Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Here is what Scripture has taught us today, and it is the truth you need to understand and embrace to find freedom from substance abuse: The old you, the sinful you, died with Christ on the cross (Romans 6:1-6); you have been set free from sin. You now have absolutely no identity from your past, no labels from the world, your only identity is as a believer in Jesus.
Therefore, we must drop all worldly terms and labels, not speak of ourselves as an "addict" or "in recovery" and exchange the use of the worldly word "triggered" for the biblical word "tempted" (1 Corinthians 10:13). You should no longer find your identity in your past sin, which died with Jesus. You should reject all labels the world would put on you that connect you to your sin, for you are not united to your sin, you are united to Jesus Christ.
Here is an exercise that you can do to see how to apply and live this truth: because you died with Jesus Christ on the cross, picture yourself in a casket. Now picture something that tempts you: bottles of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, or some other area of struggle. Now, put those things all around your casket. Will you just have to give in and gratify your flesh? No! You are set free from it because “one who has died has been set free from sin” (Romans 6:7).
Friend, we are dead to sin because we died with Christ on the cross, and now we should live like it!
Question 9. According to Romans 6:9, what has no mastery over Christ?
In the context of Romans 6, death having no mastery over Christ is the same as sin having no mastery over us. Believers have died to sin and been raised to new life with Christ.
What Romans 6 calls us to do, is to match our practical life to our positional life. That is, you are to believe that the old you died with Christ, to count it to be true: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
In other words, you’re dead, now live like it. That’s how to be free.
Do you see how the Bible’s teaching is completely opposite of the world’s teaching?
The world teaches you that you are an addict forever, the Bible teaches you that your old identity is dead, that you have risen to new life, and that you have a completely new identity.
The world’s teaching keeps you in bondage, the gospel of Jesus Christ sets you free.
The world’s teaching unites you with your sin which keeps you enslaved, the Bible unites you with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection which releases you from sin traps.
The world’s teaching is that you are an “addict in recovery”, the Bible’s teaching is that you “died and rose again”, with Jesus Christ.
Question 10. What did you learn in this lesson and how will you apply it?
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I learned that I’ve been living like a dead woman! I need to completely remove myself from the realm of the dead and run into the freedom Christ has offered me. I am no longer that person that used to find joy in smoking. Now I find all my joy in Jesus Christ because I no longer live for myself, but I live for the one who saved me.