Truly Dead
Zombies were all the rage about ten years ago and vampires before that. Both fictional characters have an undead quality about them: they are both dead and yet cannot die. As Christians, we are called to live in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and thus die to our sinful ways. Yet, how many Christians out there are more like undead zombies and vampires? How many of us claim to be dead to our sins while still living in them? How many say we choose Christ but still choose our sin daily?
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38)
Nothing can separate me from God’s love. This is a verse the Enemy loves to use as often as he can. He might use this verse to convince us that we can continue to live in sin. After all, nothing can separate us from God’s love! God loves us so much He gave us free will so we can experience real love for Him. Without free will of choice it wouldn’t be real love. Nothing can separate us from God’s love for us, nothing we’ve done or will ever do. If the powers of hell can’t do it, surely your own choices can’t. But this is not an excuse to abuse or misuse the free will God has given you. You either choose your sinful ways or God’s ways. You can’t have both.
“‘No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.’” (Matthew 6:24a)
“‘But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’” (Joshua 24:15)
God loves all of His creation, but we choose Him if we wish to be with Him in paradise. If someone came up to you and said they were going to hold you against your will in their house forever, would that be love? Would that even be pleasant? Of course not! For the person that rejects God, Heaven would be hell to them! But what if that’s not you? What if you have not rejected God, and you do love God but you find yourself continually choosing sin?
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
Which life are you choosing to live in: the old or the new? Satan has been there and done that. He was a creation of God, an angel who was loved and given free will, but he abused that free will and did not choose God. Now he would love for everyone to follow that same path he took. Satan loves to distort the Scriptures; it’s the same tactic he used when he tempted Jesus in the desert. He would love for us to think that we can keep on choosing our sin and everything will be alright, but Jesus was clear when he said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
The fact that nothing can separate us from God’s love is not an excuse to continue to live in sin. It is impossible to continue to live in deliberate sin if you have turned your life over to Christ, died to sin, and you seek after Jesus daily, for you have the Holy Spirit within you and the Holy Spirit is constantly fighting against your sinful nature. If you are still living in the chains of sin, if you are still choosing to sin daily, then you may need to evaluate if you are trying to serve two masters. You may have to face the question Joshua asked the people: whom will you serve? If you are not truly dead to your sins, then you may find that you are truly dead. Have you truly died to your sins and thus live in Christ or are you trying to live a life like an undead zombie, not truly dead but not alive either?
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
—Redeemed
