May the mumbling commence!
Dead man walking! Did you realize that every Christian is a dead person walking? It is true. When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into his death. We are, from then on, to be dead to our old selves and the sins that once so easily ruled our life. It is the response of faith put into practice. Read from Romans chapter six:
Now what is our response to be? Shall we sin to our heart's content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God? What a ghastly thought! We, who have died to sin – how could we live in sin a moment longer?
Have you forgotten that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were, by that very action, sharing in his death? We were dead and buried with him in baptism, so that just as he was raised from the dead by that splendid Revelation of the Father's power so we too might rise to life on a new plane altogether.
If we have, as it were, shared his death, let us rise and live our new lives with him! Let us never forget that our old selves died with him on the cross that the tyranny of sin over us might be broken – for a dead man can safely be said to be immune to the power of sin. And if we were dead men with him we can believe that we shall also be men newly alive with him. We can be sure that the risen Christ never dies again – death's power to touch him is finished.
He died, because of sin, once: he lives for God for ever. In the same way look upon yourselves as dead to the appeal and power of sin but alive and sensitive to the call of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do not, then, allow sin to establish any power over your mortal bodies in making you give way to your lusts. Nor hand over your organs to be, as it were, weapons of evil for the devil's purposes. But, like men rescued from certain death, put yourselves in God's hands as weapons of good for his own purposes. For sin is not meant to be your master – you are no longer living under the Law, but under grace. (Verses 1-14)
We die to our old ways through baptism into the cross of Christ, and we arise with Christ in a resurrection of life on a new plane. We do not forget who we were or from where we came. Yet, we put our old ways firmly behind us.
We are dead to the world as it is known by humanity. We are dead people walking. We walk as others do not.
What does the new Christian life look like? How are we to walk and live on a new plane?
We banish lust from our lives. What a witness in an over-sexed culture! We refuse to offer up our bodies for the gratifications of the moment.
We realize that our bodies are not our own. We belong wholly to God. So we offer our bodies up to the service of God. That means we use our bodies as the Spirit calls us to. That also means that we take good care of our bodies.
What will fuel this new way of walking and living? What will fuel our living on a new plane that Christ has created? Grace is the fuel. No longer are we driven to achieve. We are instead called to believe. The wages of sin are not ours anymore. Death is defeated through Christ.
Therefore, we are no longer under the Law – the burden of keeping the Law perfectly, which no one has done expect for Christ Jesus.
Yes, at my best, I am a dead man walking and living on a Christian plane of life. I march to the beat of a different drummer. I follow the drum line of Christ as best I can.
Will you join me and help me along the way?
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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