For To Die is Gain! and to Live is Christ.
Romans 6:7 (KJV).
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Today I want to enlighten my readers on the deeper reality of the Baptism unto death; releasing life into our spirit man. As you continue to peruse through this contents, may your life be spontaneously transformed, enlightened and repositioned for the Lord’s use! Amen.
LIVING DEAD
To fully understand what this unprecedented topic is all about, we have to define some terminologies:-
LIVING
To remain or stay alive. Living is the continuous process expressing, life abundance. To be “living” is to be actively involved in the sphere or horizon of life.
We are made alive in Christ by the virtue of his finished work on the cross and in the grave. To be living, therefore is to have the completeness of “God’s Nature” (Zoe) inputed and functional in us, given a complete (whole) freedom from the “Pang of Death”.
The Bible tells us in John 1:4(KJV)
In him was life and the life was the light of men.
In Christ, there is the abundance, fullness completeness of life. The bible tells us expressly that life is inputed into us when we behold his love, embrace and accept His love (Son) into our lives. John 3:16 (KJV).
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God is the sustainer of life, according to Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The “Breath of life” does not distinguish us from animals, it distinguishes us from the “Dead”. Life is contingent on the continuous and sustainable breath of God. When God ceases to breathe life, life is no more.
DEAD
This can be used interchangeably as an adverb or an adjective. Literally it means to no longer live; the complete or absolutes termination or ceasing of life resulting to spontaneous death.
Death is referred to as the cessation of the divine activity. To be dead is to be trapped, cut-off from life and its activities; it means to be completely isolated from functioning in the realities of life, whether “spiritually” or “physically”.
Death does occur in two phases spiritually:
- Death to sin (Christ finished work).
- Dead as a result of sin (completely isolated from God because of our sinful nature).
THE LIVING DEAD
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Let’s take a retrospect on the book of Romans, Chapter Six
- What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
- God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
- Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
- 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.
- For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
- 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.
- For he that is dead is freed from sin.
- Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
- Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
- 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 alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
- 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.
- For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
The phrase “The Living Dead" is a qualitative description of who we are in Christ by the virtue of salvation processed finished work. The living-dead is used to qualify a group or set of Christians who have been sold-out, having decouple (dissociate) themselves from sin. The living-dead are those who are completely dead to sin and alive to God by the virtue of associating themselves with Jesus Christ.
The living-dead is totally liberated from the law of “Sin” and “Death”, he is no longer bound (trapped), restricted, compelled to act, behave, take action and live generally according to the dictates of the flesh.
The phrase is used to compliment this sets of Christians because they are dead and yet alive. Somebody out there might still be trapped in confusion as to how a person can be dead and yet alive.
Friend, the bible tells us from Romans 6:1-4 that:
We are called the living-dead because, we are dead to sin, no longer bound but forgiven; and then we are alive in Jesus Christ, who is the pioneer of this whole process.
Verse 1-2
Paul illustrated the reason why we should not continue in sin, because in it abounds “No Grace”. The concept of grace is restricted only to righteousness.
He also buttressed that being dead to something means a complete freedom from it. So, why do We; who are dead to sin still live any longer therein?
Verse 3-5
This associated everyone who has been baptized into Jesus Christ as been baptized into his death. Therefore as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the father even so we should walk in the newness of life. The newness of life is not characterized by the features of the old. The new life is the life of God, characterized by righteousness, peace, joy love etc.
Our association with Christ in his death, synchronizes us with him, becoming one with him in “Death” and “Life”. We become complete in him and not outside of him.
Verse 6-14
This scriptures thus illuminates our mind to the truth that our old man which in synchronization with Christ is crucified, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should no longer serve in sin.
Death according to Paul is freedom! For being dead to sin, liberates us completely from its strongholds. Death signifies the breaking-down (destruction/complete annihilation) of the Dominion of sin over us. God expects us to reckon ourselves daily to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto him through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do you know that Sin cannot reign in your spirit?
The Answer to this is Yes! It cannot reign. Paul warns us in Verse 7 to avoid sin reigning in our mortal bodies, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof.
We should tirelessly strive to keep our mind and body into the subjection of the Lord. The process of reprogramming the mind Romans 12: 1-2 should be actively practiced, if we are to function and live an effective spiritual life. The mind needs to be constantly and deliberately renewed through the word of God. It is what the mind holds that shapens the body. The body responds to the dictates/instructions of the mind.
Our members should be totally tamed against unrighteousness, but it should be committed unto God. We are described as the temple of God’s spirit 1 Corinthians 6:19.
WHAT GOD EXPECTS FROM US:-
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- To be completely soled-out to him
- To empty ourselves that he may fill us up
- To drop every element of wordliness/carnality
- To never associate ourselves with the things we are dead to.
- To always uphold righteousness.
Thanks for Stopping by the to be enlightened. follow me
