Jesus Christ is not only God’s remedy for sin, He is also God's remedy for sin-consciousness. The Bible says, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:8-11 NKJV). Indeed God has gone to great lengths to keep the believer’s mind free from sin-consciousness. He has forgiven us ALL our sins (past, present, and future) through the ETERNAL redemption that came through the sacrifice of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. (see Colossians 2:13, with Hebrews 9:12, Romans 3:24, 1 Peter 3:18, Ephesians 1:7). But He didn't stop there. He has also promised to remember our sins and lawless deeds NO MORE. (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:17-18). That would’ve been more than enough, but He still didn’t stop there. He also says, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8 :1), and that nobody can bring a charge against God’s elect – the believer. (see Romans 8:33). Then He adds that nothing (including sin) can separate the believer from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (see Romans 8:38-39). God could’ve stopped here, and this would've been way more than enough, but He still didn’t stop here. He also gave us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a seal, a guarantee, or a down-payment of our redemption or forgiveness and salvation in Christ. (see Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). And yet, sin-consciousness makes many believers still doubt their salvation. I sincerely believe that people who continually harbor doubts about their eternal salvation are perhaps not saved; they are perhaps still walking in darkness. They perhaps don’t sincerely believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
But for those of us who sincerely believe in Him, Jesus Christ has indeed done all the work of salvation for us. This is why the Bible calls salvation a GIFT that is given by grace and must be received by faith. (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus lives in the believer (see Colossians 1:27) through the Holy Spirit; He lives in us and through us and continues His work in us. (see Galatians 2:20, with Philippians 2:13). He doesn’t live in us to help us sin; He lives in us to help us live a life of dominion over sin. He has saved us completely. The Bible says, Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV). And thankfully, He has done it for me. I am not waiting to be saved; I believe and I know I am saved because I sincerely believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him as my Lord and Savior. I am not the only believer who is confident of this very thing. The early disciples were all certain about their salvation in Christ. John, the disciple of Jesus, wrote to believers assuring them that they have eternal life (see 1 John 5:13); they were saved. Their salvation was secure, and not dependent on whether or not they would sin in the future. The apostle Paul also, speaking of the believer’s salvation in his letter to the Romans, spoke of it in the past tense. To him, salvation was already an accomplished reality. Thus, he writes, “For we WERE SAVED in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?” (Romans 8:24 NKJV). Paul knew he was saved, together with all the believers he was writing to, including me, and perhaps you, if you believe. In fact Paul was so confident and certain of his salvation that in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 1 verses 21-25, he tells the Philippians that he was in a dilemma, as to whether to go to Christ early or to delay his departure in order to keep ministering to their needs. Every believer should have the same certainty that Paul had, that to be absent or away from the body is to be present or at home with the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven (see 2 Corinthians 5:8). In writing to Timothy for the second time, Paul again puts our salvation in the past tense, writing about how God “HAS SAVED us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9 NKJV). Evidently, Paul knew, as every believer needs to know, that Jesus Christ has by Himself accomplished the task of purifying us from our sins. (see Hebrews 1:3). The forgiveness of our sins is an accomplished work of Jesus Christ, and He wants us to sleep easy, resting in Him and believing that His sacrifice for our sins is done, never to be repeated again. The Bible says Jesus’ blood has purified us of our sins so perfectly that we should have no more consciousness of sin. (see Hebrews 10:2). We should no longer be continually reminded of sin (see Hebrews 10:3), because all our sins have been taken away by Jesus’ precious blood. This is the whole point that is being made in Hebrews 10:1-3. The blood of Jesus is way more powerful than sin. Hallelujah! Yet, many believers unfortunately think more about sin than they think about Jesus. They ascribe more power to sin than they ascribe to the precious blood of Jesus, and then they claim to believe in Jesus. How self-deceived such people are! They confess their sins more than they confess Jesus, who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. (see Hebrews 3:1). The Book of Hebrews says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14 NKJV). Let us continually confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Let us continually confess who the Bible says we truly are in Christ. Let us continually confess what the Bible says we have in Christ. And let us continually confess what the Bible says we can do in Christ (with and through the power (or ability) of the Holy Spirit that was given to us). This should be our confession continually, for we are urged to hold fast our confession. (see Hebrews 4:14). This was also Paul’s prayer for the Church in Ephesus. (see Ephesians 1:15-21). We should be more conscious of He (Jesus our righteousness) that is in us than he (Satan and sin) that is in the world, because He that is in us is GREATER than he that is in the world. (see 1 John 4:4). Yes, sin is in the world, together with Satan (the author of sin); but Jesus (the greater One) is in us, so we have overcome them, and we need to be conscious of Jesus, and not sin.
