Done Away With

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:6

I have a small convection oven that sits on my kitchen counter. Now that the kids are grown, my husband and I use this countertop oven to cook most of our meals. It is just the right size for us.

Of course, the oven must be plugged into the electrical outlet before it will heat. It is ineffective without the power source flowing through it.

In Romans 6:6, we read that our old man (our life before becoming a Christian) was crucified. Before that, sin reigned in us unchecked. We were plugged into the sin outlet. The power of sin flowed through our nature. Being plugged in, we were helpless to fight off the impulses, and we obeyed our sin nature.

Next, the verse says that by crucifixion, our sin nature or “the body of sin” was done away with. The Greek verb translated done away with means to render inoperative, to be defeated, or to be deprived of power.

Wow! Unplugged. Deprived of power. No more outside source of sinful impulses (though we have all experienced those impulses coming from within). The sin nature has been made INOPERATIVE in us. Satan really, truly does not have the power to MAKE you sin.

But wait a minute…then why do we still have temptation to sin? Simply put, our enemy still tries his best to trip us up, to accuse and deceive us. Remember, we aren’t plugged into him. He is not our power source any longer. We find that we do not have to obey him. We do not have to listen to his suggestions. He doesn’t have the power to force us into anything. We are not his slaves. He doesn’t control us. We have a choice. When we sin, we can’t say, “I couldn’t help it.”

The next time the enemy whispers in your ear, stop him cold. Tell him no. Tell him he doesn’t control you. Tell him you won’t bow to him. Tell him you won’t do things his way.

And laugh with the joy of freedom while you’re doing it—because your Heavenly Father has put His Holy Spirit in you to give you the power to walk a godly life. Plug into Him every day by reading His Word and taking some time to sit with Him and talk things over.

Lord, we admit we are too easily deceived. Give us discernment to know when the enemy is trying to take control, and give us the help we need to say no to him. May we allow You to be our power source. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.