"Reckon Yourself Dead"by Desmond Ford

Romans 6 reveals the secret of overcomingbesetting sins. Paul makes clear that the gospel is the

only source for pure Christian living. When Christ died atCalvary, we died with him. When we are tempted we are to

count ourselves dead. How can we who are dead respondto temptation? Especially when we have risen to

new life with Christ in his resurrection.

Christ's PreciousPromise:

THE BOOK OFROMANS MADE CLEAR-16

[lJ et's move on in Romans 6."How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

(Romans 6:2 RSV).I want to warn you against the King James'

Version. Please don't misunderstand-I love the King James'Version. I think I know more memory verses fromit than any other version. But it's not alwaysaccurate.

The KJV has here "Dead tosin." Several times through-out the chapter we findthe phrase, "We who aredead to sin." Dear friends,I wish it were true-that weare dead to sin.

I am far from being deadto sin. I am as alive and quiv-ering and sensitive to tempta- ..."tion as any person alive. I amnot dead to sin. What the Greekreally says is: "You died to sin." Iheard Roy talking in his lectureabout the 11 uses of "Iogizomai" inRomans 4. Each of the 11 times itmeans a single act, "to reckon" or "count."

In the same way, every time in chapter 6 where Paul talksabout our death to sin, he's talking about the one single actwhen Christ died for us. That's when we died. You see, "Onedied for all, and therefore all died" (2 Corinthians 5: 14 NIV).

The SecretWhat Paul is saying here is the secret for overcoming besettingsins, and the answer to my friend's letter. Of course, only theHoly Spirit can help us see it.

Paul can lay the food on the table. He can't make us eat it.Only the Holy Spirit can do that. I've been to camp meetings,

5

and a woman will come along and say, "Dr. Ford, please comewith me and convert my husband. He's an unbeliever."

I say, "Ma'am, I cannot raise the dead." Some of the thingsI'm going to say to you, now, I suggested to the lady who wroteto me, but only the Holy Spirit can enable her to do them.

Count as God CountsLet's look closely at these verses and dig out the secret:

Verse 4: "We were buried therefore with him bybaptism into death."

We noticed in verse 2: "We who died to sin." Thatmeans we can't live in it. The last part of verse 4 says:"That we too might walk in newness of life."

Verse 6: "We know that our old self was crucified,'/} with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed,

and we might no longer be enslaved to sin."Verse 11: "So you also must consider yourselves dead

to sin."Ah! This is tremendously important. It's more impor-

tant to understand this than to be a multi-multibillionaire.What Paul is saying is, "God counts that your old nature died

with Jesus Christ at Calvary. You are to count as God counts.You are to reckon as God reckons. You are to impute as Godimputes."

Can't Sin if DeadRemember, whatever gets your attention gets you.

If what gets your attention is that you indeed died withJesus Christ, when the devil comes and says, "Do this," you say,"Sorry, I can't. I'm dead."

You don't kick a dead dog. Even the devil will go awayeventually.

When temptation comes, you must do what God does.God reckons you dead, so you reckon you're dead.

You say, "Yes, there was a time when I loved to do that.But I died with Jesus. When I was baptized, I signified that I

accept my incorporation with him on the cross (Romans 6:4-5). The hands that did those things have been crucified. Thefeet that walked to those places have been nailed to the cross.The head that thought those thoughts has received the crownof thorns. I reckon myself dead unto all that."

My friends, it is so if you will believe it.

Bad TemperImagine that you have a bad temper.

I have a very good friend who was brought up by a fatherwho was an atheist. The father exploded in fury just aboutevery day. My friend was in a position of responsibility now,and he exploded, too. But not every day. Another of my friendswould say of him, "Whom he loves is blessed but whom hehates is really cursed." That's because if this man blew up,everyone felt the searing heat of it for some distance.

But I know my friend is a true Christian. His conditioningat home, as a child, made it difficult for him as he entered adultlife. He had a short fuse. He is a good man, a really good man.

I doubt he has the same problem today. It may be still astrong temptation, but I doubt it's the same problem.

