Sin No Longer Has Dominion

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. – Romans 6:12-14 ESV

It seems obvious that Paul knew the power and reality of indwelling sin. He would not have told his readers, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,” if the possibility of it happening had not existed. In verse 16, he writes, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16 ESV).

Each day, Christ-followers have the choice to give in to and be enslaved again by sin or to live in obedience to their God-given, Spirit-empowered new nature. The temptation to give in to sin is ever-present, and that’s why Paul warned his readers, “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desire” (Romans 6:12 NLT).

There is a conscious choice that must be made. We can present our bodies to sin as instruments for unrighteousness or to God as instruments for righteousness. We can allow our sin nature to determine our actions, or, through the power of the Holy Spirit, use our bodies as instruments of God’s will. These physical bodies in which we live are the means by which we can accomplish God’s work in this world. With these bodies, we can love others as Jesus commanded, or we can lust after one another. We can use these bodies to accomplish God’s will or to selfishly fulfill our own.

Following the natural inclination of our sinful nature can produce some very damaging and destructive fruit. In his letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul described the outcome of a life in which sin is allowed to reign. 

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. – Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

If you allow sin to dictate and dominate your behavior, you will end up obeying its passions and desires. Paul understood the power of “the flesh” and took steps to keep his physical body in check.

I discipline my body and keep it under control. – 1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV

Paul stresses that, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have died to sin; it was as if we were crucified alongside Christ.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. – Galatians 5:24 NLT

The sinful passions and desires that emanate from our sinful nature no longer have control over us. And yet, our physical bodies constantly tempt us to satisfy our basest instincts. We have to fight the constant cravings and desires that stand opposed to God’s will for us. Paul put it this way:

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other. – Galatians 5:17 NLT

But Paul also gives us the key to resisting the urges of our flesh:

…let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. – Galatians 5:16 NLT

We can choose to live under the Spirit’s control and influence, or we can allow our sin nature, working through our physical bodies, to dictate our behavior. That is why Paul so strongly encourages us to “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world” (Colossians 3:5 NLT).

He warns us, “Run from sexual sin!” (1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT). He encourages us to “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT).

We belong to God. We have been purchased by the blood of His Son, and while these earthly bodies are temporary and will one day be replaced with new, redeemed bodies, we are obligated to use them for God’s service as long as we live on this earth.

At one time, Paul had used his earthly body to persecute Christians, throwing them into prison and even putting some of them to death. But once he was redeemed from his old way of life by placing his faith in Jesus, he radically reversed course. Having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, Paul determined to make his body his slave and to use it for the glory of God and the good of His Kingdom. Rather than live as a captive to his body’s desires, he made his body his slave, using it to accomplish God’s will.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul made his sin-prone flesh an instrument for righteousness. And that is God’s call for all believers. He has not yet redeemed our physical bodies, but He wants to use them for our good and His glory. Paul describes our current condition in these terms:

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. – 2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT

Sin’s dominion or control over us takes place primarily through our physical bodies. It is with our bodies that we fulfill our sinful passions. We use our tongues to lie and deceive. We use our eyes to lust and covet. We use our bodies to commit immoral acts. We use our hands to steal. We use our feet to take us places that are against God’s will for us. We use our brains to think inappropriate thoughts and plan unrighteous acts.

But as gospel-transformed, Spirit-empowered believers, we have the capacity to use these fallen bodies as instruments of righteousness. We can use our hands to serve others. We can use our eyes to see needs and meet them. We can use our bodies to accomplish God’s will. We can use our tongues to encourage. We can use our feet to take the gospel across the street and around the world. Because sin no longer has dominion over us. 

