Romans 6 - How Do You Overcome Your Sinful Nature?
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Having talked about how we are justified by faith and have been given the righteousness from Christ, Paul talks about how we fight our sinful nature, which still exists. First, all of he rebuts the argument that just because we are forgiven, that we can keep on sinning. He says, "By no means!'", which means he is being emphatic. His reasoning is that once we have died to sin, how can we live in it anymore. He uses the analogy from baptism that we have buried our sinful nature and just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so we have been given the power of the resurrection life!
Would you say you are living in the power of the resurrection to overcome the sinful nature? Do you live in the victory of the cross, or the bondage of the sinful nature?
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Paul likens being dominated by our sinful nature, as going back to slavery. It would be like someone chained in prison being freed and then wanting to go back to the misery of prison. He calls our sinful nature our "old self", which is related to when we were ruled by our bodily desires. Again the power to overcome our sinful nature comes from being united with Christ.
By abiding in him (i.e. John 15) we can lead a new life. Notice this does not come from trying to do it on our own. We need a power greater than our own. I.e. The language of A.A. I am powerless over my addiction and come to believe a power greater than myself could restore my life to sanity.
Have you are realized you are powerless to correct or overcome your sinful nature? Have you come to realize there is a power greater than yourself (Jesus) that can restore your life to sanity?
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Paul keeps using the metaphor of "death". Think of it as dying to our sinful nature. When we fan the flames of our sinful nature by dabbling in things like lust or greed, we are giving it new life. It is like pouring gas on a fire!
Are there areas in your life where you are playing around with sin? Are you still trying to "control and enjoy sin"?
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 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. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Similarly, Paul is again talking about bodily desires, which he calls our "mortal bodies". When we let sin "reign", or develop a pattern of sinning, we are in "bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves". This is the language our Lutheran Confession, we say together every Sunday morning. Therefore, we need to offer EVERY part of ourselves to God. "Half measures avail us nothing". When Jesus says, "Pick up your cross and follow me", he in essence is saying the same thing. Importantly it is grace not the law that fuels this transformation.
How are you allowing grace to rule your life not sin? It is only through the grace of God that you are saved and only through the grace of God, you will not be ruled again by sin?
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Paul then gives the alternative to being a slave of sin. He calls it being a "slave of righteousness". Instead of offering ourselves to sin, we need to offer ourselves to God. Notice it is a choice. Overcoming our sinful nature does not come by accident. We have to choose this life!
Part of this involves obeying the pattern of teaching that Paul has given them. This is now what we need to focus on, living according to the teaching of Jesus, Paul, and the others apostles. The key is to obey from your heart. You have to want to overcome your sinful nature. If you want to keep on sinning, you will. You will buy into the lie of Satan that it is still okay to sin once in awhile as a Christian. The more you offer yourself to God and your new way of life in Christ, the easier it gets. You become a slave of righteousness.
How are the practice of spiritual disciplines like praying and reading God's word on a daily basis helping you to become a fully devoted follower of Christ not still being ruled by your sinful nature?
19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is no neutral in this fight. If you are giving in to your sinful nature, you will more and more becoming addicted to it. The same is true as you become a slave of righteousness through the power of the resurrection. When you look at the consequences of your old, sinful nature, you should ask yourselves, "What benefit did that give me?" "Was my life better or worse?" I think the answer should be obvious to you!
Commit yourself today to living in the power of Jesus' resurrection and not returning to the slavery of our sinful nature! You will experience the power and benefits of Your new life in Christ! This is the only way to live and the best way to live!
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