Episode 67 - Dead to sin but Alive in Christ

Have you ever wondered why a lot of people have a fascination with life and death?

Well today, we have a very special topic as we continue to talk about the Promises of the Cross. Romans 8 has been one of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible and is a personal favorite of Jen’s.

(Spoiler Alert: Stay tuned as we will dig deeper into this topic soon in Sojo Academy! *wink wink!*)

The idea of life and death is actually one of the most important spiritual themes that have ever been discussed. It’s been said that you have to understand DEATH first before you can recognize the true meaning of LIFE and be able to live it to the fullest. And it’s true, isn’t it?

As we go through Praying the Promises of the Cross, we wanted to look at Romans 8:10-11 today because it talks about the promise of life after death.

We talk about the phrase “Dead to sin, but alive in Christ.”

What does it really mean? Romans 6 actually provides us with a little more context.

Before Christ, we are slaves to sin. We are oblivious to spiritual things. But when we are in Christ, we are awakened to spiritual dimensions and realities, and we are inspired to obey the things of God. Sin continues to exist - yes that is absolutely true, but we are no longer dominated by it.

We freely offer ourselves now to God to serve His purposes.

We discussed the importance of remembering that before we are made alive, we are dead in our sins. When we are dead, there’s nothing else we can do. We definitely can’t save ourselves anymore, right? BUT GOD. God reached us and saved us and made us alive. So now we are in Christ. He is in us!

While Romans 8 is one of Jen’s favorite passages, one of AJ’s is Romans 6. It talks about presenting oneself to God as an instrument to righteousness. It teaches us to do good deeds in the power of the Spirit. 

Have you ever wondered things like, “Is the Lord really powerful in me?”

If so, you’ll be encouraged during this episode to know that as children of God, we have God’s Spirit within us to empower us. Just think about what it took to raise Jesus from the dead. It’s the same spirit, the same power, that raises us from spiritual death and incapacity. That is the same spirit that we have in us - enabling us to fulfill the roles and responsibilities on a day-to-day basis.

And as we have spoken in previous episodes, a lot of times we are very weak, but it is in the very weakness that Christ shows up in us - energizing and creating in us the power and desire to accomplish His will. 

AJ encourages us to put our lives within the context of the promises of God. Ask yourself these questions:

• How, then, do I need to live right now?
• How, then, do I need to rely on the spirit of God right now?
• How can this transform me on a daily basis… On how I relate to those around me, the choices that I have in front of me, the energy that I have to offer others that may need it?
• How does this affect me now?

To answer these, well... it brings an awareness of a lot of resources into our lives! Knowing that Jesus Christ and the power that rose him from the dead is in us is incredible! 

So check out this episode for reminders of God’s power in you. And we invite you to join us in Praying for the Promises of the Cross as we are covering some mountaintop terrain! 

Go to sojohub.com/promises and you can join us for free!