What did Paul mean in Romans 6:12 by, let not sin therefore reign (reign as king) in your mortal body? What does this mean for the lives of Christians, who have become a new creation through regeneration in Christ?
The light and the darkness
A day is divided into two parts; the light that reigns in the day and the darkness that reigns in the night. The people belong to the day and not to the night. Therefore people live during the day and sleep at night, although there are some exceptions. The light and the darkness both reign on earth.
It’s the same in the spiritual realm, where there are two kingdoms. Ijọba Ọlọrun, which is the Kingdom of Light, where Jesus Christ is King and reigns, àti ìjọba Bìlísì; òkunkun, where the devil is king (the ruler) and reigns.
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world and is holy and righteous and represents the holiness and righteousness of God and represents life.
Awon, who are born again in Christ and are born of God, are transformed from the darkness into the light and belong to God (Oh. Kolosse 1:13-14).
They are no longer sons of the devil, but they have become sons of God and shall obey God the Father and His Word and walk holy and righteous after the Spirit in the light.
The devil is not holy and doesn’t belong to God, but is an archangel, who has fallen from his position through his pride and disobedience to God, and has established his own kingdom on earth through his lies and deception.
The devil is the ruler of the world; òkunkun, and is a liar and has sinned from the beginning and represents sin, iniquity, and death.
Awon, who belong to him through natural birth, shall obey him and walk after the flesh in darkness, ninu ese, and iniquity.
The sons of God and the sons of the devil
Awọn ọmọde kekere, kí ẹnikẹ́ni má ṣe tàn yín jẹ: ẹni tí ó bá ń ṣe òdodo, olódodo ni, even as he is righteous. Ẹni tí ó bá ń dẹ́ṣẹ̀ láti ọ̀dọ̀ Bìlísì ni; nítorí Bìlísì ti ń dẹ́ṣẹ̀ láti ìbẹ̀rẹ̀. Nitori idi eyi li a fi Ọmọ Ọlọrun hàn, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Ẹnikẹ́ni tí a bí láti ọ̀dọ̀ Ọlọrun kò dẹ́ṣẹ̀; for his seed remaineth in him: kò sì lè ṣẹ̀, nitoriti a bi i lati odo Olorun. Ninu eyi awọn ọmọ Ọlọrun farahan, ati awon omo Bìlísì: ẹnikẹni ti ko ba nṣe ododo kì iṣe ti Ọlọrun, bẹ̃ni ẹniti kò fẹ arakunrin rẹ̀ (1 John 3:7-10)
The life of a person proves, who the person belongs to and obeys. Because as Jesus said, you will recognize the tree by its fruits (Matteu 7:15-19, Luke 6:43-45).
Nitorina, if someone says, that he or she belongs to God, but lives in sin (persevere in sin), it proves that the person doesn’t belong to God, since the nature has not changed, because the nature of the old man wants to keep sinning and please himself instead of God.
People can have all kinds of opinions and findings and don’t agree with God and therefore change the words of God in such a subtle manner, that it seems that God tolerates everything and accept every lifestyle, but the Word of God; the Truth of God, is settled forever and shall eventually judge everyone according to his works (Ka tun: God’s Word is settled forever! And Let de Word be your judge).
You can submit to God and His Word and obey the Word or you can reject God through disobedience to His Word (Ka tun: God from many churches?).
But the grey area, tolerance of sin, and compromising with the world, do not exist in the Kingdom of God, but are imaginations aka lies of people, which derived from a darkened carnal mind.
Let sin no longer reign as king in your mortal body
Nítorí náà ẹ má ṣe jẹ́ kí ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ jọba nínú ara kíkú yín, ki enyin ki o le ma gboran si ninu ifekufe re. Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kí ẹ má ṣe fi àwọn ẹ̀yà ara yín sílẹ̀ gẹ́gẹ́ bí ohun èlò àìṣòdodo fún ẹ̀ṣẹ̀: ṣugbọn ẹ fi ara nyin fun Ọlọrun, bí àwọn tí ó wà láàyè nínú òkú, ati awọn ẹya ara nyin bi ohun elo ododo si Ọlọrun. Nítorí ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ kò ní jọba lórí yín: nitori ẹnyin kò si labẹ ofin, sugbon labẹ ore-ọfẹ (Romu 6:12-14)
Knowing this, let’s have a look at Romans 6:12, where Paul commanded not to let sin reign (reign as king) in the mortal body.
When does sin reign as king in your life? Sin reigns as king in your life, if you obey the lust of the flesh that goes against the will of God and His Word and Spirit, and you keep doing the works of the flesh, which are the works of unrighteousness.
The lies of a fallen world and the eternal sinner are often cited to embrace and accept sin and serve sin and therefore let sin reign as king in life (Ka tun: Can you use the broken world as an excuse? ati Do you always remain a sinner?).
Instead of Christians obeying the Word and separating themselves from the world and having no fellowship with the works of darkness and don’t do the works of the flesh, but living from their new position in Christ and their new nature and submitting to God and His Word and live after the Spirit, they keep living after the flesh as a sinner.