The issue is this: suppose you have a short fuse, a shorttemper. Somehow we have to get into the habit of saying, "Yes,my flesh would love to explode in rage, but it has been crucifiedwith Christ. It's in Joseph's new tomb. A stone has been rolledagainst it. There are three days between that life and now. Mydead flesh is corrupt. It stinketh. It's gone."

Christ's flesh did not decay in three days, but our flesh hasbeen in the tomb, not just three days, but for 2,000 years!

When the devil comes to tempt you, you say, "I don't haveto do that anymore. My nature died to that. I don't have to dothat. I'm free."

Whatever gets your attention gets you.

Battle for the MindThe New Testament says in Romans 8, 'To set your mind onthe flesh is death, but to set the mind on the things of theSpirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6 RSV; see also verse 13).It's what you think about a lot that you end up doing. Whenmen indulge in pornographic magazines, they're inviting trou-ble. What you think about you do. When children watch oneviolent TV program after another, don't be surprised if they actout some of the fantasies. What you think about you do.

This is where the battle is, up here, in the mind. The NewTestament says, "Take captive every thought to make it obedi-ent to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). It's a hard battle. It'sa difficult battle. "Count yourselves dead to sin but alive toGod in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6: 11). This is the crux of over-coming besetting sins.

You DiedIt works, and it is the only thing that works. When we see thetruth Roy was talking about-that it's talking about the oneevent at Calvary-we'll understand this verse. "One died forall, therefore all died" (2 Corinthians 5:14). We'll admit it'strue. We won't deny that what it says here is true: "You died."

I find my flesh responsible for a lot of things. I say, "Lord,my spirit says 'No' but my flesh says 'Yes.'" Never doubt it,friend. Our flesh is truly alive and well. That's why the Bible

6

says, "count or reckon (KJV) yourself dead." You wouldn't haveto reckon yourself and your flesh dead if it were so in experi-ence. It would say "recognize yourself dead," not "reckon your-self dead."

Our battle with sin means that we set our minds on thatgreat unity we have with our Lord in his atoning death. Youunderstand that we, too, died at Calvary.

First and Second LooksOur first look at the cross is, "He died for me." Our second lookis, "I died with him."

He died for me, that's justification. I died with him, that'swhat brings sanctification.

We all have loads of besetting sins. If you don't think youhave, ask your spouse! Your spouse will tell you all about them.

We all have besetting sins. To recognize them is step num-ber one. And Romans 6:11 helps us recognize the reality."Count yourselves dead to sin." It's telling us that in ourselveswe are still very much alive to sin-we have many besettingsins. In Christ, we are to count ourselves as though we do not.

We can't do anything about our enemy until we know whohe is. Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us!"Sinners are their own enemy. It is hard to admit, but admit itwe must. We've got to face our problem and to admit, "TheBible says only 'count' myself dead to sin. In myself, I'm notdead. I'm a sinner." Then we have to apply this rule of "Countyourselves dead to sin."

I recommend that we read the paraphrase in The LivingBible. It is very, very good. "So look upon your old sin nature asdead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alertto him, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11 LB).

Devil DestroyedAs I close, I want to comment on one verse in the heart of thepassage we're studying, and that's verse 6: "We know that ourold self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might bedestroyed" (Romans 6:6 RSV).

Here we have the same Greek word "katargeo" that isfound in Hebrews 2:14. There it says of Christ that, "Since thechildren have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanityso that by his death he might destroy him who holds the powerof death-that is, the devil" (NIV). Katargeo means to "renderineffective or powerless, to nullify, cancel, or destroy."

Now, you and I know that the devil is not reallydestroyed. We've probably met him several times today already.But the devil is ineffectual before the eye of faith and the mindof faith. The devil can have no more power over you than yougive him by unbelief.

That's a very important principle, dear friends. The devilcan have no more power over you than you give him by yourunbelief. When Christ has your mind and your heart, when youbelieve what the cross did for you, the devil is a defeated foe.You reckon your old nature as dead, you see yourself as risenwith Christ.

We mustn't accept his death without accepting his resur-

rection. They go together. You should now have a new life, a

new direction. You will stumble, but you are headed in theright direction, the right way. That is the heart of the issue.• :.