Apostle Paul says a born again person “must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” Romans 6:11. If you are born again, you no longer allow sin to control your life.
How is being dead to sin accomplished in believers who are still alive? The key to understanding how to be dead to sin and alive to God means to know and remember this one thing.
Being dead to sin is a mindset. You can consider yourselves dead to sin because you were crucified with Jesus on the cross when you put your trust in Jesus’ crucifixion for your salvation. Just a few verses earlier Paul tells us:
Walk in the Spirit NOT Your Flesh
If you are truly born again, you will have this mind in you “your old self was crucified with Christ” and live your new life for God Romans 8:5-6. It’s a mindset. Your born-again spirit is from God and wants to live and do everything God wants. You must replace your wants and desires with your new spirit, which is of God Romans 6:6. That is done as you put to death the “evil longings of your earthly bodies” and whatever sinful thoughts that come from your flesh Colossians 3:5. You no longer allow sin to run your life. You must reject all sin.
Instead, offer yourselves, mind, body, and soul to God to serve His purposes. God has given us His word to feed and strengthened your inner man and put to death your old man Galatians 5:16.
Born-Again Thinking
Born-Again means to change the way you think. Change what you think and you will change what you do and say. After Paul says consider yourself “dead to sin,”; he goes on to write 2 of my favorite verses (Romans 12:1-2). “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. As you you practice being “a living sacrifice” , you will change your thinking to conform to the will of God. This is the sanctification process for all of God’s children (John 17:17, Galatians 2:20).
Sin Separates
Putting to death sin in your life is critical to your spiritual growth. So we need to get about the business of killing sin, reckoning yourself to be dead to sin, and bringing yourself under the rule of Christ, not your rulership or that of your mortal body. Know this; any and all “sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8). When the believers continue in sin, they are “obeying the devil and are not of God” (1 John 3:6). When we consider our bodies dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, we produce fruit (Romans 7:4, 2 Corinthians 13:4). “By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:16).
Believers represent righteousness and truth as a result of our salvation. “No longer do you walk after the way of the world or love the world. We hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13). We live in the power of being dead to the influence of our flesh; dead to sin (2 Corinthians 13:4).
Believers are not Sinless
This does not mean that sin is dead in me or you are sinless. It doesn’t mean that, as a Christian, I have reached the place where I cannot sin, although many people take it to mean that.
Battle of Being Dead to Sin
To be dead to sin does not mean we are sinless. Paul made clear that he continued to struggle with temptation and sin: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it “ (Romans 7:19-20). Paul, a little later repented, agreeing with God of his sin, calling himself “wretched man; while asking God and thanking Him for deliverance” the Redeemer (Romans 7:24-25). We too must expect to continue the conflict with sin until we get to heaven. Sin is never okay and God is forever supreme.
Mindset of OverComers
Being dead to sin means we have a different mindset about sin and who we belong to and obey. We no longer need to be controlled by our sin nature. Romans 6:17 teaches that “though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” Before Christ, we are “slaves” to sin. Now we have a new Master and Owner. Sin continues to exist, but we no longer allow ourselves to be dominated by it.
As Christians, we have God’s Spirit within us to empower us. Believers are in a battle everyday. We will face temptation and must strive to stand against sin and win. We must fight to live “dead to sin” as we follow Christ, knowing that our Lord will one day remove the curse of sin altogether (Revelation 22:3). Do not be as some who say they believe and sin because of grace. Grace of God has given the believer the knowledge and power not to sin but victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57).