03/15/2021
We say that in Christ we have died to our sin, and yet we are still tempted, and prone to experience it. How can this be? How can we be in Christ, and yet still find ourselves contemplating, and indeed participating in, sin? Have we not actually been crucified as Jesus was? Have we not fully accepted who we are... the sons and daughters of God?
“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.”
Romans 6:6 ESV
There is another scripture which speaks to us regarding living, and dying, to sin. It says that if we have died to sin we can no longer live in it... so what then are we doing when we sin again after our pronouncement of faith in Christ? Are we simply taking a holiday from righteousness, and visiting our old sinful home out of some form of morbid nostalgia?
“By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
Romans 6:2 ESV
When I think about being firm in my faith, I can’t help but contemplate the faith of Peter who got out of the boat and walked on water, but when his attention returned to the wind, and the raging sea that surrounded him, he began to sink down into it. This is us... when we are successfully living our lives as Christians who have been crucified with Christ, and are living in the absence of sin, we are walking on water, but when our eyes, and minds, wander back to our old selves, and we see the whitecaps of sin surrounding us, we begin to sink as Peter did. Thank God for the hand of Jesus that reached out and lifted up Peter because that same strong hand lifts us up as well.
“He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””
Matthew 14:29-31 ESV
One would think that after such an experience Peter would be forever fixed in his faith, but on the night that Jesus was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane he denied knowing Jesus... not once, but three times. Then, realizing that Jesus had predicted this he began to weep in remorse. Does this sound familiar? Do we weep at the realization that we have denied our death to sin? Well, we should, but we also need to know that Jesus forgave Peter, and if we are contrite He will forgive us as well. Jesus restored Peter three times, the same number of times that he had denied Him...
“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21:17 ESV
So are we to remain sinners then? Not at all, with each time that we find ourselves losing sight of Jesus, and forgetting our discipleship, we should weep, reach out for the hand of Christ, ask His forgiveness, and grow far less inclined to sin again. We should be stronger in our faith, and greater in our resolve to be righteous with the slightest brush of His hand. In this way we die more to sin, and gain a greater understanding of the meaning in Paul’s words when he said “I die every day”... in this way, so should we.
“Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!”
1 Corinthians 15:30-31 ESV
I was reading Andrew Murray, and he spoke of this as well. He wrote about how we not only die to sin, but grow in the power of that realization; listen, and take heart, so that even when we feel the wind and see the raging sea of sin, we will keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and the cross on which we found our death to sin.
“It is worth the trouble to take time to meditate on these words until you grasp their full meaning: I am dead to sin through Christ Jesus. As you become more familiar with your unity with the Crucified Christ, you will feel the power of His life in you that releases you from the power of sin.” - Andrew Murray
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ with whom we have died to sin, and in whom we find the strength to walk renewed in faith each day. Thank you Father for the resolve, and concentration we find in your Word, and the focus it gives us on you, Jesus, and your Holy Spirit. Help us Lord when the world tempts us, and send your angels to guard us against sin in those moments. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who sent your only begotten Son that we might be redeemed, saved, and increased in faith each day. Praised be your name for each time that we grab the hand of Jesus while sinking back into the world. Hear our prayer as we come to you in desperation while standing on the precipice of sin, and call out “Save me!”. Though our feet are mired in the world, or sinking down in sin, lift us up Lord, and walk with us as you lead us in righteousness once more. Cleanse us of all sin Father by immersing us in the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, and in this way find us worthy of eternity with you... pure, and always looking forward towards you.
Rich Forbes