Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

Dear Children of God,

If you’re like me, certain things just don’t move, motivate, or energize you. Others appreciate them, but for whatever reason, they do nothing for me. In a word, “I’m dead” to certain things. For example, a good friend says he appreciates the talent and endurance displayed in soccer … but he acknowledges, “I’m dead to soccer.” The “Beautiful Game” doesn’t move him. Conversely, baseball moves me. In a manner, I live for it. However, many don’t share my joy … “They’re dead to baseball.” Some things move, motivate, and energize us – making us alive. And some things don’t – we’re dead to them.

This analogy, given to me by old friend and mentor Pastor Monte Frohm, helps me understand what Paul is trying to say to us who are part of the Body of Christ. Paul writes, “So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11) While sin still surrounds us, we’re fallen creatures, still prone to committing sin. However, sin shouldn’t be something we find ourselves purposely engaged in and hoping to be moved, motivated, or energized by it – even if we know God forgives us. How is that possible?

Paul reminds us of the gift of our baptisms in which God our Father, through His Word, joins us to His Son, Jesus Christ … and joins Him to us. Paul says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore 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.” (Romans 6:3-4) Joined to Christ, sin no longer moves, motivates, or energizes us … we’re dead to it. Instead, we’re now alive to Christ.

In baptism, God adopts us as His children. He joins us with His Son in a new family. Jesus lived a perfect life, perfectly obedient to His Father’s will. Then He took upon Himself every sin ever committed by every man, woman, and child who ever lived and ever will live. Sinless Himself, He took all these sins to the cross with Him. Weighed down with these sins, He died … sacrificing Himself as the penalty for mankind’s entire body of sin. In giving His own life for our sins, Jesus sets all who believe in Him, joined to Him in baptism, free from the effects of sin (Romans 6:7) … which is death (Romans 6:23). But we’re not only joined to Jesus in His death … we’re also joined to Him in His resurrection to new life (Romans 6:5). Therefore, just as Christ will never die again, so too will we, who believe in Him, live forever in His new creation.

Freed from sin and assured of eternal life, we can confidently live our lives as Jesus’ hands and feet in the world He’s placed us in. Let us rejoice in our new lives in Christ … moved, motivated, and energized by Him … so that others, living in sin’s darkness, might also be joined to Christ and to each of us … dead to sin and alive in Christ.

                                                                                        Your brother in Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim