Your New Position

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. . . . Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life.   Romans 6:12-13

Christians still face a lifelong battle with sin; it’s a real struggle. But while the old person was destined for defeat in the battle, you are now positioned for victory.

Some Christians say, “That’s just the way I am,” as if there were nothing they could do about their sin. That was you without Christ, but that person has died! You are risen with Christ. You have power! Sin is no longer your master.

Imagine working under the same boss for thirty years. Every morning you check in with Fred, and he tells you what he wants you to do. You get along with him, but if you question his judgment, he gets angry. You’ve learned to do things Fred’s way.

One day the chairman of the company comes to see you. He says he has big plans for you, including an immediate promotion to management. Next Monday you will have a new position in a new office upstairs.

You arrive on Monday, and it dawns on you. Fred answers to me! Over the next couple of weeks, Fred continues telling you what to do. He’s done it for thirty years! He comes right into your new office and tells you what he thinks you should do. Fred will always think of himself as your boss, even though he no longer is. You have a tendency to listen to Fred and do what he says, even though you don’t answer to him anymore.

Six weeks later, the chairman comes to see you: “If we wanted Fred in charge, we would’ve given him the job, but we gave it to you. We’ve given you authority; use it. From now on, he does what you tell him, not the other way around.”

Discovering the authority of your new position in Christ is an important key to living the Christian life. Sin is no longer your master, so don’t let sin rule over you. When temptation comes, deal with it as you would deal with someone who’s subject to you. Half the battle is knowing you have the authority to do that.

For further reading, see Romans 6