devo_whynotsin

¹What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
⁵If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ⁶For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,^[1] that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- ⁷because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

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"If salvation is a gift, what's to keep me from sinning?" Perhaps you've asked that question yourself a time or two, or perhaps someone has asked it of you. Fortunately, Paul anticipated that question and gave a pointed answer. Why not sin? Because as a believer, you are spiritually identified with Jesus in his death and resurrection. And because sin has no power over Jesus, it has no power over you or over others who are united with him.

So, then are Jesus' followers free from sinful appetites? No (although they wish they could be!), but those appetites no longer have unbridled power over them. Think of sin and its effects as a motorcycle with a disconnected chain. The engine (sin) still has great power, but it can't turn the wheels (action). Similarly, for followers of Jesus, the chain that drives their sinful activity has been disconnected. Their sinful motor is still there, and at times they may re-engage the chain. But the more they realize they're liberated from sin's power, the more they find themselves living free of its appetites.

If you've accepted Jesus' resurrection, you no longer have to pray for power over sin. You already have that. Instead, pray that you'll utilize the power you have. Ask for the grace you need to stand in the freedom Jesus has given you.