Overcomer #16 – Living Above Sin
Sin pulls us down. Christ lifts us up.
We affirm, “Christ died for me.” This is called substitution, because we should have died for our sins. But God in his great love for us sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice to die in our place.
We also affirm, “I died in Christ.” This is called identification, because we identify with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him . . . that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
Moreover, we “count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Sin’s power over us is broken. We can sin, but we don’t have to.
If a friend told you that they had deposited $1,000,000 in your bank account for you, and that you could withdraw from it anytime you wanted to, you could count on it even though you never actually saw the money.
Counting on God’s truth as true makes it come alive and real in us. Further, you “offer every part of yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness” (Romans 6:13).
If we used to use our hands to take from others, we now offer our hands to God to serve others. If we used to be careless in our speech, we now offer our mouth to speak truth in love.
If we used to let our eyes wander and lead us into sinful thoughts of lust or revenge, hatred or envy, we now give our eyes to look upon others as those whom God loves and for whom Jesus died.
If you’ve ever water-skied, you know how the water seems to resist you and your skis before you get up on the surface. The engine of the boat roars. Your muscles strain. The water does everything it can to keep you down.
But once you know how to take advantage of the boat’s power, the “plowing” is replaced by “planing” as you are lifted up and out of the water. The resistance is gone, and the water actually seems to grease the bottom of your skis. You fly along on top of that same water that had held you back at first.
In a similar way, identifying with Christ lifts you up so that “sin shall no longer be your master” (Romans 6:14). You know, count, offer.
~ Pastor Dave
