“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… Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” Rom. 6:6,12
The question can be fairly asked and often is when we find ourselves in sin, “If as Christians, we are no longer slaves to sin, then why do we still sin?” As I say, this can be fairly asked, but we must search for the answer in the Bible, not in the opinion and traditions of men, and we must not leave this thought to fester.
The answer, while not pretty, is pretty simple: We sin because we love it. As one theologian once said, “Consider this: If sin did not attract us, then it would have absolutely no power over us. The object of our lust, bitterness, ambition or greed ultimately controls us…not because we are helpless before it as we used to be before we were in Christ…it is because we are desirous of it more than Christ.” Sin gains power over us not by its force…because it doesn’t have power over us any longer…but by our divided heart…torn between love for Jesus and our love for sin.
So, if our love for sin is what grants its power over us, how do we drive such love out of our heart? Again, while not easy, the answer is simple: with greater love. When our love for Christ is great, it drives out the passion for sin that is its power source. (Read John 13-17)
Which leads to a concluding question. What makes our love for Christ greater in our hearts than our desire for sin? Remembering…(there’s that word that we have talked about a lot through the years…a word that God Himself uses concerning our need in overcoming our sin and walking in His way)… Remembering, first and foremost…how great His love is for us. I John 4:19- “We love because He first loved us.” When the dimensions of Christ’s complete sacrificial love and eternal promises for us fill our hearts, sinful desires lose their hold on us. When Christ truly is our first love, walking with Him in a manner worthy of that Love becomes our first priority and our greatest passion.
Through the years I have pointed out the “things” the Bible says we KNOW as believers…this passage reminds us of yet another thing that we, as His children, KNOW, “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… Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” So let us REMEMBER…and live accordingly…for His glory.
God Bless y’all.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
Christus Victor
