Therefore, if you are in Christ, sin is no longer your superior. You don’t have to listen when it says, “Come to me, no one’s looking.” You have been set free to live in the newness of life and enjoy the benefits of having a Savior who was gracious enough to live, die, rise from the grave, and later ascend to heaven on your behalf (Rom. 6:4, et. al.).

Being in the military for 10 years, I learned a thing or two. Besides learning the value of being physically fit, garnering a better work ethic, and developing team-building skills, one especially important thing I learned was the value of obeying my superiors. When they said, “Come,” I went. When they said, “Listen!,” I obeyed. This, of course, is not exclusively military protocol. It happens in the civilian sector, as well as in home. When a parent assigns a task, her child should listen (Eph. 6:1-2). There is a hierarchy in the home that demands it much like the hierarchy in the work force that demands that supervisors be obeyed.

Sometimes, however, the problem is not with obedience, but in recognizing whom your superiors are. Put differently, the issue at hand is in coming to terms with the one to whom you must submit. It is a beautiful thing for children to submit to their parents in the Lord. Something as simple as having a parent say to his child, “Come!” and they respond with obedience is glorious! Or when a supervisor requests your presence in a meeting and you promptly attend because you work as unto the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31). These things are good and necessary, but parent(s) and supervisors aren’t the only ones who bid you, “Come!” and desire your obedience.

Sin actively bids you, “Come!” and demands your consent. Whether during the daytime or night, sin says, “Come to me. No one’s looking.” And like Adam in the garden, you might find yourself conceding and being obedient to its demands. Sexual union outside of marriage, pornography, and adultery seem to be grip people in such a way that they feel as if they have no way out. But that’s not true! Sin, of the aforementioned kind or any other, is not your superior. There is no reason to listen to its voice. The apostle Paul made that abundantly clear. “For one who has died has been set free [or justified] from sin” (Rom. 6:7; my addition in brackets). What does he mean?

In Romans 6:3-6, among many things, Paul is emphatic that Christians have died with Christ. His death is our death. And it’s not just that “Christ died for you.” That’s true, but Paul presents a fuller picture. It’s the difference between seeing a present under the Christmas tree with your name on it and knowing, “That’s for me,” and on Christmas day, someone giving you that present and saying, “It’s yours.” You can now touch it, unwrap it, and enjoy it knowing that it wasn’t merely for you, but because it’s in your possession it’s actually yours.

The same thing can be said about Christ’s death. It’s actually yours, for you have been “baptized into his death,” “you were crucified with him,” and you are “united [or identified] with him in a death like his.” Your identification with Christ’s death is vitally important because without his death, you remain bound to sin. But because Christ was crucified upon a tree as the wrath of his Father was unleashed upon him, you have been set free, or justified, from sin because in his death, you, too, have died. And because you have died with Christ, your enemy, sin, has been defeated. The proof is in the crucifixion.

One of the enemies of God is sin. He hates it! But upon the rugged tree, Christ was treated as an enemy of God because the sin that reigned and held you in bondage because of Adam’s sin was imputed to him. Sin, therefore, was crushed in Christ’s death, although Christ was vindicated in his resurrection. And now, because his death is your death and you have been crucified with him (Rom. 6:6), you are victorious over the bondage and tyranny of sin that Adam brought into the world.

Therefore, if you are in Christ, sin is no longer your superior. You don’t have to listen when it says, “Come to me, no one’s looking.” You have been set free to live in the newness of life and enjoy the benefits of having a Savior who was gracious enough to live, die, rise from the grave, and later ascend to heaven on your behalf (Rom. 6:4, et. al.).

Will you still struggle with sin? Absolutely! We all do! But it’s not because you’re still in bondage to the reign of sin that was brought into the world by Adam. Rather, it’s because the flesh wars against the spirit (Gal. 5:17). It’s a part of our broken and fallen experience in this world. Nevertheless, don’t lose heart! You have died with Christ and therefore died to sin (Rom. 6:2-3, 7). He was treated like an enemy upon the cross so that you wouldn’t have to be. And now, you have the freedom to be obedient and live in a way that demonstrates the freedom you have in Christ. And so, although sin bids you, “Come!,” Christ’s voice is much louder. Listen to him. You will never be let down.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Leon Brown is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and currently serves as Assistant Pastor at New City Fellowship in Fredericksburg, VA. He holds MDiv and MA degrees from WTS California and is presently pursuing doctoral studies in OT and the Ancient Near East.