Alive in Christ

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 6:11

There was once a little boy who grew up on a chicken farm. The first time he saw his father cut off the head of a chicken he watched the chicken run around like crazy. “Daddy, why is that chicken running around like that?” he asked. “Because I cut his head off and he’s dead,” his father answered. “He’s dead?” the little boy asked in disbelief. “Absolutely,” assured his father. “Well Dad, I’ve got news for you,” the little boy said. “That chicken may be dead, but he sure doesn’t believe it.”

It is not enough to know in your mind that you are dead to sin. You must believe in your heart that you are dead to sin. What is the difference? We usually don’t practice what we know; we practice what we believe. When the Apostle Paul writes, “Count yourselves dead to sin,” he is using an accounting term. “Count yourselves” literally means, “to put in one’s account.” Another way to say it is, “Bank on it.” This is not a passive knowledge but an active belief.

This word means you believe something in your heart so strongly that you are willing to stake your life on it. It is a verb that actively moves from head knowledge to heart knowledge…from thinking to knowing. Just as Jesus died to sin, we have died to sin. You may say, “I don’t feel like I’m dead to sin.” We are not talking about feelings; we are talking about facts. How we feel does not change what is true. And what is true is that just as Christ died for us, we have died with him and been given a new life free from the power of sin.

You may be thinking, “If I am dead to sin, why am I still tempted to sin?” There is a difference in you being dead to sin and sin being dead to you. As believers, we have not (yet) been set free from sin’s presence. That day is coming. But for now, we will be tempted to sin. In the meantime, we can live free from sin’s power. This freedom starts with believing what God’s Word says is true – counting yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Father, Today I choose to believe that I am dead to sin and alive to You because of what Christ has done for me on the cross. I know that He died for me, and by faith, I died with Him. Thank You for giving me a new life free from the power of sin. In Jesus’ name, amen.