Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life to enjoy. ( Romans 6:4 ) (The Living Bible)
In our earlier study, we discussed what it means to be in the Army of the Lord. We also covered the spiritual tools necessary to navigate your spiritual boot camp. These tools help you become a soldier for Christ. In this second part of our study, we will explore the concepts of circumcision and covenant. When you accept Jesus as the Lord of your life, you enter into a covenant with Him. This is like when I joined the Navy. I signed various contracts that promised food, income, and shelter in exchange for my service to the country. The covenant with Jesus is no different.
Many believers want to please God but struggle with a sin consciousness. They are often very hard on themselves and turn away from their commitment due to frustration. They feel they constantly fall short and eventually give up but there is good news! Victory is possible!
Romans 6:4 holds the key. My favorite Bible translation ( The Living Bible ) reads– ” Your sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism.” Many Christians want to hate sin and that is a noble desire. The fact of the matter is that you have already buried your sin-loving nature in the waters of baptism. A rule of thumb would be to make the confession listed below as many times as possible during the day. Learn to speak aloud the word of God and you will start seeing change—
“I love righteousness and hate iniqutity. ”
Friend, if you are a Christian but have not gotten baptized in water, don’t waste any time. Get baptized as soon as possible. Don’t carry your dead body around because you will start to stink spiritually before God. Remember a dead corpse after a while decays and stinks. So, seek a good spirit-filled church and get baptized in water. It’s time to bury your old sin-loving nature.
If you are having trouble breaking bad habits, here are two things to remember–
1-Go back to the waters of baptism and remember how you buried the old man. That sin-loving nature is buried. You are a new creation ready for service to the Lord.
2- There is a saying- “Rome was not built in a day.” You are going to have struggles in the flesh. Many will say that you are not saved, but I got good news for you. Consider the next scripture below–
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. ( Prov 24:16 )
Notice God calls the man who falls seven times –Just. Why? Because he sees the heart. The believer is determined to get up and put his/her hand on the plow. If you are Born-Again, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You are the just person that’s being talked about. Beloved never stay down and give up. Decide that you will do better. His mercy endures forever and the Holy Spirit will help you get up and win!
In my next post, I will discuss how you can move up in rank in the Army of the Lord. Remember with promotion comes blessings but also, tremendous responsibilities. When you have rank, you can have influence with God and find out your true calling in life. God bless.
The Christian Corner Ministries 