Let the doctrine of union with Christ disperse the clouds of doubt and discouragement from your heart. We can rest assured of our salvation because we are united to our Savior. He set us free from the tyranny of sin, called us to live in service to Him, and will not let us go. 

Sanctification

I once heard an older pastor reflecting on his life and ministry. He had recently turned seventy, and someone asked him if anything surprised him about crossing that milestone. Without hesitating, this senior saint answered, “I thought I’d be more sanctified by now.”

I wonder if you’ve ever thought the same thing.

After all, the New Testament says some striking things about our relationship with sin. In Christ, we have been delivered from sin’s penalty. Through his once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus paid the price our sins deserved and bore the wrath we should have faced (Heb. 9:25–28). Covering us with his perfect righteousness, he made us righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). In Christ, we are no longer guilty in God’s sight.

Also, in Christ, we have been delivered from sin’s power. Imagine a medieval castle with high walls, a drawbridge, and a moat. A hostile army approaches, but it can’t get in. But then, tragically, someone inside the city lowers the bridge and opens the gate, allowing the enemy to rush inside. This is what happened in the garden of Eden. Adam opened the door, and sin broke into the world. “Sin came into the world through one man” (Rom. 5:12).

And having entered the world, sin began to reign (Rom. 5:21). We see the evidence of sin’s reign all around us. Sin is the cause of every bit of disease, disaster, discord, decay, and death that plagues us. Creation itself groans in its bondage to corruption (Rom. 8:20–22).

And sin’s throne is firmly fixed within the human heart.

We know this, even if it’s hard to admit. Our hearts are deceptive and “desperately sick” (Jer. 17:9). Out of our hearts flows a whole host of evils (Matt. 15:19). No one needs to teach us pride, selfishness, anger, or lust. These things come naturally to us because sin rules over us.

But when we come into union with Christ, a new ruler takes the throne. None of us had the power to overthrow sin’s tyrannical reign. We were slaves to sin, but Christ came and set us free (John 8:34–36; Rom. 6:20–22). Jesus stormed the castle of our hearts, kicked sin off the throne, and established his rule. He causes us to be born again and gives us a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit to flee from temptation and pursue godliness (Gal. 5:16).

This change is so dramatic, Scripture says that we have “died to sin” (Rom. 6:2).

But this leads to a question often raised by discouraged believers. It goes something like this: If I am dead to sin, why do I still struggle with sin? If my captivity to sin’s tyranny is over, why do I still give in to sin’s demands?

The answer is that although sin’s penalty has been paid and sin’s power has been defeated, sin’s presence remains in the life of every believer. And until this life is done, sin will continue to tempt us.

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