How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness, Your lovingkindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope

“Living Hope”, Phil Wickman, Brian Johnson, Bethel Music Publishing, Phil Wickham Music, Simply Global Songs, and Sing My Songs (administered by Essential Music Publishing

Father, every day is a battle. I sense Your presence and I am aware of Your Spirit’s prompting in my life, but I still feel those constant urges to give in to my sinful flesh. Anger can come far too easily and quickly. Improper thoughts can manifest themselves at the blink of any eye. Jealousy, envy, coveteousness, greed, pride, and revenge jockey for prominence and dominance in my life. And yet, I enjoy regular time in Your Word and an increasing awareness of Your Spirit’s power and provision. The truth is, this life can be a roller-coaster existence of spiritual highs and lows. But, as Paul said, sin is no longer my master. I don’t have to give in to my basest desires or buy the lies of the enemy that tempt me to prioritize my will over Yours. That is the power of the gospel. I am a new creation, and I have a new capacity to live in keeping with Your will. Not in my own strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s a daily battle, but one that I am able to win because Jesus has conquered sin and death. He has not only made my new life possible, but highly achievable. And I have You to thank. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Unity In Diversity

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 ESV

God’s goal for us is oneness. It was one of the primary requests Jesus prayed to His Father in the garden on the night He was betrayed.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” – John 17:20-23 ESV

Jesus knew that the unity of His followers would be the greatest expression of the heart transformation that only salvation can produce. It is the Spirit-empowered oneness of believers that proves to the world that Jesus was who He said He was and that He actually accomplished all He claimed He would do.

Paul picked up on the theme of Jesus’ high priestly prayer and echoed those sentiments to the believers in Corinth, whose brand of spirituality was not working. Rather than leading to unity and reflecting the oneness of Christ and the Father, it was producing arrogance, pride, and division within the church. Even their view of the gifts of the Spirit was dividing rather than unifying the body. So Paul gave them a lengthy primer on the spiritual life, with special emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit.

Paul emphasizes that they are all one in Christ, but they are not all the same. Unity does not demand uniformity; instead, it embraces diversity. That is what makes the body of Christ so unique and reflects God’s power. He takes people of all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds, backgrounds and traditions, and molds them into a single entity called the body of Christ, His church. The unifying factor of the church is not our shared ethnicity or ancestry, our common cultural background, or country of birth. It is our mutually shared calling by God and our redemption as a result of faith in the death of His Son. We are one because God has made us so. He has adopted us as His sons and daughters, placed us in His ethnically diverse family, and given us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might live in love and unity.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul described Jesus as “the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it” (Colossians 2:19 ESV). It is our common faith in Christ that binds us together, and He does so through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. That is Paul’s point to the believers in Corinth, and to make it clear, he uses the analogy of the human body.

Each of us has just one body, but it is made up of many parts. It consists of muscles, ligaments, organs, and limbs, each assigned a different purpose and designated function. Some parts operate behind the scenes, unseen and unrecognized for their role in the body's functioning. Others are more prominent and seem to bear greater responsibility for the body's overall health. We give these “vital” parts the lion’s share of our attention because we can’t imagine life without them. Paul uses the ears, eyes, hands, and feet as an example.

If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? – 1 Corinthians 12:15-17 NLT

It is the diversity and unity of the human body that make it so incredibly amazing. Each part, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is necessary for the whole body to function properly. In fact, Paul states, “some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:22 NLT).

There is a God-ordained design to the human body that causes it to operate most effectively when it is unified, and each part fulfills its assigned role. The same thing is true of the body of Christ. Paul writes, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT). That means no one is more important than anyone else and no spiritual gift is more essential than another. The spiritual gift each individual receives is intended to build up the body of Christ, not to stroke the ego and promote an air of self-importance and selfishness.

Paul lists various spiritual gifts, including the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. The list is intended to emphasize the variety of the gifts, not their order of importance. Yet the Corinthians were categorizing the gifts by what they believed to be their importance. They were focusing on which gift appeared to be the most significant and spectacular. But Paul reminded them that it was the Spirit who distributed the gifts, as He saw fit.

The Corinthians needed to spend more time using the gifts they had been given rather than debating over who had the better gift. The goal was unity, but it was their God-ordained uniqueness that made it possible. Each individual’s gift, assigned to them by the Spirit of God, is intended for the mutual edification of the entire church. But in the Corinthian church, the more flamboyant gifts, like healing and tongues, had been deemed more important and therefore more desirable. But one’s giftedness is not to be a badge of honor or a source of pride.