Why is that? The main reason is false doctrines that are preached from the pulpits. There are many unspiritual people behind the pulpits, who may have a lot of Biblical knowledge and are charismatic and eloquent, but are not born again and don’t have the Holy Spirit abiding in them, and don’t see the Kingdom of God, because they have not entered the Kingdom of God and therefore they can’t represent and bring the Kingdom of God to the people. But they are still the old creation, who belong to the darkness and do the works of darkness and preach lies from their human carnal unrenewed mind (Ka tun: Many pastors are leading the sheep into the abyss ati False doctrines that are an insult to God).
If you constantly keep hearing, that you are poor and that you have no power and that you are a sinner and that you will always remain a sinner, and that it doesn’t matter to God how you live, then you shall always have a victim mentality and live as a prisoner of the devil and a victim of death and sin shall reign as king in your life.
You have been made free from sin in Christ
But the truth is, that in Christ Jesus you have been made free from sin, death, and hell. Jesus Christ has overcome the death. Jesus has broken the covenant between man and death and the agreement between man and hell. Jesus Christ has the keys of hell and death and is glorified and seated above all principality, agbara, alágbára, ati ijọba, àti gbogbo orúkọ tí a dárúkọ. If you are born in Christ then you have received all power and all authority in Him to reign over sin and the will of the flesh (Ka tun: How Jesus broke the covenant with death and the agreement with hell).
If you have been delivered from the power of darkness and death, you shall no longer do the works of darkness and bear the fruit of death, eyi ti o jẹ ẹṣẹ.
You shall no longer yield your members as instruments (weapons) of unrighteousness unto sin, and you shall no longer walk in uncleanness in disobedience to God (in lawlessness), but you shall yield to God and yield your members as instruments of righteousness unto God and walk holy in obedience to God and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Ka tun: What is the armor of light? ati What is the armor of darkness?)
The new creation is not under the law but under grace
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, sugbon labẹ ore-ọfẹ? God forbid. Ẹ kò mọ̀, ki ẹnyin ki o fi ara nyin jiṣẹ fun lati gbọ, iranṣẹ rẹ̀ li ẹnyin iṣe ti ẹnyin ngbọ́ si; ìbáà jẹ́ ti ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ sí ikú, tabi ti igboran si ododo? Sugbon a dupe lowo Olorun, ti enyin ti je iranse ese, ṣugbọn ẹnyin ti gbọ́ lati ọkàn wá iru ẹkọ́ ti a fi nyin lelẹ. Ti di ominira lati ese, ẹnyin di iranṣẹ ododo.
Mo sọ̀rọ̀ gẹ́gẹ́ bí ti ènìyàn nítorí àìlera ara yín: nítorí bí ẹ̀yin ti fi àwọn ẹ̀yà ara yín sílẹ̀ fún ẹ̀mí àìmọ́ àti fún ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ fún ẹ̀ṣẹ̀; Bẹ́ẹ̀ gẹ́gẹ́ nísinsin yìí, ẹ fi àwọn ẹ̀yà ara yín di ìránṣẹ́ fún òdodo sí ìjẹ́mímọ́. Nítorí nígbà tí ẹ̀yin jẹ́ ẹrú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀, ẹnyin ti bọ́ lọwọ ododo. Èso wo ni ẹ ní nígbà náà nínú ohun tí ojú ń tì yín nísinsin yìí? nitori opin nkan wọnni ikú.
Ṣugbọn nisinsinyi ti a ti sọ di ominira kuro ninu ẹṣẹ, ki o si di iranṣẹ Ọlọrun, ẹnyin ni eso nyin si ìwa-mimọ́, ati opin ìye ainipẹkun. Nítorí ikú ni èrè ẹ̀ṣẹ̀; ṣugbọn ẹ̀bun Ọlọrun ni iye ainipẹkun nipasẹ Jesu Kristi Oluwa wa (Romu 6:15-23)
If you have become a new creation and your flesh has died in Christ and your spirit is raised from the dead, then you have been made free from sin and death and death shall no longer reign over you, since you are no longer under the law but under grace.
Nitorina, if you say that you are no longer under the law but under grace, you shall no longer walk in disobedience to God and His Word in sin, but you shall do what God says in His Word and live in obedience after His will.
If you keep walking after the flesh in disobedience to God and keep doing the works of the flesh, which God revealed in His Word, and therefore persevere in sin, then you have not been made free in Christ from sin and you are not under grace, but you still live under the law, ti o joba ninu ara.
A son of God obeys God and does the will of the Word and the Spirit, whereby Christ reigns as King.
A son of the devil obeys the devil, who is the ruler of the world, and does the will of the flesh (the body and mind), whereby sin reigns as king.
Don’t be deceived by the words of people, but believe the words of God, which are the truth.
Ọrọ naa sọ, that everyone, who sins (perseveres in sin) doesn’t know God and doesn’t belong to God, but belongs to the devil. Through obedience and righteousness, the sons of God are revealed and through disobedience and sin the sons of the devil are revealed (o.a. Titus 1:16, 1 John 1:5-7; 2:3-6; 3:4-24).
Kí ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ má ṣe jọba mọ́, but let Christ; ỌRỌ náà, reign as King in your life!
‘Jé iyọ̀ ayé’
