LET NOT SIN REIGN OVER YOU

Romans 6:12-14 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Paul begins the thought of this lesson with sin being personified - with sin represented as a person possessing the ability to reign as the ruler of your mortal body. Sin is represented as an evil king; a tyrant; a cruel and oppressive master, having the ability to exercise control over a human being. We find the thought brought out by David in Psalm 19:13, and again in Psalm 119:133, that sin has the ability to have dominion over a person. Satan, through the allurement of sin, is constantly looking for any way possible to gain and maintain control of every person on earth. How does the devil exercise control over us? How does sin ...reign in your mortal body? Paul tells us that it takes place when we obey, or give in to, our human lusts - ourhuman passions.It is through one's human lust of the flesh, that sin reigns over mankind.

Paul confesses, in his letter to Titus, that in times past he, as well as many other Christians, were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another (Titus 3:3). This he also confessed to the church at Ephesus. He wrote that we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (Eph. 2:3). James also tells us of the controlling power of sin through the temptation of lust. He wrote, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:14-15).

The lesson that Paul teaches the Roman Christians, in this inspired writing, is that sin can only reign over mankind when they allow it to do so. As he wrote to Titus, Paul says that we all have the ability to accept or reject the tyrannical reign of sin - that we should not let sin reign over us by yielding to worldly lusts. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:12). In life we are assured that worldly lusts exist and will forever exist. Sin confronts us daily, and cannot be hidden from our thoughts and sight. Only by knowing that it does exist, can we recognize it, and, only through this recognition, can it be avoided. Ungodliness and worldly lust is to be denied access into our lives. In order to deny sin to rule our lives, our hearts (our minds) must be filled with the desire to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Where there is no physical impairment, our minds control all members of our bodies - our hands, our feet, our tongues, etc. Minds that are under the control of sin, through lust, will direct feet to go to the wrong places, hands to do the wrong things, and tongues to speak evil. Such members would be instruments of unrighteousness. Giving ourselves to God - yielding our members to His control, our hands, feet and tongues, will deny their control to sin, and accomplish only deeds of righteousness unto God.

Within the body of Jesus Christ, His church, Christians can be free from the reign and bondage of sin. Being free, our feet will travel the pathway of righteousness, our hands will demonstrate our love for God by filling the physical needs of others, and our tongues will glorify God by preaching and teaching the word of God to every soul, having an open and receptive heart, and is truely searching for the hope of salvation through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is true that sin, through lust, can never be destroyed. As long as we inhabit our mortal bodies here on earth, Christians must struggle to overcome the temptations of sin. But under God's grace, as long as Jesus Christ, our King rules in our hearts, sin can never have dominion over our lives.

It is appropriate to close this lesson with this quotation from the apostle, John. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever (1 John 2:15-17).