Greetings beloved of God,
Today, let’s take some time to look at the power we’ve been given to fight against sin in our lives:
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.
— Romans 6:12
We see the apostle Paul starting this section of the letter with the word “therefore,” meaning that this is a continuation of a thought he was communicating from the previous section. In the previous section, Paul lays out a deep truth that impacts the believer’s life. This truth has to do with the fact that Christ died for our sins and paid for the wages demanded for our sins.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
— Romans 6:10-11
This truth implies that we are alive to God and dead to sin. Paul says our perspective regarding our bodies should be that we consider ourselves dead to sin.
After these words, the apostle Paul then brings up the phrase “therefore.” What follows after this is a prescriptive text. A prescriptive text basically means this is the part of the text that involves our doing. It means that we bear responsibility for this part of the command. On the other end of this is the descriptive text that we see in that previous verse. We had no responsibility, authority, or ability to bring about the death of Christ on the cross. That was Christ’s doing. But it is from this reality that our responsibility is drawn. Let’s explore the responsibility that Paul delivers to the Romans.
Paul begins laying this out by saying: “do not let sin reign.” Here, we see that the parties involved in this command are the listeners. He’s telling the Romans that they bear a responsibility to not let sin reign.
It’s important to understand that the confidence that Paul has to instruct his readers in this way comes directly from Christ’s work on the cross.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
— Romans 6:14
A few verses later, he would tell them that sin no longer has rule over them. This is the kind of truth that needs to be understood before one can take the step to not let sin reign.
This is very consistent with what James says regarding whom the responsibility of sin falls on:
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death.
— James 1:13-15
James clearly says that those who fall into sin only have themselves to blame because if Christ dwells within us and we are being led by the Spirit, then we have conquered sin. Sin is no longer master over us, nor are we enslaved by sin. Therefore, when we sin, it falls on us. In other words, He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world and therefore has enabled us to conquer sin. We have the power, by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, to stand against sin. Whenever we find ourselves having fallen into sin, it is only because we have failed to submit ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
— Galatians 5:16
This is why Paul tells the Romans, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.” Despite having the ability to conquer sin, the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life can pull us into obeying the lust of sin.
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
— John 8:34
It is very important for us as believers to constantly be reminded that we have been set free from the law of sin and death, and that the Holy Spirit is currently dwelling in us to prevent us from falling into the lusts of the flesh. Let us remember that we are no longer slaves to sin but rather slaves to righteousness.
As Christians, sometimes we find ourselves submitting to the desires of the flesh and then making excuses for why we have fallen into sin. But what the Bible teaches us is that we are responsible for ourselves in falling into sin because we are already set free.
In the next verse, Paul clearly states that whenever we sin, we are presenting our members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. This presentation also falls within our sphere of influence.
And do not go on presenting your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
— Romans 6:13
On many occasions, we find ourselves forgetting that we have been set free. In doing so, it is easy for us to submit to our old routines from when we were slaves to sin. This is why we need our minds renewed, to always be reminded that we have liberty from sin in Christ.
Let us remember these truths:
- We have been set free from sin.
- Sin is no longer master over us.
- We bear a responsibility to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies.
I pray this word encourages us to resist the desires of the flesh by the enablement of the Holy Spirit.
Bless your hearts,
Paul
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