“3 Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His Death?

4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3-4

As for me, I am crucified with Jesus.  Baptized into His Death, Jesus became my Substitute for sin’s penalty when He willingly gave His Life for mine on Calvary’s Cross. Being buried with Him, my past sins are atoned AND they are entombed; buried and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered again.

With my sins atoned and entombed in the Death of Jesus, my sin nature no longer reigns in my heart. The Holy Spirit dethroned the reigning monarch in my heart.  My sin nature’s dominion is laid waste by the entrance of Grace and I begin to walk in the newness of life.

Grace reveals the true character of my heart, precept upon precept and line upon line, a correction begins to take place. When these corrections, rebukes and instructions occur I am brought to a point of decision. This character of my heart can humble or harden depending on the choice made. Sometimes the choices are easy, while at others they seem impossible. However, the Holy Spirit quickly reminds me that all things are possible with God.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17

With sin no longer having it’s dominion, I can now partake in God’s Divine Nature when I’m at the point of decision. Before being baptized into Jesus’ death and buried with Him, I had no choice…I could not partake in God’s Divine Nature and walk in newness of life. Sin’s dominion would never allow me to partake. If such were so, the Cross of Christ was in vain. God forbid no! The entrance of Grace through my faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, not only entombed my past sins but broke the power of sin in my life.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under Grace.” Romans 6:14

Do I sometimes stumble? Yes. Am I perfect? Absolutely not (No, you’re not allowed to speak with my husband). But the important part is this, sin no longer has dominion over me. When I do stumble, I go back to the same place where I was crucified with Christ, the Cross.  I go back to the same place where my sins are entombed and buried with Christ and ask the Lord for forgiveness.

When I go back to the Cross of Christ, I’m not going to get saved again.  My faith has never faltered from the Cross of Christ for Salvation but perhaps my faith was in my abilities to control a situation which I had no control over. What I should have given to the Lord, I tried to handle myself and made an utter mess out of the entire situation. The entrance of Grace poured out on Calvary’s Cross by the Blood of Jesus, gives me the ability to submit unto God for help or continue on in my own efforts to overcome.  The Cross of Christ is a place I must go daily for the Grace to see me through the day (2 Cor. 12:9).  Denying myself, I pick up God’s Grace (my cross) and follow Jesus DAILY…not just on Sunday morning (Luke 9:23).

There was a time in my life as a born again Believer that I was bound by cigarettes. As much as I hated them, they had me on a short chain. I would ask the Lord to forgive me and daily it seems I would try to quit. What so many fail to realize is that forgiveness is not deliverance. My faith was in the Cross of Christ for forgiveness of my sin but I did not yet understand faith in the Cross of Christ for deliverance of my sin. I did not understand the entrance of Grace through faith in the Death of Christ for my Salvation which atoned and entombed my sin was the same Grace which delivers from the power of sin.

Because my faith was not in the Cross of Christ for deliverance from cigarettes but my own strength, Grace did not give me dominion over my sin nature. With my faith being in my self efforts and self will, I was not giving the Holy Spirit latitude to isolate my sin nature and break the power of sin. I could not partake in God’s Divine Nature in this area of my life, while in other areas I was experiencing victory.

“For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death.” Romans 8:2

Then came the revelation of the “Message of the Cross” and I began to understand how to receive God’s Grace to give me dominion over my sin nature and deliver me from cigarettes…faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus which broke the power of sin, allows the Holy Spirit latitude to do His Work in the hearts of Believers and we walk in the newness of life and the likeness of His Resurrection.

“5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His Death, we shall be also in the likeness of His Resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:5-6

This is my story. However, there are many, many more.  An army is being raised up who can testify to the message of the Cross of Christ being the power of God unto us who are saved (1 Cor. 1:18). This is our victory afforded each and every Child of God through the Cross of Christ.  The giants are falling.  Don’t take lightly the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Forsake the religious racket with it’s vain philosophies being presented as doctrine and be determined to know nothing else among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).

-Donna Clark Warren