LEARNING DAILY

Romans 6:6, Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. (New Living Translation)

What does the “old self“ mean? It “refers to the Believer’s unregenerated self, the person he or she once was, the life once lived in sin. This old self has been crucified with Christ on the cross in order that the Believer might receive a new life in Christ and become a new person” (Life in the Spirit Study Bible).  The old self desires power, approval, prestige, comfort and will try to fulfill these desires in any behavior (usually sinful) necessary.

Paul began Romans chapter 6 by asking if those who have been saved by faith should continue sinning in order to increase God’s grace in their lives. The answer is certainly no; only a perverted logic would argue that continuing in sinful behavior would somehow honor God (David Jeremiah Study Bible). Paul answered his questions by saying when we trusted Jesus to save and change us, we died with Him in a spiritual sense, and were resurrected spiritually to a new life. Paul would write this in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”.  Did you catch it” It is because of God’s mercy and His love for us that He saves and changes us, saving us from our sin. It is important that we understand it is our sins that separate us from God and cause us to walk on either a broad way or a narrow way.

Paul wants us to know that when Jesus Christ saves us, we also go through a crucifixion; it is a spiritual crucifixion where the “old self”, the one that existed in sin and self-centeredness was spiritually crucified the same way Jesus was physically crucified on the cross. We accept this through faith and God puts the “old self” to death. The notes in the David Jeremiah Study Bible tells us, “Christ’s death was the Believer’s death; His burial the Believer’s burial; His resurrection the Believer’s resurrection.”

Go back the verse from Romans and know that God is telling all Believers that “We are no longer slaves to sin”. That means that sin in our lives has been reduced to where it is disabled and no longer has power over us; it is no longer in charge of us. But be careful! That does not mean sin has been annihilated. We can never be forced to sin anymore, but the “want to” is still hanging around. Think of it this way. As a “slave to sin” the slaveowner coerces us to sin, to fulfill all the lusts we have. But because of the cross, Jesus Christ has defeated the slaveowner. He can no longer force us to sin.  But we can volunteer, so to speak, to sin. Find 1 John 1:9-10 and read what it tells us. Believers still live imperfect lives. Our lives are just not marked with persistent and deliberate sins.

Romans 6:11 tells Believers to, “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but be alive to God in Christ Jesus”.  Believers must change the way we think about ourselves; we are no longer to rely on our own abilities and to be self-serving. We are to be dead to ourselves and alive to being who Jesus Christ wants to be, who we are in Him. Our sinful nature can no longer force us to sin. We must continually remind ourselves that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and no longer serving an old master. Believers have been set free to become all the Jesus Christ wants us to be. That is a wonderful privilege to know and to live by!