Within the Book of Romans, there are many topics and the one I want to address today is that your old man has been set free. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. This is so simple you need a theologian to make it complicated.
There are many people who use terminology about being set free from sin and that their old man is dead, yet they still struggle with this every day. That’s because they’re still allowing their mind and their body to call the shots. We are to be led by our spirits.
You Are What You Think About
The Bible says that what do you think about is what you become. If you still think like you did before you got saved while you lived a life of sin, then you’re going to still act like it. It’s only a matter of time before your old ways of living creep back into your life and dominate your thoughts once again.
For a Christian, this should not be the case. We shouldn’t be going back to the life God saved us from. We’ve called to be separate and set apart for the things of God. If you are saved then you have a brand new nature. It is the renewing of your mind or the lack thereof that is causing you to stumble backward.
One time I had a chance to talk to someone who was in jail. I told them that if I opened the jail cell door although it would look like they were free, technically they would not be. The reason I say this is because you have to think differently in order to act differently. You have to stop thinking the way you did before and start to think new if you don’t want to have the same life.
The Slaves Didn’t Know
It reminds me of when the slaves were freed in America. Although the decree had gone forth, there were many slaves who never heard about their freedom. This meant that they still continued to work as slaves even though they were not legally required to do so any longer. The problem was they just didn’t know about it.
This same situation applies to born-again believers. Through Jesus, we have all been totally set free. When we were born again, the old man died. Jesus paid the price in full. The power of sin was broken over our lives. We had been set free. But those who do not know this, still allow their old nature to dictate their life.
It is simply because of this truth that we are instructed by the Bible not to allow our flesh to dominate. Our old man is dead, and we are no longer enslaved to sin.
Most Christians Don’t Believe It
This goes against most teachings in most churches. It all comes down to renewing your mind by what God says in his word. And what we find is that God says that we are dead to sin in the same way that Christ died to pay the price for sin.
Many people don’t think about it but Jesus is not going to die again. He did it once and for all. Once we understand that that is when we will see a breakthrough.
Remember, the enemy is roaming about seeking whom he may devour. This includes those who don’t know that they have been set free from sin. They no longer need to walk in the flesh but walk in the spirit.
The Past Is Gone
Before we gave our lives to Jesus we were a slave to sin and there was nothing we could do to effectively stop it from controlling us. Sure, we may have done and said some good things but sinners sin because that is their nature. But thanks be to God that we have been set free through Christ.
When we get served God puts his new nature inside of us and our old nature is removed. If we would take the time to renew our minds it will allow us to rewire our thoughts. With write thoughts, it will always lead to right living.
As I said at the beginning, this is so simple that it would take someone else to make it complicated. This is one of the most foundational truths that we can learn. Take time today to let this truth sink in. Thanks to Jesus you have really been set free from sin.