Count Yourselves Dead
Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-14
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11
When Paul says that we died to sin, he is talking about something that must happen in our own minds and hearts each day. The power of the cross will change us when we “count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
The word for “count” is from the same root word as our word for “logic.” Paul is saying that if we’re going to change, we must think logically and reasonably about ourselves.
How do you think of yourself most of the time: as a winner or a loser, a good person or a bad person, a Dr. Jekyll or a Mr. Hyde?
Well, says Paul, if you want to be changed by the power of the cross, you should think of yourself in connection with the deepest reality.
Whatever else I am, I am a person who died and rose with Christ so that I am dead to sin and alive to God.
When you face a decision, the first thing you should do is consider who you are because of the power of the cross. Then you are ready to make a choice to take action in a way that will honor God.
Let the crucified and risen Jesus be Lord of everything in your life, and you will be changed from one degree of glory to another until you become like Jesus.
As I live my life today, O God, help me to think reasonably about who I am and how I should live as a crucified and risen person. In Christ, Amen.
About the author — Stanley Mast
Beginning in 1971, Rev. Stanley Mast has served churches in Missouri, Colorado, and Michigan. After teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary for a few years, he was the minister of preaching at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until his retirement in 2012. Stan and his wife, Sharon, enjoy time with their two sons and five grandchildren.
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