“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” – Romans 6:11
LIGHT FOR NOW: Union with Christ changes the believer’s relationship with sin. Sin may still present temptation, but it no longer has the right to define or dominate the believer who is alive unto God in Christ.
After explaining our union with Christ in His death and resurrection, Paul gives the believer a powerful instruction: “Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God”. The word “reckon” comes from the Greek word logizomai, meaning “to consider, count, calculate, or regard as true.” Paul is teaching the believer to bring his thinking into agreement with what God has already accomplished in Christ. Notice that Paul did not say, “Make yourself dead to sin”. He said, “Reckon yourselves”. There is a difference between what God has accomplished and what we must learn to believe and live out.
Through union with Christ, the dominion of sin has been broken. Romans 6:14 therefore says, “Sin shall not have dominion over you”. This does not mean temptation disappears. It means temptation is no longer your master. A believer can still be tempted, but he does not have to surrender. Why? This is because he is now “alive unto God”. This is the other side of the revelation. Christianity is not merely learning to say “no” to sin; it is learning to say “yes” to God. The Christian life becomes stronger when our attention moves beyond what we are trying to avoid and becomes centred on the One to whom we now belong. Paul says, “Alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Notice the phrase “through Jesus Christ”.
Our new life is not produced by human determination. It flows from our union with Christ. A branch does not struggle to manufacture life. It remains connected to the vine and bears fruit from the life it receives. In the same way, the believer must continually live from Christ. This changes how we approach temptation. Instead of saying, “I am powerless”, we remember, “I am alive unto God”. Instead of saying, “This is just who I am”, we remember, “I am in Christ”. Instead of surrendering to an old pattern, we bring our thoughts and actions into agreement with our new identity. This is why revelation matters.
What you consistently believe about yourself will influence how you live. If you see yourself as a slave to sin, you will continually expect defeat. But when you understand that you are alive unto God through Christ, you begin to live from the freedom Christ has provided. The Christian does not overcome sin by pretending temptation is not real. He overcomes by knowing that Christ is greater and that sin no longer has dominion. You are not merely dead to something; you are alive to someone. And that someone is God. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Today, whenever temptation or an old pattern appears, consciously remind yourself: “I am dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ”. Let your actions agree with this truth.
CONFESSION: I am dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ. Sin has no dominion over me. I refuse to be controlled by former patterns, because I now live from the life of Christ within me, in Jesus Name. Amen!
FOR MORE LIGHT, get the message ‘Understanding Salvation’ by Prophet Dr John Linus.
QUOTE: Victory over sin begins when the believer learns to see himself from what Christ has accomplished, not from what temptation suggests.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: ROMANS CHAPTER 6; EVENING: GALATIANS CHAPTER 5
