Overcomers of Sin

When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He died not only as my Substitute; He died also as my Representative. He died not only for me but for me. When He died, there is a real sense in which I died. All that I was as a child of Adam, all my old, evil, unregenerate self, was nailed to the Cross. In God’s reckoning, my history as a man in the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More came to an end.

That is not all! When the Savior was buried, I, too, was buried. I am identified with ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More in His burial. This pictures the removal of the old “I” from God’s sight forever.

And when the Lord Jesus arose from the dead, I arose too. But the picture changes here. It is not the one who was buried who arose, not the old self. No, it is the new manThe new man (not to be confused with the new nature) is the counterpart to the old man. It is mentioned three times in the New Testament (Eph 2:15; Eph... More - ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More living in me. I arose with ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More to walk in newness of life.

God sees all this as having taken place positionally. Now, He wants it to be true practically in my life. He wants me to reckon myself to have gone through this cycle of death, burial, and resurrection. But how do I do this?

When temptation comes to me, I should reply to it exactly as a corpse reacts to any solicitation of evil. No response! I should say, in effect, “I have died to sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More. You are no longer my master. I am dead as far as you are concerned.”

Day by day, I should reckon my old, corrupt self to have been buried in the grave of Jesus. This means I will not be introspectively occupied with it. I will not look for anything worthwhile in it or be disappointed at its utter corruption.

Finally, I will live each moment as one who has risen with ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More to newness of life—new ambitions, new desires, new motives, new freedom, and new power.

George Muller told how this truth of identification with ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More first came home to him:

"There was a day when I died. Died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure, to the approval or blame even of my brothers or friends. Since then, I have studied only to show myself “approved unto God."