Reckon Yourself Dead unto Sin AND Alive unto God through Jesus Christ
Mal 2:13
Heshimu Colar

Romans chapter 6 is critical to our understanding of sanctification. First, everyone who truly believes themselves to be justified before God by the death of Christ is ALIVE. Secondly, we are to reckon ourselves as living unto God. Our gospel must never stop with the death of Christ. Men and women who claim to believe the gospel, and yet live powerless lives, most usually have only believed half the gospel– Much emphasis is placed on justification from sin, but little attention is given to our resurrection into newness of life by Him. Yet, the Holy Spirit didn't only reveal that we died with Christ, but He also quickened us into life by that saving knowledge. Now, my brethren, since we are alive unto God, we are to reckon ourselves as living unto Him. We are to yield ourselves as His instruments of righteousness. "… How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein (Rom 6:2)?"

The whole purpose of the embodiment of God in Christ was to fulfill the Law that condemned us (Is 42:21/ Gal 4:4-5). Christ says, (Matt 5:17) "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." The problem is not with God's Law; it is good, holy, just, and it does not need to be destroyed. The problem is our human nature; it is a sinful beast and had to be destroyed in the death of Christ. Our Lord Jesus fulfilled the Law for us, so that there could be no accusations against us in the court of justice. In Him we were judicially punished for our every transgression, the body of sin was destroyed, and the vengeance of the Law against sin was fulfilled."Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that having died is justified from sin (Rom 6:6-7)."

Being justified from bearing the curse of our sin, the Risen Christ has entered the reward of His death. Likewise, all believers, being justified by faith, have presently inherited the firstfruits of His life. "For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but living unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:10-11)." We know what it means to live unto God as we learn what it means that Christ is living unto God.

1. God the Father has given the Lord Jesus Christ everything. He has put all things under His feet. Christ asked for eternal life for Himself and His elect, and the Father has given it to Him as the reward of His obedience (Ps 21:2-4). (Phil 2:9) "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:" LIKEWISE, we are under grace, treated as justified men, and therefore given everything by God. "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (II Pet 1:3-4)."

   Everything our Lord does for us and to us in providence, although it may be painful, is according to His grace. Paul besought Christ to remove his thorn in the flesh, but the thorn was given to check Paul's natural pride… not because our Lord is angry with us or wants us to earn His favor… instead, it is to manifest the sufficiency and glory of His grace. The Lord Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for thee…"

2. Christ has dominion over His foes. "Thine hand shall find out all of thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee (Ps 21:8)." Everyone shall bow to Christ Jesus. It doesn't matter how much a man kicks or rebels against Him. "For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform (Ps 21:11)." It doesn't matter that you don't want to accept Christ Jesus. God the Father has fully accepted His Son's great sacrifice, and He has given Him everlasting dominion. No enemy has any power to thwart or even hinder the advance of Christ's kingdom. Satan, though a furious foe to us, is nothing to our Master. He will use this enemy to fulfill His purpose, and then He'll cast him into hell with all the vessels of wrath. (Read Ps 2). Likewise, I take great comfort in the ultimate advance of the Kingdom of Christ in my own life. Let us have great confidence in "spiritual comebacks". Although the saint may be presently troubled, the blood of our God justifies us. You are alive unto Him, and sin does not have dominion over you because you are under His grace (Rom 6:14). The temptations that afflict your soul shall scatter when He arises. He shall give us repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

3. Christ is ALL in salvation. "His glory is great in thy salvation… (Ps 21:5)." He's the centerpiece of all worship, the object of all faith, the worthiness for all prayer, the reason for every hope, and the cause of every aspect of grace. (II John 1:9) "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." He is the subject of every sermon, the thrust of every message, and the all in all things. Likewise, Christ is everything to us. Let others pant and moan after their own righteousness; we desire to see His. Let others use 'grace' to walk in rebellion; we love Him, and delight to do His will.

This knowledge of our union with Christ in His death and resurrection must be spiritually given. We cannot move forward or enjoy one drop of sanctification until God justifies us by faith in His Son. Only when the Cross is spiritually revealed to a sinner, are you alive unto God, and therefore able to reckon yourself as living. This "knowing" and "reckoning" is all of "believing". To the same degree that we believe we died with Christ, we are to equally reckon ourselves presently alive unto God by Him. Just as we believe in our future resurrection because we were united with Christ in His great sacrifice, even so we believe in our present spiritual resurrection through the faith of God's elect. "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him (Rom 6:8)."

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof (Rom 6:12)." Sin remains in your members, but it no longer has reigning power. Sinful thoughts enter to corrupt your peace, but you are alive and you have power from God to withstand the lusts of your flesh. We don't have to bear under temptation alone, being justified already and fully accepted in the Beloved, we always have refuge in the power of His grace. 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 (Rom 6:13)." This yielding is God's command that we act in accordance with our new nature and not the old. He says "yield" because the Lord Jesus comes into His garden by the movement of the Spirit and produces spiritual fruit within His people. He says "yield" to teach us not to resist His Spirit, but to recognize that our new nature and happiness is united with serving Him. This 'yielding' is not optionally reserved for a few elite Christians of past generations; this yielding is the increased course of life for all who believe. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal 3:27)."

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