33. Body of Sin Destroyed
Romans 6:6 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.
The promise that the body of sin will be destroyed may possibly be disturbing because we love our bodies and we do not want to see it destroyed. But this promise is really exhilarating and exciting when we realize the death and destruction that is caused by the body of sin. It’s not that the body is bad, but it is that the body of sin is bad and needs to be destroyed. Sin causes all the problems, and Sin as a power resides in the body.
There is nothing in the body that can be saved and improved because of the Sin that pervades it. The only thing that can be done with the old man is that it be crucified and that the body of sin be destroyed. This happened when Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified. This destruction of the body of sin happened to me when I was baptized and believed in Jesus. The result of repentance and faith is that we should not serve sin: sin is dead and it has no power any longer. Power over sin is activated and energized when the Gospel is proclaimed and believed.
Repentance means, in the first place, that I recognize and admit that it is my sin in my body that causes the problems. Faith means that I accept the crucifixion of Christ as the crucifixion of my old man. Then I will not serve sin; I am dead to it. The new man with a renewed spirit will not serve sin, but he will serve the new Lord of his life, the Lord of Love and the Lord of Life.
We are still responsible to preserve, protect and make healthy the body God gave us to live in. We don’t destroy health and life. But the body permeated with sin, which is actually in the selfish soul, is destroying us. The Gospel miraculously destroyed the body of sin without destroying the body. The Gospel saves the body and restores it to its original immortal intention. We can’t change it, but we leave it up to God to change this vile body to be like His glorious body through physical death and physical resurrection; then: “we shall be changed.”