I remember back even 4 years ago- I was choosing to sin, and knew I was under grace. The Lord had asked me to stop drinking alcohol and I was refusing. I knew that if I had a drink and felt guilty that I could just ask for forgiveness and his grace was never ending. I remember 2 years ago when I was at my worst with my porn addiction. I knew when I went online I would sin, yet I knew the grace of God would cleanse me. This is NOT the way to live. I can't say, "Well, I asked Jesus into my heart 5 years ago, so God will forgive me," then the next day go on sinning. That was my attitude. Repentance is a daily thing. We must live in repentance. I really believe that is also what Paul is saying in this verse. When we accept Jesus' death on the cross we can put to death the sin in our life.
Verses 10-11 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
I am not saying we will never sin. That is impossible until we get to heaven. We are human and we are not perfect. However Paul used the words 'live in it'. Messing up, and living in sin are two separate things. Living in sin is intentionally sinning and allowing the devil to have a foothold which leads to enslavement- like my two examples above.
Verse 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Verse 16 "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But when we surrender our lives to Jesus and live in repentance... 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. (verse 6)
Thank you Jesus! Thank you that we don't have to be enslaved to sin anymore by your death and blood shed on the cross- I am free. Thank you Jesus that porn and alchohol have NO dominion over me anymore!
Verse 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Let us do this:
Verse 19b For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Let us not be enslaved to sin anymore. Let us repent and turn from impurity and lawlessness and be righteous and holy. In your life, let Jesus not have been crucified in vain. But let us realize the power of His death on the cross- that once He died for us, we died to sin. Let us live in repentance and be sanctified and therfore, have eternal life!
Verses 20-22 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. but now that you have set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Verse 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Leanne 01-05-12
Father, I pray with all that I am that if there is anyone reading this that is enslaved to sin, that your Holy Spirit would convict them so deeply to repent and to live a life of repentance. May they be sanctified through Jesus' blood and death on the cross. Lord, I pray that we would realize the power in His death and resurrection and claim His death as our own death to sin. Thank you Jesus!