The Battle’s Over. Really.

We're glad you can join us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled The Battles Over, Really?

was written by Wynn Collier. For 29 years after World War II ended, Hiro Onoda hid in the jungle, refusing to believe his country had surrendered. Japanese military leaders had dispatched Onoda to a remote island in the Philippines, Lubang, with orders to spy on the allied forces. Long after a peace treaty had been signed and hostilities ceased, Onoda remained in the wilderness. In 1974, Onoda's commanding officer traveled to the island to find him and convince him the war was over.

For three decades, Onoda lived a meager, isolated existence because he refused to surrender, refused to believe the conflict was done. We can make a similar mistake. Paul proclaims the stunning truth in Romans chapter 6 that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. On the cross, in a powerful, mysterious way, Jesus put to death Satan's lies, death's terror, and sin's tenacious grip. Though we're dead to sin and alive to God, we often live as though evil still holds the power. We yield to temptation, succumbing to sin's seduction. We listen to lies, failing to trust Jesus. But we don't have to yield.

We don't have to live in a false narrative. By God's grace, we can embrace the true story of Christ's victory. While we'll still wrestle with sin, liberation comes as we recognize that Jesus has already won the battle. May we live out that truth in his power.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Romans chapter 6 verses 1 through 11. What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

By no means. We are those who have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like this, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like this. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again.

Death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that as believers we are saved by your grace through faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross. While we are free from the bondage of sin, we do still struggle to overcome it. Help us live lives that show the power you have to change a life and the freedom we can experience in you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.