Beloved, the Bible says that when Christ died (to sin) once for all, we died with Him. (see Romans 6:8). When He was raised to life to live to God, we were raised with Him (see Colossians 3:1) to live to God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and to walk in the newness of life. (see Romans 6:4). So today, instead of thinking about sin all the time and always searching your heart for sins to confess, it would be better if you didn't think about sin at all, because, as a believer, you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. (see Romans 6:11). The more you focus on Jesus and your righteousness in Him, the more you will have the power to live a life of victory and dominion over sin. The believer is indeed dead to sin. This does not, however, mean that sin is dead; sin is still very much alive in our world today. So, in the flesh (or body), the believer might unconsciously sin occasionally if he is not consistently walking in the Spirit. However, you should always renew your mind to the fact that you are dead to sin, so sin doesn't change who you are in Christ. Sin has no power over the believer. If you are truly born again, you have the nature of God (see Ephesians 4:24, with 2 Peter 1:4), and so you have power and dominion over sin. You are now a new creation. (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Your spirit has been re-created. Renew your mind to this fact. You have been created according to God in true holiness and righteousness. (see Ephesians 4:24). And because you are dead to sin, you don't respond to sin.
To understand this more clearly, you need to know or catch a revelation of what death looks like. Have you seen a dead person before? A dead person is dead to life as we know it in the sense realm and does not respond to life. When you are dead to sin, you also don't respond to sin. You don't fellowship with sin. You don't occupy your mind with sin. You and sin have nothing in common. Sin shouldn't be in your consciousness. (see Hebrews 10:1-3). Rather, God should be in your consciousness, because you are alive to God in Christ. Your fellowship is with Christ and with God the Father, not with sin. Your mind should be occupied with Christ and with God the Father, not with sin. You should be thinking about Christ right now, and not about sin. You should present your body as an instrument of righteousness to God (see Romans 6:12-13), because you have been made righteous in Christ. (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). You have been made alive to God in Christ. Don't wake up to sin, because you are dead to sin. Wake up to righteousness, because you are righteous in Christ. The Bible says, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (see 1 Corinthians 15:34). It is only by waking up to your righteousness or being conscious of your righteous identity in Christ that you can live a life of victory over sin, and bear the fruits of righteousness. The Bible says the fruits of righteousness are by Jesus Christ. (see Philippians 1:11). You won’t bear any fruits of righteousness by living in sin-consciousness. It is only by abiding in Christ and allowing His words to abide in you (see John 15:4-7) that you can bear the fruits of righteousness. Believe what the Bible says about you and walk according to the revelation of the Word of God. When you walk according to the Word of God, you will be walking according to the will and purpose of God for your life. This is what the Bible teaches. Believe the Bible; it is God's Word. The Word of God is also called the Word of His Grace (see Acts 20:32). Indeed the Bible is about the GRACE of God. Grace is multiplied to us through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ – the Word. (see 2 Peter 1:2, with John 1:1, 14). And the Bible says that sin shall not have dominion over us because we are not under law but under GRACE. (see Romans 6:14). Amen.
I share this message, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16).
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