Alive in Christ

 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness.  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

- Romans 6: 11

Are we truly dead to sin?  It’s a tough question to think about but one that demands our attention.  God’s word is replete with warnings to flee from sin, for sin has no place among His people:

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. –Eph. 5:3

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. –Col. 3:5

…Or if you are living according to the flesh, you must die.  –Romans 8:13

We know that we live in the spirit.  We know that we are no longer controlled by our earthly desires.  And yet, how easy it is for us to get caught up in day-to-day sin.  Sure, we can catch the big stuff:  sexual immorality, drunkenness, murder… but do we recognize those sins that are seemingly “not so bad”?  Criticism, hypocrisy, gossip, lust, jealousy --- in God’s eyes, these sins are equivalent to those “big” sins.  Sin is sin regardless of the scale upon which we humans weight it, and we cannot live in the Spirit while sin resides in us. 

Let us ask God to put sin to death in us today.  We pray that we recognize all sin, even that which we consider harmless, and flee from it.  We are children of God, not children of this world.  We are dead to sin and alive in Christ!