Kill Sin

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 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. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again, death no longer has dominion over him. 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.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

Romans 6


Do we take sin seriously? I know I don't I recently read a blog post that described our attitude towards sin like our thoughts towards a bad haircut. We're slightly irritated by it, but we wait it out, hoping it will get better (which, by the way, sin left alone does not naturally get better). John Piper talks about how he hears Christians murmuring about our shortcomings, but sees so little warfare. I felt very clearly the complacency that these two saints were talking about as I examined my own view towards sin.

I see my sin, I talk about it with trusted friends, I would like it to not be there, it often disgusts me, and I yearn for the day when it will be gone. But as far as destroying it in my life today, right now, for this I do not strive.

For me, this is mostly because it's hard to fight sin. Sometimes you just don't want to fight. Here's an example of my laziness in fighting sin: I've found that one of the most helpful things for me in fighting sin is to think on Scripture. Something so simple. Yet, it takes work to focus and direct my thoughts towards the Word of God. It's so much easier to allow my mind to wander wherever it would like. But my thoughts cannot be freely roaming wherever they desire, for they will roam into worry and anxiety, into lust and idolatry, and into bitterness towards those I love. No, my thoughts must be corralled towards Scripture. And what joy I have at the end of the day when the Lord has graciously allowed me to look to his Word throughout the day! Yet, I still find myself resisting this. It is not easy to make war on sin, but it is oh, so worth it.


I. Already righteous in His sight
Dear Christians, we have so much hope! The Father has already declared that we are righteous in his sight! We don't have to strive to kill sin so that he accepts us. We're united to Christ, and Christ was perfect in our place. Christ died for our sins. The Father does not deal with us according to our works, but rather, according to the finished, perfect work of Jesus!

Please, please understand (and as I write this, I'm asking the Holy Spirit to please allow me to understand), that we cannot grow in holiness unless we truly understand that we need not earn an ounce of the Father's favor - it's already upon us because of Jesus! Further, if we want to grow in Christ-likeness  we must be going deeper and deeper into the glories of the gospel. As we understand the gospel more and more, we will be conformed more into the image of Jesus.


II. Not righteous in function

"Simil Justus Epecator" was the way in which Martin Luther spoke of Christians. This phrase means that Christians are both simultaneously Saints and Sinners. In this life, we are free from the bondage of sin, yet, we are not in a state in which we can live perfectly. Oh, one day we will be made like Christ and will be completely free from sinning. Practically, that means that we are called to make war on sin in our lives now. To not take sin lightly, to not simply view it as a 'bad haircut'. No, sin is destructive to our souls, and dishonoring to the God who has created and redeemed us. I'm learning, by the sweet grace of God, that I must do whatever I can (in biblical means!) to destroy sin in my life and my heart, while fully resting in the reality that I'm declared righteous and that Jesus has already won the war.

By the grace of God, may we grow in destroying sin in our lives while clinging to the perfect Savior as our great hope.