SIN, SINS AND THE SINNER (PART 3)

Our Freedom- The Applications of The Cross.

God provided the solution to all of man's problem in one person and with one singular act. The Person of Jesus on the Cross. This is God’s master stroke! Whatever the problems man could ever have or be going through at whatever plane of existence, God is not providing many solutions to solve the many problems but one- the crucified Lord.

That is why this ought to be the only message of the Church.

“The Message that points to Christ on the cross seems like sheer silliness to those who are hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation, it makes perfect sense” (1Cor1:18 MSG)

This is what the gospel is all about and herein lies power of God  to save all those who will believe.

Indeed the work for the redemption of man had long been completed, but yet we still see man being subject to the many problems that had plagued his life and his world. Though the work had been done and the solution provided, there yet remains the need for man to apply what had been done. Let me at this point state that even though the heart of men may want to account this work which now had been accomplished over 2000 years ago as stale and no longer of value, this is an insidious deception of Mr Sin on the frail minds of men. The work on the Cross has been preserved by the Spirit of God to keep it as fresh as ever. If man is able to preserve the perishable that it may last for years how much more can God preserve any work of His. The power to save still lies in the preaching of this message of the Cross and nothing else. Motivational, prosperity, healings, miracles, and deliverance messages cannot save any soul unless the soul is made to see first of all, Christ crucified on the cross for him or her.

The Practical Application:

There are some very key action verbs we see in the Scriptures as relating to the practical application of the cross. Let us consider two of them.

Roman 6:11- Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed  unto sin…

The key word here is “reckon” which means to establish by calculation, to account or quantify something.

Who is to reckon? “Ye” is the plural form of thou meaning “You.” This indicates whose responsibility it is to do the reckoning. You are the one  to account. No one will do i for you.

What are you to reckon? Reckon “yourself”  YOU are to reckon YOURSELF. What then does self means? Self is defined as a person’s essential being that distinguishes you from others. It is your identity, character or simply put your nature. I will define “self” as the interface of our interaction or relationship with Mr Sin. When the YOU inside want to express something to the world outside the only interface it finds is with Mr Sin which is SELF (also referred to as FLESH, OLD MAN, HUMAN NATURE).  Hear this profound confession of brother Paul :

“I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate… So I”m not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the Sin that live in me.I know that good does not live in me - that is; in my human nature.” (Rom 7:15-18).

There are many desires an individual would want to express but no matter what he/she wants to express, the only option available is through the interface provided by Mr Sin which is always not user-friendly. What we derive from using it is death. Self is like an iron-cast gear we all wear around like in the ‘iron man’ movie.

Reckoning yourself to be dead indeed unto Sin is to refuse using this interface as a means of expression. Only the dead has nothing to expresses.

A similar expression we see in the Word of God is that given by our Lord Jesus. :

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself…”  Deny here means a state that one refuses to admit the existence of something. Denying self is like denying the very essence of your existence. At another place the Lord said “If  any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters  yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) Can anyone quantify the role or impact these people mentioned here have had in their lives? This is one delicate scripture that can easily be misconstrued but If properly understood, it is one scripture that cuts deep into your roots. Denying yourself is like hating all that pertains to your life yet not because of the objects/subjects in themselves but because of the means of by which you have related or interacted with them - through the body of sin.

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Rom 6:6)