“So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”
Romans 6:11 (NLT)
When our sinful nature has died with Christ and we’ve been set free from sin, we can have confidence that we’re going to live with Christ, both on earth and eternally in heaven. Death has no dominion, no authority, and no power over Christ. The death Jesus died was to kill sin’s power once for all, but the life He lives, He lives unto God.
In the same way, we should count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. Romans 6:12–13 says we should not let sin reign in our bodies. Our bodies can be instruments of wickedness, or presented to God through this resurrection life as instruments of righteousness. That’s because we’re saved for something, not to sit still or stay the same, but to do something.
Romans 7:6 says we’ve been released from the law so that we can serve God in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code. Romans 8 tells us that when sin is our rudder, we cannot please God. But when the Holy Spirit is our rudder, we will have life and peace. If we live according to the sinful nature, we’re going to die. But if by the Spirit we put to death wickedness, we’re going to live. This being led by the Spirit reveals that we are children of God.
Galatians 6:7–10 makes that clear. When we sow to make our sinful nature happy, we’re going to reap destruction now and later. But when we sow to please the Spirit, the Spirit will reap eternal life for us in heaven. Galatians 5 shows the Spirit’s fruit in a life that is submitted to God. So let’s not get weary in doing good. Let’s live according to the Spirit and do the things the Spirit desires. Our decision to live as instruments of wickedness or as instruments of righteousness will affect the harvest we produce.