8.28 How shall we who died to sin live any longer on it?
Do you know anyone around you who died and was resurrected? My guess is that you would say no. I have news for you. I am one such person. I died and I came back to life. In fact, if you are a Christian, you died too and you came back to life. You must be wondering, “Why nonsense is Joshua talking about?”
Paul explains the mystery of Christianity. He tells us that we dies to sin and can no longer live in it. He tells us what happened on the inside of us when we received Jesus.
(Romans 6:1-4)
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who DIED TO SIN live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were BURIED WITH HIM through baptism into death, that just as Christ was RAISED FROM THE DEAD by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE.
Our old man died together with Christ. We were buried with Him when He died. That old man with the sinful nature of Adam died. We died to sin. That man who was married to the law died and was delivered from the law through death (Romans 7:4).
But when Jesus rose from the dead, we rose with Him as a new creation in Christ. We rose as a new person in Christ bearing the nature of God. We walk in newness of life. We were delivered from the law to be married to Christ. We are now in Christ and Christ is now in us. This is the mystery of Christianity.
This is not a verse that we read only during water baptism class. Neither was Paul wasn’t giving empty talk. He lived by it! Look at how Paul lived his life – he was conscious that he had been crucified with Christ and he lived by faith in the Son of God.
(Galatians 2:20)
I have been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST Christ; it is no longer I who live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
But instead of focusing on the life that is in us, many Christians continue to focus on the external. Instead of nurturing the inner-man to grow into the fullness of Christ, they focus on making the outer-man conform to the law once again. When the inner-man is not nurtured, all we have is the external form of religion, and we cannot fulfill the potential of the new creation.
Just yesterday, I was listening to a CD by Peter Youngren, one of my favorite Bible teachers. I liked the title – “Living life from the inside out”. That is how we should live our lives – by nurturing and drawing from the life of Christ in us. Christ in us changes our circumstances on the outside.
Paul explains the mystery of Christianity. He tells us that we dies to sin and can no longer live in it. He tells us what happened on the inside of us when we received Jesus.
(Romans 6:1-4)
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who DIED TO SIN live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were BURIED WITH HIM through baptism into death, that just as Christ was RAISED FROM THE DEAD by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE.
Our old man died together with Christ. We were buried with Him when He died. That old man with the sinful nature of Adam died. We died to sin. That man who was married to the law died and was delivered from the law through death (Romans 7:4).
But when Jesus rose from the dead, we rose with Him as a new creation in Christ. We rose as a new person in Christ bearing the nature of God. We walk in newness of life. We were delivered from the law to be married to Christ. We are now in Christ and Christ is now in us. This is the mystery of Christianity.
This is not a verse that we read only during water baptism class. Neither was Paul wasn’t giving empty talk. He lived by it! Look at how Paul lived his life – he was conscious that he had been crucified with Christ and he lived by faith in the Son of God.
(Galatians 2:20)
I have been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST Christ; it is no longer I who live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
But instead of focusing on the life that is in us, many Christians continue to focus on the external. Instead of nurturing the inner-man to grow into the fullness of Christ, they focus on making the outer-man conform to the law once again. When the inner-man is not nurtured, all we have is the external form of religion, and we cannot fulfill the potential of the new creation.
Just yesterday, I was listening to a CD by Peter Youngren, one of my favorite Bible teachers. I liked the title – “Living life from the inside out”. That is how we should live our lives – by nurturing and drawing from the life of Christ in us. Christ in us changes our circumstances on the outside.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 10:05 PM
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