Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:11
In the early 1900s, circus trainers commonly acquired elephants when they were very young. To keep them from wandering off, they secured them with heavy iron chains fastened to stakes driven deep into the ground. The young elephant would instinctively pull, tug, and strain against the restraint, but it was no match for the chain. After repeated attempts and repeated failure, it eventually stopped trying.
As the elephant grew, something remarkable happened. Now weighing several tons and possessing immense strength, it was often restrained with nothing more than a thick rope tied to a small peg. The chain was no longer necessary. The elephant had learned a lesson when it was small: resistance is futile. Though fully capable of breaking free, it remained where it was tied—not because it lacked power, but because it expected defeat.
Before salvation, we truly were bound by sin. We struggled because we were slaves to it. But when Christ died and rose again, He broke sin’s authority over us. Romans 6:11 tells us to “reckon” ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God. In other words, count as true what God has declared: the old chain has been removed.
Yet many believers live as though nothing has changed. We expect to fail. We brace for defeat. We assume temptation will overpower us. But that is not our identity in Christ. We are crucified with Him and raised to new life. His Spirit lives within us.
This does not mean we never stumble. It does mean we no longer serve sin as helpless captives. When temptation comes, we can stand in the truth of who we are—alive unto God.
