July 13 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

In verse 11, the apostle told us that the battle is won. He says, in effect, "Look, it's past, it's over; you did die and you have been raised." But then in verse 12 he tells us to wage the war, to keep on fighting: "Don't let sin reign in you."

That's exactly what it means to live the new life of faith. The gospel declares that everything is finished and done. We are in Christ, and therefore we have died and have been raised. We have been punished for our sins in Christ, and we have begun the new life in Christ. The old dominion of sin has been broken. Now we live for God in Christ Jesus.

The gospel gives us this good news as a message that we must believe. But it also passes on the message in the form of a command: "Do not offer any part of yourself to sin ... but rather offer yourselves to God." Every aspect of who we are and how we express ourselves — our bodies, our minds, our thinking, our talking, our doing — must be dominated by our new Master, not by the old one.

This is both a message and a command. If you believe the message, you will obey the command. And by obeying the command, you show your faith in the message.

The gospel declaration that we are in Christ Jesus is not a magic formula, for the other side of the coin is the gospel's command. Faith is followed by fight. From now on we may not allow the devil to use us as "instruments of wickedness." Rather, our whole being is devoted to God.

This is the tension of the new life. The tension itself is a sign of the presence of the new life. We are always fighting — or else we are not believing. And we will win, because Christ has won. We stand and fight by his power.

The price of our new freedom is constant vigilance. Pray and watch every hour. Our lives must show who is really Lord. And he must have his way with us.

REFLECTIONS

How do you experience the "the tension of the new life"?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.