DEAD IN CHRIST

2Corinthians5

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

Through Christ's death, all those who believe on Jesus die also. This is how The Living Bible (TLB) states this verse;

“Since we believe that Christ died for all of us, we should also believe that we have died to the old life we used to live.”

The death of Jesus on the Cross was an all-inclusive death. Within that death all died.

Here is the interesting thing. We all believe that Jesus died on the Cross. But we don’t believe that we also died. This verse is saying that if you believe that Jesus died then you should also believe that you also died in Him.

Our old man died on the Cross. It is a fact. We have got to believe it and start seeing ourselves that way. That’s the only way we shall start living the new life that we have in Jesus.

Colossians 3 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

This verse states plainly that we are dead. When did we die? On the Cross with Jesus. We were in Him when He died. Hs death was our death.

What does this mean?

We all can see that we still exist. What can it possibly mean that we are dead? As far as we are concerned we are alive and well.

The reason this is confusing for us is because of our definition of death. We think death is ceasing to exist. Which is a wrong concept to have of death. No one ever ceases to exist. Even when people die, they don’t really cease to exist.

Biblically, death means separation. When Adam and Eve sinned they didn't cease to exist. And yet God had said that in the day they ate of the fruit they would die. What happened is from that moment, at a spiritual and soul level, they were separated from the life of God.

From then onwards death became the force, the influence that worked in them instead of life. They became dead on the inside and it became just a matter of time for them to die physically. Death was now working in them.

When a person dies, they don’t cease to exist. What happens is their inner man (the spirit and soul) is separated from their body. The body is like a tent or a house or a coat. Death is when the inner person steps out of their physical body and physical world and enters into the spiritual world.

In the same way, when we become Christians we are separated from a certain world, from a certain nature, from certain things, from certain influences and so forth. We stop existing in the kingdom of darkness and that realm loses its power over us. Just like dead people, we become unresponsive to it.

What have we become dead to?

Dead to the sin nature

Romans 6

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

This is the inevitable question or accusation that is levelled against anyone that preaches the true grace of God. Many people believe that to preach grace is to encourage people to sin and live a reckless life.

In fact Jesus was accused of this twice and Paul had to answer this question 3 times in the book of Romans alone. And yet both of them spoke by the revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

It is safe to say that if you preach the true grace of God you will be accused of encouraging people to live a sinful life. If no one has ever accused you of encouraging people to sin then you have never preached the true grace of God that Paul preached. If you have never asked that question in your heart when listening to a preacher then you have never heard the true grace of God.

The sad thing is that in our efforts to prevent people from misunderstanding us, we have watered down the true grace of God. We think we are balancing it but instead we are corrupting it. The next verse shows us the answer to this question;

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

The reason we don’t live in sin when we believe in God’s grace is because we are dead to sin.

Does this mean that we don’t sin?

No. of course we sin. All of us sin. If we say that we don’t sin we are liars and the truth is not in us. 1John1:8

The Greek word (hamartia) translated here as sin is a noun not a verb. It is speaking of a nature. This is what many call the sin nature. It is not talking about the action of sinning (which is a verb) but the nature of a sinner.

The part of you that was a sinner by nature is dead. That is what the bible calls the old man. That part was crucified with Jesus on the Cross, buried and remained in the grave. Gone forever. Sin is no longer your nature. You now have a new nature. What 2Cor5:17 calls ‘a new creature’

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Baptism into Christ and water baptism are two different things. Baptism into Christ happens when you become a Christian. The Holy Spirit takes you and immerses you into Jesus. He buries you in Jesus.

This is saying that when the Holy Spirit baptized you into Christ, He immersed you into Jesus’ death. You died together with Christ. The Holy Spirit took you and put you in Jesus on the Cross. Then when Jesus died you also died. The part of you that died was that old nature. The sin nature.

This happens to everyone who believes in Jesus. The moment a person places their faith in Jesus and become saved, the Holy Spirit instantaneously baptizes them in Christ and into whatever happened at the Cross. They immediately become dead to the old sin nature and become a new creation.

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Verse 6 begins by saying ‘knowing this’

This is something that we should know. Something that we should be aware of. Something that we should acknowledge. It’s not passive. It doesn’t work for us automatically. We have to know it. To believe it. It is not the truth that makes you free, it is the truth that you know that makes you free. John8:32.

Truth is useless to you if you don’t know it. The truth will not set you free if you don’t know it. You must know it and believe it and experience it in your heart and in your imagination for it to set you free.

In this case what is it that he is telling us to know?

That our old sin nature has been crucified with Jesus on the Cross. That our old man is dead. That we no longer have a sin nature. That we no longer serve sin. That we are free from the sin nature and are a new creation in Jesus.

The sad thing is that many preachers today have voided these truths in the lives of Christians by preaching that we still have an old sin nature and that we have to constantly suppress it, crucify our flesh, punish this nature, suffer for our sins etc.

All of this contradicts with these scriptures. The scriptures have told us that our old sin nature. That we are dead to sin. That we are a new creation. We have to make the choice to believe the scripture instead of people. We have to make the choice to let God be true and every man a liar. And that man includes you, a pastor, a teacher etc. scripture should have the final say on what is truth and what isn’t.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

This is as plain as it can get. If you are dead, you are free from sin. The above verses just said you are dead in Christ. So what does this mean? It means that you are free from sin. The Cross has freed you from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now we are given a new instruction similar to the previous one. We are told to ‘reckon’ ourselves dead indeed unto sin…

The first time He told us to know it. To acknowledge it. To experience it. Now He tells us to reckon it. To reckon means to count it as so. We are already dead to sin. We died to sin on the Cross with Jesus. We were crucified together with Him. Now we are being told to count it as so. To regard ourselves as dead to sin because we are.

He even uses the word ‘indeed’ to emphasize that we are indeed dead to sin. It is true. It is real. It is fact.

Our old sin nature no longer exists. It can no longer control us. We are a new creation in Jesus.

Therefore it is not true that we have to die to sin, we are already dead to sin. How can a dead person die again? I am already dead to sin. My sin nature is already dead. I am now a new creature. I have a new nature. And my new nature is righteous and truly holy. This is what Ephesians4:24 says;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Now my job is to renew my mind, to know who I am now (dead to sin and alive unto God), and to reckon (count) it as so. This is what transforms us.