· Col. 3:1-4: If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above … set your mind on things above … you life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears … Having been raised with Christ, in His resurrection, He is now our life!
·
1 Thess. 1:9-10: … you turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven,
whom He raised from the dead …
·
2 Tim. 2:8: Remember that Jesus Christ, of
the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. Paul said these words to Timothy, after Timothy
had been serving the Lord for many years.
Remember the risen Lord.
How do we avail ourselves of this life, the
life of Christ, the life of Christ who lives in us? There is a clear answer to that question. It is in Rom. 6, and is given to us in 4 verbs.
1. Know,
6:1-10. Some form of the word “know” is
found three times in the passage. Do
you not know (v3-4)? It is
expected we should already know this, that when we put our faith in Christ we
were baptized, immersed, with Him in His death, burial and resurrection. In Christ we are a new creation, born again
by the Spirit. Specifically, v6, knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. The death of Christ brings freedom from
sin. And in addition, v9, knowing
that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. Having dealt death the “death blow” we are no
longer subject to death. Rom. 5:21 makes
this very clear: as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This whole point is a matter of “renewing of
the mind.” It's doctrine. Truth.
This is exactly what happened when you believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Thus this verb is not in
command form; it is assumed you know this, that you are a new creation in
Christ.
2. Reckon,
6:11. Maybe your Bible says “consider.” It’s okay.
The point is that we must take the doctrinal knowledge and make it
personal. It must move from the mind to
the heart. “I” am a new person. “I” died to sin when I died with Christ; “I”
am alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My body looks the same as it did before I trusted in Christ. But don’t be deceived: I am not the same
person, thank you Lord! In Greek this
verb is “present, middle or passive, imperative.” What that means is, 1) this must be my
present, daily, moment-by-moment realization; 2) this is someone else’s doing,
not my own; and 3) this is a command, a must if I am to live free of sin and
walking in newness of life.
3. Yield,
6:12-14. Again, maybe your Bible says “present.” That’s fine.
It’s twice in v13: don’t “present” your body to sin to be it’s
instrument; rather, “present” your body to God, as being alive from the dead,
so your body is the instrument of righteousness. By the way, this is the same word as in Rom.
12:1: present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. This verb is aorist, active and imperative. In other words, 1) it is a definite action, a
choice made; 2) I am the active person; yes, the Holy Spirit will help me (Rom.
8), but it is my choice; and, 3) it is commanded. I am recognizing that sin is not my king (v14).
4. Obey,
6:15-23. This verb is in 6:16. The
critical issue is “yielding” or “presenting” ourselves to God. Why is that the issue? Because whoever you present yourself to is
the one you will obey. Therefore, this
verb is present, active indicative. It’s
what you (the active one) are doing now (present) as the normal activity of
your life (indicative). You are not
going out each day and trying your best to obey; that’s the old way of the
law. Instead, you are consciously
presenting your body to God, and so your normal life is obedience.
Heb. 13:20-21: Now may the God of peace who
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead … make you complete in every good work
to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus
Christ …
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