Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:11
Likewise reckon ye... As Christ died for sin once for all and dies no more, so we should die to sin once and live unto God forever (Rom. 6:9-10). This implies the importance of his readers’ knowing what he just explained. Without that foundation, what he is about to teach will not make sense. Scripture always identifies knowledge as the foundation for one’s practice.
reckon... Greek: logizomai, to count, reckon, impute (Rom. 2:26; 4:3-24; 6:11; 8:18). While it simply means to count or number something, it was often used metaphorically to refer to having an absolute, unreserved confidence in what one’s mind knows to be true. The kind of heartfelt confidence that affects his actions and decisions.
Paul is not referring to mind games in which we trick ourselves into thinking a certain way. Rather he is urging us to embrace by faith what God has revealed to be true.
2Cor. 4:11 “For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
“Through Christ or in Christ” is Paul’s favorite expression of our union with Christ. This is its first occurrence in Romans.
Furthermore, God is its Source and also its Goal. What is true of Jesus Christ in reality and experience, believers who are identified with Him by faith are commanded to reckon true for themselves. They are to count themselves dead to (in reference to) sin but alive to God. Since they are dead to its power (Rom. 6:2), they ought to recognize that fact and not continue in sin. Instead they are to realize they have new life in Christ; they share His resurrection life (cf. Eph. 2:5-6; Col. 2:12-13).
0 comments:
Post a Comment