God’s not only given us immunity to sin’s power through Christ’s death, he’s also given us immunity to sin’s influence through Christ’s life, so that it’s possible for us to overcome sin. This is the journey God put us on when he summoned us to Christ’s throne. It’s the greatest journey [...]
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When Paul writes, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires (Romans 6:12),” he can say that to Christians because he knows it’s possible for us. And how does he know it’s possible? Because not only are we united with Christ in his death, we’re [...]
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When God the Father calls us, it’s like a summons to stand before Jesus Christ, supreme power of all powers, king of the universe and beyond, before whom all knees bow. It’s not to make us shake or quiver though, or freeze us in fright at all the things we’ve done wrong, it’s [...]
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“So how do I know I’m a Christian?” someone asked me, and not surprisingly, because he was in a pickle. For years he’d been falling prey to a powerful, predatorial sin which had been draining his finances like a blood-sucking bat and leaving him shattered at his own weakness. “What’s the [...]
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Now that we’ve been saved from past sins by Christ’s death, is it up to us now to obey God? It seems like it is in Romans 6:12, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” That sounds like it’s up to us now [...]
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So how can we be “dead to sin,” Romans 6:11, and “freed from sin,” verse 7, but then be told in verse 12 to “not let sin reign” in us or “obey its evil desires?” If sin no longer has mastery over us, why the worry about falling victim to it again? But if we [...]
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After God’s got us into eternity through Christ’s death, he can now grow us up because he’s got us exactly where he wants us, right there beside him! That’s where we are now as Christians, Ephesians 2:6 - “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.” [...]
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Jesus has us on a journey, just like Aslan had the children on a journey in Narnia, because it’s the journey that grew them up. It wasn’t their efforts or their determination or “doing their part” that made them grow, it was simply what happened to them on the journey. As [...]
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Living in Christ’s world, under grace, is no bed of roses. It’s wonderful that we’re in it, because once we’re in it Jesus isn’t going to lose us, but just like the children in Narnia we face an ugly world still and we’ve still got a nature that thinks some pretty awful thoughts. [...]
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As we enter eternity, or experience the beginnings of our eternal life now, there are two things Paul says we can count on, Romans 6:11. First, we can “count ourselves dead to sin,” and secondly that we’re “alive to God,” both of which were accomplished for us by Jesus – the first one [...]
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