Jesus In... Sin Out!

How do we handle sin in our life? How to we break away from its desires? Is the hope for a batter tomorrow?

Romans 6:12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 6:13: 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.(New International Version)

This passage in Romans 6 challenges us as Christians to flee from sin and obey the word of the Lord. Firstly, the apostle Paul warns us not to let sin reign or thrive in our mortal body so that we don’t fall to its evil desires. The word “mortal” here is important because the world mortal actually means “liable or subject to death”. According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, so allowing a deadly toxin to thrive in a body that is already prone to death would only bring doom to that soul. This is why Paul emphatically said not to let it be there. If as humans our bodies are prone, or subject to death and death is the consequence of sin, then logically we can agree that is human nature to sin. For some reason, though it will ultimately bring death and destruction to those who do not turn away from it, we as human beings seem to love it. In today’s world it’s almost as if it’s cool to sin. Paul also recognized that because of our helpless state of being, if we indulge in sin, we will yield to temptations and allow the habits and desires formed to ultimately take us down a path of destruction. He is literally saying “if you have a sin that you are struggling with, deal with it immediately but do not allow it to grow and spread throughout your spiritual being, this way, you won’t obey it’s desires when they present themselves in your life”.

Secondly, Paul tells us in verse 13 not to offer ourselves as an instrument of wickedness but rather offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life. Paul here is simply saying: serve God only. You can be serving God with 99% of your body, mind, and soul, but that 1% that you still allow sin to have dominion over is the part that will cause your downfall. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 6:24 that you CANNOT serve two masters. No matter how much you think you can, or how much you try, you cannot. This is why Paul encourages us not to offer any part of ourselves to sin as an instrument of wickedness. That would put us in a position where we would be saying that we are serving God, but behind closed doors we are knowingly not living up to the standards we are supposed to. Jesus called these types of people hypocrites. As Paul encourages us to stay away from sin, he steers us away from hypocrisy and ultimate destruction. Paul tells us to offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life. This sets the stage for the stark contrast in Romans 6:23 which tell us that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. You see those who have been delivered our from a life of sin and are now serving God have literally been brought from walking down a path that ends with death to walking down one which ends in Eternal Life. Paul says this is the type of passion, vigor, and life that we are to have when we serve our God, because we know what He can do for us! People in today’s world may look down on you for being passionate for the Lord but with the immorality that is abounding is today’s society; we have no need to be ashamed. Someone needs to stand up for God’s Standards, why can’t it be you?

Lastly, Paul tells us to offer every part of ourselves as an instrument of righteousness to God. Here he is simply saying to the believer: choose life. You see verse 13 shows both sides of the coin. Death would be offering yourself to sin, but when your offer yourself fully to the Living God of Heaven, you are choosing life. Simply put, When Jesus is in, sin is out! Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 that he is standing at the door of your heart, knocking, and waiting for you to let Him in so that he can sit and sup with you. When you offer yourself to Him you are opening the door of your heart and allowing immense blessings to flow into your life. When Jesus is in your life, you won’t give in to the peer pressure for pre-marital sex, you won’t want to go out and drink and carry on like those who don’t know Jesus. You will see the world from a different perspective and only want to go places or indulge in practices that are pleasing to God. You will be able to stand up for what is right and be light in a dark world. In conclusion, Paul’s message in this passage is simple: Serve God only. Jesus in, Sin out! If we adopt this attitude then we can fulfill the charge of Matthew 5:14-16 and truly be the light of this world, not matter the situation or circumstance we find ourselves in. Jesus is our hope for tomorrow! Abide in Him as He abides in you! No matter what the world offers, choose Jesus today!

Which element is in your life?

God bless you!