So also consider yourself dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.
(1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
but the life he lives, he lives to God
So also consider yourself dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.
(Romans 6:9-11)
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
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Sisters and Brothers,
What does it mean to be “dead to sin”?
Many people believe being dead to sin is an impossibility. All of life, they believe, is a continual fight against our inclination to sin. The best we can hope for is forgiveness.
While the forgiveness of our sins is a wonderful blessing, forgiveness is not God’s greatest blessing. The complete and total freedom from the power of sin, that is God’s greatest gift.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement called this second blessing sanctification. In a letter written to a friend in September 1790, Wesley wrote that entire sanctification, also known as Christian Perfection, was the reason God raised up the Methodist movement in the first place.
"This doctrine [Sanctification] is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists; and for the sake of propagating this chiefly He appeared to have raised us up."
Wesley believed, as do I, that Christ’s victory over sin and death is absolute, total, and complete and that we do not have to wait until the moment of death to experience complete liberation. Sanctification, freedom from the power of sin, is the gift God wants for you today.
The question is, do you want to be free?
Do you want to experience the transformation of mind, heart, will, and character God wants to work in you through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
I invite you to read
Galatians 5:19-25
and simply ask yourself this question: Which list do I want my life to look like? Would I rather my life to be marked by the works of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit?
The journey to complete sanctification begins when we truly desire and sincerely pray that we are “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Grace & Peace,
Rev. Donnie Wilkinson
PS: If you would like to read more about John Wesley’s understanding of Christian Perfection you can read
A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
. It is written in 18th century English so it may be a bit difficult to understand, however, I believe, it is well worth your time.
