Dead to Sin?

Meditation for a Snowy Tuesday Morning:

1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Col 3:5a Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;

Oh Precious Father, I confess there is much in me that is not dead to sin. I know that in my flesh
dwells no good thing. It has strong desires that war against desires of the new man which You have
formed in me by Thy Holy Spirit. The Scriptures do not say this in vain.

“I keep under my body,” the holy apostle wrote. It means to beat black and blue, to smite so as to
cause bruises and livid spots, or like a boxer one buffets his body, handle it roughly, discipline by
hardships.

What a sissy I am to seek ease and comfort for the body when we are called to endure hardships as
good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

I know that those old hermits and monks of ancient days did not do right by reading this literally, for
such ascetic exercises do not mortify sin, but often lead to pride and arrogance. Neither will it avail to
cut off the offending members, for Christ did not speak in the concrete, either. It goes much deeper
than that.

For the root of sin is not in the body, for it is the servant of sin and not the cause of sin itself. The
Apostle also wrote, “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.”

I must deny myself, not just my body, for the root of sin is in my heart, it is me. I am the sinner and
my flesh is the instrument of my sin. I must yield myself to Christ in a kind of death, giving up
myself to Him for life and for death, for He purchased me with the blood of His cross.

No death of mine can atone for my sins. You, precious Lord Jesus, did that by the blood of Your
cross on which You died on Mt. Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem, made a curse for me and
purchasing for me a perfect righteousness which is not my own. This You did because I was
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

But, ah! How far am I from being conformed to Christ!! I am the sinner, O Precious Father, not my
fingers, my toes, my tongue, my eyes, or my ears. Oh, I would take up my cross and follow You, dear
Master, for I am not my own; I was bought with a price, even the precious blood of Christ and I must
not allow sin to rule over me.

So I give up myself to You, Oh Christ my God; my flesh and bone and all my body as a living
sacrifice of thanksgiving to You, for You alone are worthy. Oh, what matchless grace that you would
accept the service of such as I! Because you were crucified for me, let me be a living sacrifice offered
up to You in newness of life, to the praise and glory of Christ forever. Amen and Amen

Heidelberg
Catechism Questiion 115
http://www.trinity-covenant.org/Creeds.htm