Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
--Parallel verses:
Galatians 4:9
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Sadly, we see in this life that addicts, sometimes, once freed from the chains of addiction, will turn back to the evil that chained them up in the first place. And we are left pondering: “But they could have had so much more in life!” Paul is implying here, in Romans and Galatians, that before Jesus, we were all “sin addicts”. We could not be freed from sin on our own, but needed help. Now (post salvation), instead of an addict to sin, we are to consider ourselves dead to it. (And if you have not yet committed your life fully to Jesus, today is a good day to do so.) And if we are dead to something, we must leave no room in our hearts for it anymore. Instead, we must fill the void (left by sin) to overflowing with Jesus Christ. He is now our life. He sustains us. He enables us. He drives us on to victory!
Those past sin addicts who jump back into a lifestyle of sin, it’s like they are trying to put Jesus in a situation where he needs to die for their sins all over again. It is a crazy concept, when something is already conquered (sin), to go and die for it again. And so Paul calls out this hypocrisy in the church here. We are not to “mix in” the worldly practices of evil. We cannot be for evil in this world and simultaneously for Jesus. It is impossible. It is almost as if some people want to pick apart the whole of who Jesus is, taking with them the pieces of his character and life they find easier to follow in their own strength, and leaving the rest behind. It is tempting, isn’t it? But it is folly in the end. Why? Because we then place ourselves in Jesus’ place — we become our own Savior. NO! This will not do! We must, after sinning, completely repent and run back to our Savior early and often. We cannot let sin build up in our hearts. Jesus will not die again for a sin lifestyle already conquered by his death once and for all. And for those who stay the course … we are being risen with Jesus each day and will rise again with Jesus forevermore in eternity!
Lord, thank you for the finality of your victory over sin. As a past sin addict, I was hopelessly lost. You rescued me. I am completely yours and I will work hard to follow you and keep turning to you when I fall. You love me deeply, in spite of my scars and painful past. Thank you for a love that is real and that transforms me.