The Holy Spirit does not give out gifts to stroke our ego or prioritize our importance within the church. We have been gifted by God for the good of the body of Christ. The goal behind our calling and giftedness is “harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 NLT). Individuality and community. Uniqueness and unity. Giftedness and shared good. That is what makes the body of Christ function and proves that our faith is real and our Savior is alive.

Father, unity in diversity is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We tend to prefer homogeneity and uniformity. because there is something strangely comforting about sameness. Yet, at the same time, we all fight the urge to be different, to stand out in the crowd. And we see the spiritual gifts as an opportunity to set ourselves apart. So we place them into categories that differentiate their importance and elevate our own significance. But that was not Your plan. The gifts were given to unify and edify. As the apostle Paul stated, the diversity of the body of Christ was meant to illustrate Your wisdom. “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11 NLT). The church was intended to be a melting pot of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, unified by their faith in Christ and equipped with the gifts of the Spirit for their common good and Your glory. Show us how to make that a reality in our individual fellowships and throughout the universal church. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Unity and Diversity.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. – 1 Corinthians 12:24-26 NLT

Paul had heard about divisions and disunity taking place in the local congregation in Corinth. They had taken sides within the church, with some claiming to be followers of Paul, while others claimed Apollos as their spiritual leader. They had even been bragging about who had baptized them, claiming some kind of spiritual superiority as a result. Then there were those in the church whose disputes with one another had resulted in law suits in the secular courts. On top of all that, Paul had to deal with a spirit of division that had crept into the church as some were claiming their right to live in their new found freedom in Christ, but who were causing their fellow believers to stumble and fall into sin. There had crept into the church an attitude of selfishness and self-centeredness that was doing serious damage to the cause of Christ and the health of the body of Christ. What seemed to be missing was any concern for the common good. Everyone was in it for what he or she could get out of it. Personal rights had trumped any concern for the corporate well being of the body. So Paul provided them with a metaphor that he hoped would help them understand the unique nature of their role as members of the body of Christ – the church.

Because the church is a collection of individuals, it is easy for us to bring our individualistic mindsets with us and never fully understand what it is that God has in mind for this unique institution He has ordained. Becoming part of the church is not like joining a country club or a fraternity. There is something spiritual going on behind the scenes when an individual is called by God into a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. That act of salvation places the individual into an entirely new situation, making him a Son of God and a brother to every other individual who has placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. He becomes a member of the family of God. But even more so, He becomes a member of the body of Christ. To make His point, Paul compares the body of Christ, the church, with the human body. His emphasis seems to be on diversity, first and foremost. Unity is a byproduct of that diversity. In other words, in the human body, God has divinely designed each and every part with a purpose in mind. Each part is necessary and must work in conjunction with every other part. Some parts are seemingly more important – like the brain or the heart. Yet God has brought every part together and given it its own function and role to play. Some of those parts go unseen, working behind the scenes, but playing an essential part in the overall well being of the body. Each part is necessary. There is not competition or jealousy within the human body. One part does not envy another part. There is no pride or arrogance within the human body. Because God has crafted each part and placed it right where he wants it, to perform the role for which He created it. The same is true of the body of Christ. God has called every believer and placed them within the body of Christ, the church, and provided them with a spiritual gift that is designed for the good of the body. Paul had made it clear to the Corinthians: "It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. he alone decides which gift each person should have" (1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT).

The body of Christ is a divinely ordained and designed organism filled with a variety of individuals who represent and a diversity of gifts. Paul lists some of these as apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, leaders, and even those who speak in other languages. Not everyone has the same gift. What would a church look like that was made up of only teachers? Diversity is a necessity. Every gift is needed. Every individual is important. But the goal is always for the common good. The motivation is always love. Paul is going to drive this point home in the very next section of his letter. Because even the spiritual gifts can lead to disunity if they are done without love. If our overall objective is not to express selfless, sacrificial love to others, then even our spiritual gifts can become destructive rather than constructive. They can divide rather than unite. We must recognize that God has divinely organized the church, placing each individual where they belong and gifting them in such a way that they play a vital, non-negotiable role in the overall health of the body of Christ.

