For we know
that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who
has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:6-7
When
we accept Jesus as our savior, we are saying that we acknowledge that Jesus
paid for all our sins and that all our sins have been forgiven. No more outstanding debt on our sin
record. Washed clean.
However,
that doesn’t make us a perfect person who thinks perfect thoughts and performs
perfect actions. That’s a process of
sanctification, making ourselves pure and holy, one choice at a time. Paul continues that thought in Romans 6.
In the same
way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not
offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather
offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and
offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin
shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under
grace. Romans 6:11-14
If
we are dead to sin, meaning no longer living for sin, but instead alive in
Christ and living for Jesus, THEREFORE we must choose not to let sin reign in
our mortal bodies and obey its evil desires.
Paul said we must choose not to OFFER ourselves to sin, but to God. To “offer” is a conscious decision to do
something. Our choices determine who is
our master and we can’t offer ourselves to sin any longer.
I am using
an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you
used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing
wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to
holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the
control of righteousness. Romans 6:19-20
Slavery to
sin is a conscious choice and we no longer have to choose sin because we are
new creations in Christ, raised from the deadly consequences of sin, now in a
right relationship with God and now under the control of righteousness. You now have a choice being a follower of
Christ to choose righteousness, not sin.