We are said to be dead to anything when we have ceased to be under its influence, and have become indifferent to it. When you die to a thing, your response to it ceases to be the same as it used to be. Coming into Christ, sin lost its strangulating hold on us, we died to it. Sin didn't die, we died, and in dying, our affection towards it also died. We are no longer excited at the prospect of engaging in a sinful act as we used to do before we came to Christ; there is now no looking forward to it as we once did.
According to the Bible, we are now new creatures, old things have passed away. We are freed from the tyranny and bondage of sin. Now, we have a new master living in us, by His Spirit we are enabled to look sin in the eyes, and say no to its lures and enticements. Having risen with Christ from the dead, we now walk in a newness of life, freed from slavery to sin.
Having been translated from sin to righteousness, we no longer sin because we have to, we sin because we choose to sin. Living in the newness of life is deliberately walking after the Spirit. And walking after the Spirit is deliberately allowing the Spirit to guide our new walk, but He can only do this if we make the cross the central focus of our faith because it is within the parameter of the cross that He functions.
Toni
According to the Bible, we are now new creatures, old things have passed away. We are freed from the tyranny and bondage of sin. Now, we have a new master living in us, by His Spirit we are enabled to look sin in the eyes, and say no to its lures and enticements. Having risen with Christ from the dead, we now walk in a newness of life, freed from slavery to sin.
Having been translated from sin to righteousness, we no longer sin because we have to, we sin because we choose to sin. Living in the newness of life is deliberately walking after the Spirit. And walking after the Spirit is deliberately allowing the Spirit to guide our new walk, but He can only do this if we make the cross the central focus of our faith because it is within the parameter of the cross that He functions.
Toni
