“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” – Romans 6:6
It’s unpopular to say, but you were born a sinner. We all were. We’ve all repeatedly rebelled against God’s absolute authority and good design, standard, expectations, and rules for our lives. We simply can’t help ourselves! Left to our own devices, we will sin and sin corrupts every aspect of our being – body, mind, emotions, actions, attitudes, intentions, etc. That doesn’t mean we sin constantly but rather that we can’t help but sin by nature.
All that changes the moment we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord! Not only are our sins forgiven by God’s grace, we’re set free from sin’s iron grip on our souls! When we’re made clean in Christ, united with Christ, and sealed by God’s Holy Spirit through Christ, we become a new creation. We’re raised to new spiritual life and that new life has the power to resist and reject sin. We’re no longer slaves to sin, fighting a battle we can’t win. We have Christ in us to defeat sin’s temptations.
That means that if you’re a follower of Jesus, it’s no longer acceptable to excuse sin by saying, “that’s just how I am” or “that’s my nature”. Your old nature might have been sinful but your new nature in Christ is holy! Be holy! If you’re a Christian, you must not embrace the sin that continues to tempt you. Whether it’s a lustful heart, a hateful or filthy mouth, a vicious temper, or a favorite addiction, it isn’t OK for a Christian to refuse to fight that sin in the power of Christ. It doesn’t matter how you were “made”. It doesn’t matter what your “nature” is. You’re now a supernatural being, born again in Jesus Christ!
Don’t settle for what’s natural. Fight to live supernaturally! You will almost certainly stumble and fall into sin from time to time, but you have the freedom and power to resist. Fight for your holiness. Repent and be forgiven when you fail. Don’t accept slavery to sin any longer – you are free! #FollowJesus