Seeking Jesus First Dec. 4, 2024
Awake to righteousness and do not sin.
“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:31–34, NKJV)
Apostle Paul said, “I affirm…I die daily.” He also said, “I reckon myself to be dead indeed to sin.” He told Timothy, “Himself (Jesus) bore our sins on a tree, that we having died to sin, live for righteousness, with whose stripes we were healed.”
Every night when we go to bed, we “die” to the sin and wickedness of that day. Every morning we wake up, we are given a new day to live for righteousness instead of sin. We are given victory over sin through faith in Christ Jesus which makes us righteous. We do not have to sin. We are no longer bound to sin. Sin has no hold on us. Christ Jesus, who knew no sin ,was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
We are told to no longer let sin reign over us nor in our bodies. We have what we need to walk in righteousness. We have Holy Spirit who floods our hearts with love and love fulfills the whole law. We have the Word of God which renews our minds to have the mind of Christ. We have the Spirit of God which gives us the nature of God. We have the same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead and has raised us up from the death of sin to walk in newness of life. We are made more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
If sin does not still produce death, why would we need to be dead to it? If the sins noted in the law were no longer sin, why would love fulfill the whole law? We are eternal beings, but our physical bodies still live on the earth where sin still corrupts. With the inner man, keep the words of Christ and renew your soul. With the body, obey the word of our Father and walk in the blessing of the righteous.