The Old Man is DEAD – D.E.A.D.!

Romans 6:2 (NASB)
^]Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 

Are we dead to sin or are we not? THAT is the question! There are convincing arguments to be made on both sides – both in the natural and in the spiritual worlds. As believers we should always remain on the God-side; meaning, we believe what the Word says about the issue. The Bible has plenty to say about it; below are just a few scriptures:

• Romans 6:6… knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
• Romans 6:7: …for he who has died is free from sin
• Romans 6:11: Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 3:3: For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Based on Scripture then, the answer to whether we are dead to sin is a resounding “yes!”

 How can we be dead to sin, yet still sin? A well-known minister of the gospel offers some insights that explain this seeming contradiction of being dead to sin, yet still sinning. The first point he makes is the need to distinguish between the words “sin” and “sinner.”  Sin is a noun (person, place, or thing.)  Sinner is a verb (a word which express an action or an occurrence.) He says we are dead to sin, the noun. The sin nature was extinguished when we made Jesus the Savior and Lord of our lives.

The “sinning” issue remains even though we are no longer bound by the sin nature. This minister of the gospel attributes this to the fact that we often yield to our flesh. He goes on to define “the flesh.” According to him it is not out-of-control behavior that makes up the flesh; rather it is a mind-set that has not been renewed by the Word of God.

From a practical standpoint, what does this mean for us? When we think of out-of-control behavior our focus shifts to trying to change ourselves. Trying to change those things that lead to “sinning” in our lives rarely works because we rely on ourselves rather than God to bring about the changes. Out-of-control behavior is actually the result of wrong-thinking and, only having our minds renewed by the Word of God will bring the change we desire.  Lasting change is all about what He has already done and our part is to receive it. 

Knowing this is one thing, doing it another.  We start by 1) meditating on the scriptures that say the we are dead to sin. 2) We realize there is a difference between sin and sinning. 3) We identify by what God says about us, not by how we feel, and 4) we trust God to change us, focusing on His manner of bringing about change in our lives as described in 2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with uncovered face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit. By focusing on the glory of the Lord (the person of Jesus) the change comes to us by “sweatless effort.” It is the perfect picture of GRACE!

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