got life? part 1
If you're a Christian, you may have a sin habit, but you don't have a sin nature. Jesus already took care of it.
Through our union with [Christ] we have experienced circumcision of heart. All of the guilt and power of sin has been cut away and is now extinct. And it wasn’t because of something good that we have done, but because of what Christ, the Anointed One, has accomplished for us. … Could it be any clearer that our former identity is now and forever deprived of its power? For we were co-crucified with him to dismantle the stronghold of sin within us, so that we would not continue to live one moment longer submitted to sin’s power. Colossians 2:11, Romans 6:6, The Passion Translation (Simmons)
All over the world, Christians are facing an identity crisis. They think they’re orphans and beggars, desperately locked in a life-or-death struggle to beat back their own sinful natures. But that’s not true! “Being saved” means far more than agreeing, in an intellectual way, with the idea that Jesus was God. It means that we experience a spiritual explosion of life when the actual Person of God connects us to Himself. In that instant, Scripture says our old, sin-loving nature literally died and our compulsion to sin was cut away. We don’t do that for ourselves, over years of struggle. God says He does it for us, miraculously, at the very moment in time when we meet Him.
For some believers that doesn’t “feel” true. Sin can be an old habit, like getting drunk, or an old way of thinking, like bitterness. It can be a way to push back unresolved guilt or pain. But it always means we’re living in an inferior reality. We’re looking for comfort, help and happiness from a source that only provides a cheap, temporary imitation of real joy, one that ultimately brings pain and suffering.
That’s why Jesus put skin on and came to earth. He personally conquered the power of sin and death, led his enemies away in chains and established a new kingdom with new rules. Once we’re saved, we immediately become part of that new kingdom with the full rights of citizens. Our old lives were ruled by the “law of sin and death,” but now we are governed by the “law of the spirit of life.” We are in Christ, and His Spirit keeps pouring life into us!
If you’re not experiencing this yet, take heart. God isn’t angry with you. He loves you! You don’t have to keep living that old way. You don’t have to hide your struggles either, pretending to be whole when you’re not. Your brothers and sisters in the Lord will help you—or your pastor, or a Christian counselor or trained prayer minister. Start with knowing who you are in Christ, and what Jesus has already done in you and for you. That old identity isn’t “you” anymore! The Lord will continue to move in your life until you are experiencing all the love, joy and freedom that He purchased for you. He wants you to live as who you truly are: his very own son or daughter, freed, forgiven and beloved.
(Colossians 2:9-15, Romans 6, Romans 8:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the more I learn about everything You did for me, the more I am astounded. Teach me how to be so connected to your explosive, joyful LIFE that sin is nothing more than a cheap, stinking imitation. Thank You, Lord!
