“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” – Romans 6:12
Scripture reading: Romans 6:11-14
Romans 6:12 comes immediately after Romans 6:11. The call to holiness is not just a matter of seeing ourselves through the work of Christ. It is also a matter of putting into practice the reality of Christ’s work in our daily living. After Paul gives his first commandment in the book of Romans in 6:11, another follows immediately upon its heels! Consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God…and therefore don’t let sin reign in you!
This is what we might call the ‘bare-knuckled’ part of sanctification. There is a war going on in every Christian. “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Gal. 5:17). Growing in grace means not only recognizing and believing the transformative power of Christ in us by the Spirit. It also means living by that transforming power – fighting sin, and not obeying the sinful desires that may at times come to our minds! It is a battle, at times, against our own wills. We are to refuse to follow the temptations that would have us act as if we had not been redeemed. This is no easy task, as Paul will show in Rom. 7:18-19, but sanctification cannot be experienced without it. Sanctification involves a mindset shaped by faith in the work of Christ, but it also involves action shaped by faith in the work of Christ.
Where must you fight the reign of sin today?
Suggestions for prayer
Pray for God’s help in putting to death particular sins in your life.
Pastor Greg Bylsma is the pastor of the Living Water Reformed Church of Brantford, Ontario (a member church of the URCNA). He is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 2005. After over 20 years in the ministry, he still loves his job and considers it an incredible honour to be able to teach others about the beauty of Jesus Christ. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.