Discipleship Devotional, March 29th, 2025
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
— Romans 6:6-7 (NIV)
The doctrine of identification teaches us that by believing in Christ, we identify with His death, burial, and resurrection. In other words, though we were not on that cross, because He died for us, we automatically died with Him. The Bible also teaches that we were buried with Him and have been raised together with Him. Our anchor text speaks about this and its implication for us. Therefore, by identification, being crucified with Christ means that the body of sin (that is, the nature of sin) is done away with, making us no longer slaves to sin.
Paul teaches in several of his epistles how we are crucified with Christ and how our sins have been nailed to His cross:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
— Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Having this gift, we have been set free from slavery to sin and can now freely serve God. We are not indebted to fulfilling the lusts of the flesh anymore. Christ has taken away the stony heart out of our flesh and given us a new heart. He has put His Spirit in us, which causes us to walk in His statutes. Glory to His name forever.
“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
— Romans 6:9-12 (NIV)
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for the privilege to fellowship with You daily. Help me to always come and feed at Your table.
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