Every believer wants to get better at something. Break a bad habit. Be a better spouse. Grow in patience. Walk in holiness.
God promised every one of us a new life in him. A life set free from sin. In Christ, sin has no claim or dominion over us. He offers the gift of a new nature. A new temperament. One that is steadfast with faith, godliness, and self-control.
But we wrestle with ourselves. We want good outcomes. We want self-control. We want a new nature. And our old habits keep getting in the way. We fall short over and over again.
Good news. Jesus wants you set free. He has made a way for every believer to have a new life with a new nature. Free from bad habits. Free from broken promises. Free from defeat.
The key verse is Romans 6:11: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
The Greek word for “consider” is logizomai. To deem, determine, decide, impute, account. This is not wishful thinking. It is a decisive act of faith.
WHO You Are Is WHAT You (Will) Do, Until It’s Second Nature
The first step to trading the old nature for something new is to make a decision. Claim your new identity in Christ and all that goes with it.
How we identify ourselves, in our own minds, is essential to changing behavior in a way that sticks. Most people go at this in the opposite direction. They try to change from the outside in. Imagine a desired outcome. Muster sheer willpower to do things in pursuit of the goal. Then hope that maybe, at some point later, the things they did will have changed who they are.
No surprise, it does not work.
Romans 6:11 confirms this. If you want to change in a way that sticks, first consider yourself to be a new person. A person who has the nature you are pursuing. Then prove this choice to yourself by making the little decisions it takes to get there.
It is no longer what you do determining your identity. It is your identity (who you are already on the inside) determining what you will do. One small choice at a time.
The will is involved. Who you are is what you will do. If you will not do the little things, then you are lying to yourself. If you say you will, it is the small acts of faith that demonstrate who we are.
“I’m just set in my ways.” Guess how that plays out.
“That’s just not me.” Guess what you will never do.
“I can’t quit this bad habit.” Guess what you will never achieve.
We change from the inside out, not the outside in. Romans 3:28 says, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” And ten times in Romans 4, Paul states that Abraham’s inner faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:6 promises that God “counts righteousness apart from works.”
It is not what we do that changes who we are. It is who we consider ourselves to be already that changes what we are willing to do, until these little habits become second nature.
Read Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)
Paul himself says he has not arrived. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own.” An athlete never quits practicing. A musician never quits rehearsing. Show up in uniform. Put your heart in it. Press on toward the prize. Whether you win or lose today, just keep going. Never give up. Day after day. In this way, your identity becomes second nature.
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. Think about these things. Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Discussion
- Where in your life are you trying to change from the outside in, hoping behavior will eventually change who you are?
- What would it look like to first consider yourself the kind of person who does the right thing, and then let the actions follow?
Key Takeaways
- Identity drives behavior, not the other way around. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Christ. Then let the small decisions prove it.
- Change happens from the inside out. Logizomai is an act of faith. Deem it. Decide it. Account it. Then walk it out.
- Progress, not perfection. Paul pressed on. He had not arrived. Neither have we. But we keep going.
Put Your Old Self in the Past: Dead to Sin (Not Dead in Sin)
“Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Like a dead weight, lay it down. Anything that holds you back, put it down. Stop trying to keep it in the backpack to pull out later. It is part of who you used to be.
You have got a race to run. You do not need the baggage. You do not even want it. So why carry it around? Get rid of it. Put it in the past, where it belongs.
The Greek word for “lay aside” is apotithemi. To put off, put away, cast off.
“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.”
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk.”
What is earthly in you is who you once were. Not who you are now in Christ. Cast the old self behind you. Put it to death with all its practices.
Evil desire? In the trash. Obscene talk? In the trash. Anger or malice? In the trash. Impurity of any kind? You know where it belongs.
You were once dead in these sins. But now you are dead to these sins. Put them in the past.
