Dead to Sin: Unshackled Crowns

"How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it” Romans 6:2b

Imagine someone trying to give orders to a corpse. I get it, it’s a weird morbid thought, but stay with me here. You would assume they’re insane (which you would assume correctly). Despite shouting commands, making threats, or trying to manipulate—the dead body remains completely unresponsive. It’s dead after all! You might be surprised to know this strange image can help us understand the significance of baptism and our relationship with sin.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explains “How shall we who die to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin: (2b-7).

So what does all of this have to do with baptism? The Orthodox Study Bible notes help us understand these verses: “To have died to sin does not mean our human nature has died. Rather, it means we are no longer held captive by it. Thus, it is sin itself that is crucified with Him, and not some kind of ‘sinful nature,’ for sin is what we do, not what we are. We are to be immovable towards sin as something dead would be. When the scripture says in the likeness of his death that means baptism causes a real unity with Christ's death. We also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection is literally translated ‘we shall be of the resurrection’ referring both to the new life of baptism in this world and to eternal life in the age to come. A physical body, once it is dead, makes no response to its environment. So we who died with Christ in baptism must not respond to the prompting of sin, for we are freed from sin."

Baptized and Dead to Sin

Returning to the analogy of the corpse: if someone walks up to a dead body and tries to tempt it with money, power, or pleasure, what happens? Nothing. The corpse has no capacity to respond because it's no longer “aware” of those influences. This is exactly how we should relate to sin after baptism—completely unresponsive to its demands.

You may have heard baptism described as “an outward sign of an inward grace”; while this on its face is true it is of the utmost importance to understand that baptism is not merely an outward symbol it is a radical new reality in which we live. Unfortunately, in modern Christian thinking, there is a struggle to discern between what is figurative and what is literal. Too often we associate most of what we read in scripture as being figurative. We may think ‘Oh our baptism stands for this very truth that Christ gives us power over sin!’ That is incorrect. Our baptism is itself our death to sin! It is not figurative; it is literal! Have you seen your own brain? No, most of us hopefully haven’t, but we know we have a brain! Just because we cannot see our sin die with our own two eyes in our baptism, that does not mean it is not a spiritual reality. To believe otherwise would contradict these very scriptures!

So why would you let something other than Christ have power over you? Why give the enemy influence over your thoughts and actions? Why live like a prisoner when you’ve been set free?

Reckon Yourself Free

Romans 6:11 gives us the key: "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." The word "reckon" means to take action by recognizing the reality of what's already true. You're not trying to become dead to sin—you already are through baptism.

The next time the Enemy tempts you to sin, remember that the Enemy is insane because he is tempting the corpse, Jesus is living in you. In your new baptismal identity, you are no longer a slave to sin but a slave to righteousness (18). You died with Christ. You're free. Sin has no rightful claim on your life. You belong to a new King in a new Kingdom.

If you have not been baptized, then I hope this encourages you to go and get baptized!

Always improve the present moment.