead to sin, to the penalty of sin because the price is already paid. He has then given us a new nature which is greater than the Law of Moses. Where as the Ten Commandments described the nature of God, we have that nature. We have been set free from sin which destroys us. Our hearts want to do what is pleasing to God. We just need to be informed of this new Liberty which is ours. All sin comes from doubting God. As we act on our new righteousness and choose to come into the presnce of the Father, our faith grows and our doubts and sins fall off.The victory in life is in our faith in God and His love for us.