The Bible said that we had been united with our Lord Jesus in His death on the cross. What is this mean? It means that when Jesus died on the cross, we too died with Him on the cross spiritually. Our old self (also called: old nature or flesh) that had been controlled by sin and under sin was crucified with our Lord Jesus on the cross. Although we didn't feel it physically, it affected us spiritually. So we can say to ourselves that when we see a cross, we too died on that cross with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our old self died with Jesus, but when Jesus rose from the dead, we too rose with Him but with a new self or new nature. The Bible says this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here."
Because God has given us a new flesh or nature, we are no longer under sin. We still struggle with sin because we still live in this fallen world, but instead of being controlled by sin, we can say "no" to sin. Our old self didn't go away completely, but it does not dominate us anymore because we now have a new nature. When we wake up every morning, we need to remind ourselves that we now belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not need to live in sin. When we choose to disobey God, we feel guilty and ashamed because the Spirit of God working in us is convicting us of our sin because we no longer belong to Satan or to the sins of this world.
All of us are still struggling with sin, but we now can choose not to give in to our sin. We can choose to live in righteousness. When we see a cross, we need to remind ourselves that we now belong to Jesus. Our past sinful life had been crucified with our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. We can now live in a new freedom in Jesus because He has given us a new life.
Ask yourself these questions: What happened to my old self when Jesus died on the cross? Am I still in the power of sin? Why not? What did God give me when Jesus rose from the dead? How should I live my life with a new self that God has given me?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving me a new self or nature that is no longer under the power of sin. I praise you for giving me a new life. Please help me say no to sin, especially when Satan tempts me to sin against you. Please help me to choose to live in righteousness. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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