Sinners Into Saints
by Andy Muxlow
So, let me ask you a question. Are you a sinner or a saint?
As Christians, we often battle with the frustration that comes from sin’s remaining presence in our lives. Sometimes we get so entrenched into fighting this battle against sin that we begin to rely more upon our own self will than on the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t get me wrong, obedience to our Lord takes work and self-sacrifice, but we know from Philippians 2:13 that ultimately God is the one who wills and works in us.
In Romans 6, Paul answers the believer’s skewed view of sin with the powerful truth of what took place at the moment of salvation. Rather than focus on the “how to” of ridding sin in our life, he takes us to a core question. Who are we in Christ? “We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus because God saved us from sin’s dominion. We are God’s people, set free from sin and set apart for God’s righteousness and His glory.
The same miracle that saved us is the same miracle that causes growth in sanctification. Let us live by the power of the gospel with a clear understanding of our identity in Christ. We were sinners that are saved by the grace of God. Our sinful position has been eradicated and replaced with the imputed righteousness of Christ. We do not have two natures. One was buried and is dead, and one has been made alive in the likeness of His resurrection. We continue to battle against our flesh but sin is no longer what defines us.
God has forgiven us and has cleaned us from the inside out. May we shed our old dirty clothes, and put on Christ, longing for the day when we are wholly sanctified in the eternal presence of our master.
So, let me ask you a question. Are you a sinner or a saint?
As Christians, we often battle with the frustration that comes from sin’s remaining presence in our lives. Sometimes we get so entrenched into fighting this battle against sin that we begin to rely more upon our own self will than on the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t get me wrong, obedience to our Lord takes work and self-sacrifice, but we know from Philippians 2:13 that ultimately God is the one who wills and works in us.
In Romans 6, Paul answers the believer’s skewed view of sin with the powerful truth of what took place at the moment of salvation. Rather than focus on the “how to” of ridding sin in our life, he takes us to a core question. Who are we in Christ? “We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus because God saved us from sin’s dominion. We are God’s people, set free from sin and set apart for God’s righteousness and His glory.
The same miracle that saved us is the same miracle that causes growth in sanctification. Let us live by the power of the gospel with a clear understanding of our identity in Christ. We were sinners that are saved by the grace of God. Our sinful position has been eradicated and replaced with the imputed righteousness of Christ. We do not have two natures. One was buried and is dead, and one has been made alive in the likeness of His resurrection. We continue to battle against our flesh but sin is no longer what defines us.
God has forgiven us and has cleaned us from the inside out. May we shed our old dirty clothes, and put on Christ, longing for the day when we are wholly sanctified in the eternal presence of our master.
posted by F&P at 10:08 AM
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