Rom 6:12-13 | KingComments | STEP | . So, you have died with Christ. Keep this in mind. This is the way God looks at you. Believe it. Whatever you see or experience of yourself, don’t let it trouble you. You have died in God’s eyes. One more thing you can believe – you can know for sure – is you will live with Christ. God is looking at you as completely one with Christ in the past, when He died. He also is looking at you as completely one with Christ in the future, when you shall be with Him. . You can be assured of this because Christ didn’t remain dead. He was raised from the dead. He has left death behind. Nevermore will death have any power over Him. He will not die again. “Death no longer is master over Him.” In death He has once and for all dealt with sin. Never again will it be necessary for Him to die. . Christ came to earth to solve the problem of sin. Every day of His earthly life He had to deal with sin and come into contact with it. He was surrounded by it. But He didn’t sin ( ), didn’t know sin ( ), nor was sin in Him ( ). On the cross, however, during the three hours of complete darkness, He was made sin and put away sin by His sacrifice. So His dying was with respect to sin. Nothing needs to be added to it. And now, as to His life, He lives with respect to God. . What the previous verses mean for you stands out in this verse. It tells how to find strength for a life with God. It starts with “even so” which means ‘in the same way’. Look at what Christ has done for sin and what He is doing in His life now. Has He died? Then I too have died. This needs to be made evident in the life of a Christian. Therefore, it is a responsibility in daily practice to keep yourself dead to sin. God looks at you as having died with Christ. Well, look at yourself in the same way! You’re not told to die, but that you have died. It has happened. Consider this and don’t live as if you haven’t died. With Christ’s life it is the same as with His death. Is Christ alive and does He live for God? Yes! Likewise, you too are alive in Christ Jesus for God. This is how God looks at you. . Sin no longer has any claim to your body. No longer is there any reason to obey the lusts of your mortal body because you have died. Therefore say ‘No’ to sin if satan tries to make use of you. . Do not permit the members of your body to be sin’s tools for working unrighteousness (evil things). Do not let your mouth curse or lie. Do not let your eyes look at uncleanness. Do not let your ears listen to any ungodly music. The members of your body are no longer at sin’s disposal. Your body is now an instrument of the life from God to be used for Him. You can use your hands to help others. You can use your mouth to speak kind and comforting words. You can use your eyes to admire the beautiful things in God’s creation and to read beautiful things about the Lord Jesus. Your ears can listen to what others want to say, maybe about their problems or maybe about their life with the Lord. Your members retain their proper function, but they have become tools to be used by God to work righteousness (good things). . Give yourself to God in these ways because you’re not under law, but under grace. There is an immeasurable difference between law and grace. The law proved you to be a sinner and trespasser. It showed you couldn’t live up to its demands. Grace, on the contrary, doesn’t demand but gives. God has done everything and even gives the strength to live for Him. He has put an end to your former life in sin by letting you die in Christ’s death. Because of this, sin no longer reigns over you. You have died; sin exercised its power over you through the law, but you now have nothing to do with the law. You’re standing under grace now. Grace means you expect nothing at all from yourself and surrender completely to God. Only under grace can you have the strength to live for God. Now read Romans 6:8-14 again. Reflection: How do you think you can put the members of your body into God’s service?

‏ Romans 6:12-13

Live for God!

Rom 6:8. So, you have died with Christ. Keep this in mind. This is the way God looks at you. Believe it. Whatever you see or experience of yourself, don’t let it trouble you. You have died in God’s eyes.

One more thing you can believe – you can know for sure – is you will live with Christ. God is looking at you as completely one with Christ in the past, when He died. He also is looking at you as completely one with Christ in the future, when you shall be with Him.

Rom 6:9. You can be assured of this because Christ didn’t remain dead. He was raised from the dead. He has left death behind. Nevermore will death have any power over Him. He will not die again. “Death no longer is master over Him.” In death He has once and for all dealt with sin. Never again will it be necessary for Him to die.

Rom 6:10. Christ came to earth to solve the problem of sin. Every day of His earthly life He had to deal with sin and come into contact with it. He was surrounded by it. But He didn’t sin (1Pet 2:22), didn’t know sin (2Cor 5:21), nor was sin in Him (1Jn 3:5). On the cross, however, during the three hours of complete darkness, He was made sin and put away sin by His sacrifice. So His dying was with respect to sin. Nothing needs to be added to it. And now, as to His life, He lives with respect to God.

Rom 6:11. What the previous verses mean for you stands out in this verse. It tells how to find strength for a life with God. It starts with “even so” which means ‘in the same way’. Look at what Christ has done for sin and what He is doing in His life now. Has He died? Then I too have died. This needs to be made evident in the life of a Christian. Therefore, it is a responsibility in daily practice to keep yourself dead to sin. God looks at you as having died with Christ. Well, look at yourself in the same way! You’re not told to die, but that you have died. It has happened. Consider this and don’t live as if you haven’t died.

With Christ’s life it is the same as with His death. Is Christ alive and does He live for God? Yes! Likewise, you too are alive in Christ Jesus for God. This is how God looks at you.

Rom 6:12. Sin no longer has any claim to your body. No longer is there any reason to obey the lusts of your mortal body because you have died. Therefore say ‘No’ to sin if satan tries to make use of you.

Rom 6:13. Do not permit the members of your body to be sin’s tools for working unrighteousness (evil things). Do not let your mouth curse or lie. Do not let your eyes look at uncleanness. Do not let your ears listen to any ungodly music.

The members of your body are no longer at sin’s disposal. Your body is now an instrument of the life from God to be used for Him. You can use your hands to help others. You can use your mouth to speak kind and comforting words. You can use your eyes to admire the beautiful things in God’s creation and to read beautiful things about the Lord Jesus. Your ears can listen to what others want to say, maybe about their problems or maybe about their life with the Lord. Your members retain their proper function, but they have become tools to be used by God to work righteousness (good things).

Rom 6:14. Give yourself to God in these ways because you’re not under law, but under grace. There is an immeasurable difference between law and grace. The law proved you to be a sinner and trespasser. It showed you couldn’t live up to its demands. Grace, on the contrary, doesn’t demand but gives. God has done everything and even gives the strength to live for Him.

He has put an end to your former life in sin by letting you die in Christ’s death. Because of this, sin no longer reigns over you. You have died; sin exercised its power over you through the law, but you now have nothing to do with the law. You’re standing under grace now. Grace means you expect nothing at all from yourself and surrender completely to God. Only under grace can you have the strength to live for God.

Now read Romans 6:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you think you can put the members of your body into God’s service?