In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Rom 6:11-12

Sin has a way of pulling us in and enticing us. We may be lured to do something that feels good or gives us the immediate gratification that we crave. All sin is disobedience to God. It is telling God that what He has given us is not enough; that we do not trust Him; that we have a better way. It has a way of “reigning in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires”. If we do not master sin in our lives, sin will master us.

So how do we master sin? What does God want our attitude and response to be toward sin? The only solution is that we must die. Paul says to “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus”. If we are dead to something, it has no control over us. A dead man isn’t affected by anything; he doesn’t care how he looks or what the weather will be like tomorrow – he is dead.

What does it mean for you and me to “die to sin”? I sin when I give in to a temptation – there is a moment when I make a choice to obey God or to yield to that temptation and disobey God. It is not a sin to be tempted; temptation becomes sin when we choose to give in to it (even Jesus faced temptation, but He never sinned). By dying to sin, but being alive to God in Christ Jesus, I am giving my life over to Jesus and allowing Him to control my life instead of sin. I will want to obey Jesus instead of those evil desires. I will make a conscious choice not to give in to that temptation.

Something will always control us. Something will always demand our loyalty. Will you choose God, or sin, to rule your life? Will you die to sin, and live for Christ?