The Key to Life is Death: Romans 6 in Depth

We cannot live for Jesus if we are not willing to die for Jesus.

The secret of Christian growth is to get the old self out of the way so that the new born-again self will grow without or with minimal hindrance.

The Goal:

Reckon yourself dead to sin.
Romans 6:11

Romans 8:13

This is a pre-requisite to living in the Spirit, being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit and to the path of holiness.

The secret of Christian growth is to get the old self out of the way so that the new born-again self will grow without or with minimal hindrance.

The Problem:

We cannot live for Jesus if we are not willing to die for Jesus.
John 12:24,25

Matthew 16:26

Mark 8:34-36

Luke 9:23-25
2 Corinthians 4:10,11

Dying to sin and/or dying to self becomes easier when we are are willing to die for Jesus. Other than that, it will always be a struggle because there is no such commitment.
2 Timothy 2:11
1 Peter 2:24

Romans 6:4,5
Romans 6:8

The Motivation:

It is the utmost irony that this subject in this day and age is communicated to those who have walked with the Lord for a long time and on the road to maturity. When Christianity started, the principles that I am sharing here are introduced to anyone who is challenged with the claims of Christ for the very first time prior to any conversion.

In the first century, receiving Christ as Lord was some kind of suicide. You would be ostracized by your Jewish family. You could be charged for treason by the Romans for your allegiance to a different king or kingdom. You could be imprisoned, stoned to death without due process, fed to the lions, martyred in the gladiator arenas. So if one is able to commit to death for his Lord, then and only then is he prepared to live for the King and his kingdom.

It is a divine appointment I believe that I write this portion of my blog in front of the famous Manny Pacquiao in his living room at his LA residence. The past month of his life has been battered with ridicule especially from the homosexual community and cost him a lucrative contract with Nike based on his remarks at a recent press conference about a lifestyle that even lower life forms in the animal kingdom are able to instinctively distinguish correct sexual orientation. 

I believe that his comments, brazen but brave come from a man who has such a commitment and knowing fully well that it involves sacrifices one is willing to give if he has already given his life to Jesus. He has counted the cost and was willing and ready to pay it. As I interviewed him about his personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, I can sense that here is a man who is willing to give his life for Christ.

You renounce the world and worldly things and set your sights on things above. This is something that is impossible to perform unless we are willing to die or give up our lives for Christ.