“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness” (Romans 6:12-13).
As we continue our study of Romans 6 I want you to notice verse 19; “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves.”
Paul is explaining to believers the positional realities in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Christians are dead to sin and alive to God. Though this is true positionally, it might not be true in your life experientially. Counting on it to be so is the faith part.
The will part involves both negative and positive steps. Dr. Wuest translates verses 12 &13: “Stop…allowing the sinful nature to reign as king in your mortal body with a view to obeying it in its passionate cravings…stop putting your members at the disposal of the sinful nature as weapons of unrighteousness.”
Paul points out that sin doesn’t readily give up its reign, even when defeated. You must deny sin’s reign and not obey its evil desires. Paul says the parts of your body that were instruments of wickedness in the past must not be offered to sin. Hands that have hurt others, feet that have taken you to the wrong places, eyes that have lingered to look at what God has forbidden, ears that have listened to what is an offence to God and your tongue which has ridiculed, lied or dishonored God. These parts of your body must not be offered to sin to keep on doing what they have done in the past.
You have already discovered in the past what sin does. Was their any benefit “when you were slaves to sin, free from the control of righteousness?” (verse 20). No, of course not! Now, as a Christian, you are ashamed of what you did (verse 21). You realize the end result of living that way is death!
If we want victory over sin as Christians these are the negative steps we must take by faith: deny the reign of sin and refuse to continue offering the parts of your body as instruments of wickedness.
