This episode introduces the second arena in which believers are called to apply the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to their lives, that of self-denial. While Christians use the paradigm of Christ's death and resurrection as a model for dealing with the cross of sin, closely related, but not the same, is our attitude towards everything we have that is NOT sinful. All of our gifts and talents need to placed at the Master's feet and utilized based on HIS leading. The episode also mentions the cross of persecution, the third area in which we apply the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to our lives. The episode affirms that the three crosses carried by Christians (sin, self-denial, and persecution) are inter-related. Our submission to Christ over sin issues naturally affects how we respond to self-denial in other areas and our attitude towards persecution.
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.