This episode further explains the process of self-mortification in which believers know and consider themselves "dead to sin," based on the historical fact that the "old was self was crucified with Christ." (Rom. 6:6) The natural application of the death of Christ to Christian life is rejection and even mortification of the flesh's desire to manifest itself. While the old self was in fact crucified with Christ, this sin nature is still with us, and can even rule us, if we don't consider ourselves dead to sin. For this reason, Christians are called to "bear their cross," and consider themselves "dead to sin," even as the flesh is screaming to express itself, resulting in short-term pain. Consider Christ's command to those struggling with sexual temptation..."gouge out your eye and throw it far from you." (Mt. 18:9) This mortification of the flesh is not however an end in itself, but a necessary condition if we would walk in the newness of life. The whole goal of Christian sanctification is not the destruction of desire, but its reorientation and subjection to the will of God. We consequently present our members as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 8:13)
The Old Self: Dead Man Walking
This episode applies the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to sanctification, which rests on the historical fact that "the old self was crucified with Christ." (Romans 6:6) The result, the verse concludes, is "that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin." All sanctification rests on this fact, so believers do well to KNOW this and subsequently CONSIDER themselves "dead to sin, but alive to Christ. (Romans 6:11). "Knowing" which goes on to "Considering" is the process of applying the death, burial, and resurrection to our new life in Christ. The episode emphasizes that this new life in Christ is not automatic. Christians must do the work of knowing and considering to benefit from the historical fact that our old self was crucified with Christ. The result, that "the body of sin MIGHT be done away with," largely depends on Christian identification and application of this fact. This "already/not yet" dynamic largely explains why many believers are still, to some extent, slaves to sin.
Identify with the Costs as Well as the Benefits
This episode applies the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to sanctification, specifically how we gain the victory over sin. Romans 6:7 states that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. Victory over sin begins with identification with the historical fact that our old self was crucified with Christ, and the result is that we are no longer slaves to sin. The key variable linking this historical fact with liberation from sin is the degree we identify with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. The goal, that "the body of sin might be done away with," largely depends on our active application of the death of Christ to our own sin. And the application of the resurrection, as we learn in later episodes, is that we rise to the newness of life. So before we naturally identify with the resurrection of Christ, we should also readily identify with Christ's death, which energizes us to mortify the flesh.
Get a Life
Coming mostly from Romans 6:4-6, this initial episode affirms that Christ is the model for sanctification, and the natural application of the resurrection of Christ to everyday life is the vigilant pursuit of His life. Identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ leads to walking "in the newness of life." While the passage mostly addresses the Christian hope of physical resurrection, our future resurrection is foreshadowed by regeneration and subsequent embrace of the life of Christ. Sanctification largely corresponds to the realization that "the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63) and needs to die--hence we unite ourselves to Christ in the likeness of His death. This self-mortification clears the way for the life of Christ to become more prevalent, as we progressively walk more and more in the newness of life.