Practical Victory over Sin

There are three key words pointing us to victory over sin in Romans 6. These words are "know," "reckon," and "yield." The word "know" or "knowing" is found in Romans 6:3,6,9. Because we "know" we are united with Jesus Christ through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection, we can "reckon" ourselves to be dead unto sin and alive unto God. Now in Romans 6:12-14 we are taught how to "yield" ourselves daily unto God. Our union with Jesus Christ makes us dead to sin, but sin is not dead to us.

First, we must resist the demands of lust and sin within our bodies in Romans 6:12: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." As we are told in James 1:14,15: "14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Peter pleads with us in 1 Peter 2:11: "11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." "2That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." (1 Pet. 4:2).

 Second, we are not only to resist the demands of sin, but also reverse the decisions to sin. We are to make a choice where we yield our members in Romans 6:13: "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Colossians 3:5, 6 illustrate this truth: "5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:" The first half verse 13 reminds us not to yield to sin in our daily lives.

The second half of verse 13 teaches us to yield ourselves unto God as instruments of righteousness. "....But yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." "15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid." (1 Cor. 6:15). "1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:1,2).

Third, we are not only to resist the demands of sin and reverse the decisions to sin, but we are also to reject the dominion of sin in Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. "21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 5:21). "2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Rom. 8:2). Victory is in Jesus! Pastor "B"