This is why it is so important when we pray, “your will be done.” There are maybe hundreds of little choices every day. We must decide to make it our practice to choose God’s will every time. In small things and big things: your will, not mine.
Do this often enough, it becomes second nature.
The old self? He is dead. Buried symbolically in the waters of baptism. Tell that old self, “Depart from me.” You belong to Jesus now.
This is not a one-time practice. It is not a set-it-and-forget-it thing. Until we receive our glorified bodies, it is a daily thing. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
Discussion
- What old habits or patterns are you still carrying around that belong in the past?
- What does “your will, not mine” look like in the small daily decisions?
Key Takeaways
- Dead to sin, not dead in sin. There is a world of difference. The old self is buried. The new self is alive.
- Put it in the trash. Apotithemi. Lay aside, cast off. Do not keep sin in the backpack for later. Throw it away.
- Daily renewal. This is not a one-time event. The inner self is being renewed day by day.
Put on the New You, Free to Pursue God’s Will. Then Stick with It.
Three times in this passage, Paul uses the Greek word endyo. To put on, to clothe with, to get into.
The old self was not just put to death. A new self emerged from the waters of baptism. So put that new self on. Like a new suit, get into it. Clothe yourself with it. The neighbors will notice. And so will you.
The new self looks like Jesus. Compassionate. Kind. Humble. Meek. Patient. Forgiving. Peaceful. Thankful.
The new you is not a slave to a carnal appetite. The new you is not in bondage to an impulsive desire. The new you is alive to God and free in Christ.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
The suit has a helmet of hope and a breastplate of faith. A utility belt of truth. Shoes that are ready to go. A shield. And a sword.
You want to be strong in the strength of God’s might? You want to stand against the schemes of the enemy? You want to be truly alive in Christ?
Then put on the suit. Get into it.
Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Christ. Cast off the old self. Put on the new you. And stick with it.
Dead or alive, your identity (whether in sin or in Christ) will become your nature. Choose life. Choose Jesus.
Discussion
- Which qualities from Colossians 3 (compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness) do you find hardest to put on? Why?
- What does it mean to “stick with it” when the old nature keeps resurfacing?
Key Takeaways
- Endyo: get into it. Put on the new self like a new suit. Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, and love.
- The armor is real. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word. These are not metaphors for decoration. They are the equipment for standing firm.
- Choose life. Dead or alive, your identity becomes your nature. The choice is daily and deliberate.
Something to Sit With
Your identity becomes your nature.
That is the whole message of Romans 6. Consider yourself dead to sin. Alive to God. Then walk it out, one small decision at a time.
Cast off the old. Put on the new. And stick with it.
Not because you are strong enough. Because Christ has made you his own. And the one who started this work in you will finish it.
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11, ESV)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “consider yourselves dead to sin” mean in Romans 6:11?
The Greek word logizomai means to deem, determine, or account as true. It is a deliberate act of faith where believers reckon themselves dead to sin’s power and alive to God. It is not pretending sin does not exist but recognizing that sin no longer has dominion over those who are in Christ.
How is identity connected to behavior change in the Bible?
Romans 6 teaches that lasting change starts with identity, not effort. When believers consider themselves new creations in Christ, their behavior follows. The inside changes first. Then the outside reflects it. This is the opposite of trying to earn a new identity through willpower alone.
What does “put off the old self” mean in Ephesians 4:22?
The Greek word apotithemi means to lay aside or cast off. Paul is urging believers to throw away the habits, desires, and patterns that belonged to their former life. Like removing an old garment, the old self is to be discarded, not stored for later use.
What is the armor of God in Ephesians 6?
Paul describes spiritual equipment for standing against the enemy: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). Each piece is something a believer “puts on” through faith and practice.
Is sanctification a one-time event or an ongoing process?
Both. Positionally, believers are set apart at the moment of salvation. Practically, sanctification is an ongoing, daily process. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says the inner self is being renewed day by day. It is a race to run, not a finish line to cross once.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway.