Romans 6:6-7
The scripture for today is Romans 6:6-7
Romans 6:6-7 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was the most powerful sacrifice that heaven and earth had ever seen. God sent His Son to pay the penalty for the transgression that happened in the Garden of Eden and that had been perpetuated throughout human history. Because of Adam's transgression, all us come into this world with the unholy propensities of the natural heart. We are born in sin and the activities of sin is the normal human life. Because of the nature of sin that we inherit, we constantly make the choice to sin and our choices reflect who is in charge of our lives. Because we are sinners, we are under the penalty of sin which is death. But there is good news! Jesus, through His sacrifice, paid that penalty for all of us. Those, who by faith in Him, receive His death as their own will not have to pay the penalty for their sin.
Receiving His death is not some kind of mystical experience; it is a spiritual transaction that happens in our hearts by faith. When we come to Christ in repentance with surrendered hearts, we exchange our lives for His life. We give up our life of sin and take on His life of holiness and righteousness. In Christ, the old life of sin died, died completely. When Christ died, we died with Him. When we receive Him, we receive the benefits of His death. When someone is dead, they are not capable of performing the functions of natural life. They have been freed from all of life's demands. Jesus died to destroy the body of sin so that sin, which never had a claim on Him, could never have a claim on us anymore. We have been freed from sin and it cannot exercise its reign of terror over us any longer. We have died with Christ and are raised up together with Him, raised to live a life of victory over sin and its penalty. We can now live our lives for the One who loves us; the One who set us free. How wonderful is His love; how marvelous is His grace.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim