Unless there is death, there can be no resurrection. The things that remain alive within us determine the course of our lives along with God’s plan for the life that He gives. The natural tendency of each person is to get whatever he can for himself and live his life unto himself. Selfishness is hard to explain, but easy to practice because self-centeredness is deeply ingrained within the nature of fallen man. We do not know why we do the things that we do, and often are unaware that we are doing it. Ask a person what he thinks of himself and he will speak of his good intentions. Compare his assessment to God’s standard and the defects in his character are exposed.  Although you were created for a purpose far greater than you realize, what is accepted as normal competes with God’s original plan. It casts a shadow over the potential of your life and reduces living to merely settling for basic needs and meeting unrestrained passions.

Sin is defined as “missing the mark.” It is not just the act, but the life that is bent in the wrong direction. The tendency to rebel against God is deeply ingrained within the center of every person. It cannot be trained or reformed. Ultimately, it requires a death—bringing an end to the old life in order to receive the new life with promise. Sin works within the body, producing sicknesses and diseases, and eventually leads to physical death. But you are more than your body and God wants reveal to you a part of you are not aware. The mark that is established by Him gives life its truest meaning. While each of us was born, we must remember that we were born for a purpose. Without a purpose life is meaningless, which is why suicide is rampant in society today. These individuals died many years before their bodies ceased to function. Even though attempts were made to relocate the goalpost by lowering the bar or moving it within closer range, these were goals established by man and not by God.

The death of Jesus Christ was the death of sin for us. He died a martyr’s death in our stead, paying the price for our redemption. Similarly, sin requires a death. Although sin exists in our physical bodies, when we accept the sacrifice made for us, we have died with Him. Ours is to yield to what God is both willing and able to do in us by removing the residue of the past as we experience newness of life in Him. Simply stated, if we focus our attention upon Christ and receive the benefits that He offers us, a new expression of life will manifest in and through us. He gives us His life in exchange for our old life, His peace for our frustration and confusion, and His love in exchange for our selfish and limited love. No longer can sin rule over you and within your members. You will be free to love and serve God and others. The pain of dying to self is letting go of the familiar in exchange for an unfamiliar promise. The nostalgia of the old has the potential of enslavement to a value system that must be broken. However, the Holy Spirit will teach those that come to God as little children that they may learn how to live the new life in Christ Jesus. Each lesson learned produces liberty from habits once thought to be impossible to break. Resurrection life produces true freedom. Even though it must be preceded by death, the glorious life and peace that follows is beyond comparison and comprehension.