Father, the church can be a messy place. There are so many people who have come from so many walks of life. They bring their personalities and all their baggage to the equation. Then there is our tendency to compete and jockey for positions of prominence and importance. Help us to understand that there are no spectators in the body of Christ. Each person has a role to play. Each is necessary and needed. You have designed the church to be a well-ordered organism where all the parts work seamlessly and effortlessly together. But all that is impossible without love. Show us how to be more than an organization. Give us a growing awareness and understanding of just how unique this thing called the church really is. Amen.

A Change in Ownership.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

autonomy: (aw-ton-uh-mee) - independence or freedom; self-government or the right of self-government

The believers in Corinth needed a slight attitude adjustment, and Paul was more than happy to provide it. It seems that much of their behavior was based on a misguided understanding of their new freedom in Christ. They had reached the conclusion that, since Christ had freed them from sin and provided them with forgiveness, they were free to do whatever they wanted to do. They had even come up with their own taglines or slogans to justify their behavior, such as, "I am allowed to do anything." The NIV translates that phrase as "Everything is permissible for me." Their problem was one of autonomy. Rather than understand the fact that they had been purchased out of slavery to sin by God with the death of His Son, they believed they were now free to do as they wished. They were self-governing, independent agents who believed they had every right and freedom to do whatever they wanted.

This would be a common misunderstanding in the early church. Paul addresses it in his letter to the believers in Rome. "Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living" (Romans 6:15-16 NLT). The logic of the Corinthians had led them to some fairly dangerous conclusions. Yes, there were some behaviors that were not addressed or prohibited in Scripture. But even those things we are free to do can end up enslaving us. Another popular maxim among the Christians in Corinth was "Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food." While this was a true statement, it was not a license for gluttony or dissipation. That same logic had seemingly led the Corinthians to conclude that the body was made for sex, therefore, sexual relationships of all kinds were permissible. Paul confronts them on this issue. "But you can't say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:13b NLT). Sex was an everyday reality for the Corinthians. Their city contained the temple of the love goddess, Aphrodite, where more than 1,000 "priestesses" performed sexual acts with those who came to worship. The satisfying of their bodily desires and urges was natural to the Corinthians. Becoming believers had not taken the temptations and urges away. So Paul encourages them to "run from sexual sin!" He reminds them that their bodies no longer belong to them. Christ had died to redeem not only their souls, but their bodies. In fact, the Holy Spirit had taken up residence in their bodies. Just as Jesus had taken on human flesh and lived a holy, sinless life, Paul was encouraging them to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their hearts and their character. He was pleading for them to honor God with their bodies. Christianity is not some kind of ethereal, purely spiritual endeavor, but a holistic, all-encompassing transformation of the entire being. We cannot divorce the body from the soul. In fact, Paul begged the believers in Rome, "I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him" (Romans 12:1 NLT). Our bodies belong to God. We have been set apart by God for His use – not just our souls, but our bodies as well.

The constant temptation for all believers is to satisfy our natural desires. Some of these temptations can appear to be quite innocuous. There is nothing inherently wrong with good food, but the desire for it can quickly lead to over-indulgence and gluttony. We are sexual beings, created by God to enjoy the pleasures of the relationship between a man and a woman. But we are not free to satisfy that desire outside God's preordained bounds of marriage. Freedom is a highly valued, but also highly misunderstood concept today. Everyone wants freedom, but few understand the dangers that come with it. We are free in Christ, but that does not mean we are free to do whatever it is we want. Paul told the believers in Galatia: "For you have been called to live in freedom my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13 NLT). Freedom for the believer is not to be self-centered, but outwardly focused. I have been set free, not so that I can indulge the self, but to serve others. I am free to express love to others, not practice some sad form of narcissism – totally focused on self and our own satisfaction. We are free to live differently. We are free to live selflessly. We are free to live our lives on God's terms, not our own. Because He bought us out of slavery to sin having paid the high price required with the life of His own Son.

Father, forgive me for my obsession with self. Help me to continue to grow in my understanding that I belong to You. That all of me belongs to You. May my life become less and less about me and my own desires, and more about You and Your will for me. I want my body to be a living, daily sacrifice to You. I want to die to self and live for You. Show me what that looks like. Make it concrete and practical. Don't let me abuse my freedom by focusing on me. Keep my eyes turned to You. Amen.