Wednesday, May 13. Romans 7:1-6.

Have you ever seen a dead body? I’m not talking about a grotesque accident or murder scene like you see in the movies. If you have seen that in real life, then that is an entirely different type of trauma and I’m sorry for you. I’m talking about the type of body you would see at a funeral.

You can tell instantly that a body is dead and not sleeping, because it is absolutely still. Zero movement. Even a sleeping person still has lots of movement. The heart is pumping blood through the veins, the lungs are gently rising and falling. The eyes flicker from time to time. Life is movement. Death is complete motionlessness.

If a person were sleeping, you could jump next to them and scream really loud and they would suddenly jerk awake. It’s pretty funny (be careful to be out of arms reach if you try this, btw). But, if a person is dead…nothing. Yell and scream all you want. Silence. Stillness. Nothing.

Paul says, in our reading today, that we are dead to the law, and dead to sin. Think about that. All of the things that used to trick us or trap us into destructive thinking or behavior; we are dead to it. It can jump and scream at us. Nothing. It has no power.

How are we dead? We died with Jesus on the cross. Jesus took us, who were enslaved to Sin and Death, with him on the cross and we died with him. Now, through his resurrection, we have been brought to a new kind of life. We have been set free from Sin and Death and now have life in the Spirit of God, to produce the fruit of the Spirit which is love.

This, of course, is easier said than done. Our deadness to Sin and Death is the truth of our state before God, but we still struggle with believing we are dead. Most of the time we still think we’re just sleeping. Sin tries to wake us up all the time.

As you move into this day, remember this. Sin and Death have no power over you. You are dead to them. Your life is in the Spirit. You are free! Enjoy your freedom!