Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 6:8-12 (NIV)

 

How do you consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God?

It is about training or renewing your mind that Christ includes you in His death, burial, and resurrection, making you alive to God as a new creation. The Greek word for “count” is logizomai which means “to reckon, to take into account, to reason”. This means we are to recognise and walk in the truth of what God in Christ has done to release us from the penalty and power of sin.

Sin no longer holds you captive as you live in the truth of who you are and have in Christ. Its power and claims over you have been broken by His finished work of the cross. You have now died to sin, and you should live as if it is so. God no longer counts you a sinner because you have been perfected in Christ (Hebrews 10:14). As you walk in obedience to this revelation, you will discover that His Spirit is working within you to resist sinful desires and temptations.

As we are justified by faith, so are we sanctified by faith.

In justification, we are saved from the penalty and guilt of sin, and in sanctification we are saved from the power of sin. These salvific blessings are ours by faith, by believing and receiving, not through pursuing self-performance and perfectionism. The more we grow in faith, the greater our desire for God becomes, and our yearning for holiness and moral integrity deepens imperceptibly and effortlessly. This convicting work of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:8) enables us in our battle against sinful habits that threatens to steal our joy and freedom.