As such, we can never use our bodies for sinful purposes because doing so would equal death. "Serving sin produces death," whereas serving God produces the fruit of holiness, and in the end, eternal life," (Copeland 2009). As Paul puts it in the book of Romans, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Romans 6:22-3).
Putting this new way of life into practice is not easy, because the temptations of the flesh are everywhere around us. We live in a consumer society, driven by constant acquiring of material goods and the satisfaction of worldly pleasures. To withstand such social pressures requires absolute faith and trust in God. The primary means of withstanding temptation is by reading scripture. Daily readings remind us of the truth of Christian living, the purpose behind the gospel, and how we can spread the word of the gospel by our example even more powerfully than by our own words.
Reading scripture reminds us of the simple truths that can lead us back to Christ. For example, reading Romans 6 reminds us that sin results in death -- in spiritual death. Paul exclaims, "What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!" (Romans 6:21). The strong language and references to death should alert us to the consequences of our sinful actions. To act in slavery to sin is to invite death; to resist temptation is to invite God. We make the choice with our body, as each act shall be judged by God. As Copeland (2009) puts it, being reborn in Christ we become instruments of the Holy Spirit: "But rather present our bodies as instruments of righteousness, for we are under grace."
A second way of developing greater godly power for daily Christian living is by participating in Christ's...
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