Died with the Lord - Dead to Sin

When the Lord Jesus was crucified, He not only died in the place of sinners so as to open for them a living way to God and give them eternal life, He took sinners with Him to the cross as well. If the effect of the cross were limited to the substitutional side—that is to say, were limited to that which causes sinners not to perish but have eternal life, the salvation of God would be incomplete. For the one who has believed in Jesus Christ and been saved (see Acts 16.31) still lives in a world where temptations are many and the Devil is actively deceiving people. Furthermore, the sinful nature within the believer frequently bestirs itself so that in spite of his being saved he finds he is not able to overcome sin and be free from it in this present world. For this reason, in saving men, the Savior must accomplish a two-fold work: save people from the penalty of sins, and, more so, save them from the power of sin. By dying on the cross for sinners, He saves them from the penalty of sins, which is the eternal fire of hell. By taking sinners with Him to the cross, He delivers them from the power of sin—that is, from the old nature.

Sin does not come from outside; it is there within us. If sin came from outside, it would have no power over us. But sin dwells within us; hence, it is fatal to us. Temptation comes from outside, and sin dwells within us. Being the descendants of Adam, we all have inherited his nature. This natural disposition is old, corrupted and defiled. Sinful man has this sin factor in him. So, whenever outside temptation comes, it is responded to from within, and thus a sin is committed. For example, due to the presence of a proud nature in us (sometimes this is quite hidden), we are given the opportunity to be proud as soon as outside temptation comes. Because of the heart of jealousy in us, we become jealous when we are tempted to see others’ superiority over us. Owing to the fact that we have an anxious nature in us, we become anxious when tempted. Hence, all the sins which people commit come from the old man within.

This old man—the sin factor—is corrupted beyond repair or transformation. It cannot be remade or redeemed. God’s way of dealing with the old man is to put it to death. He will give us a new life, a new nature. The old man must die. As to all our sinful acts, the word of God commands us to go to the precious blood of the Lord Jesus and be washed: "the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1.7); "unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood" (Rev. 1.5). All these sins refer to sinful acts which we commit outwardly. But as to the sin factor—the old man—the Scriptures never command us to have it washed. God’s word does not say that the old man needs to be washed; no, it says the blood of Jesus Christ washes sins, not washes the old man. The latter is to be crucified. This is the word of God.