We Do Not Die Daily - WE DIED ONCE

[mfblume]

Just a thought after a chat in the HOLINESS??? thread.

Many have heard preachers for years teach, without questioning them, that we die daily in a spiritual sense. And they quote:

1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV (31) I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Paul was not talking about spiritual dying to sin. He was talking about a physical resurrection in this entire chapter, regarding actual and physical bodies. the death he wrote about in this chapter is a physical death. That is why he said:

1 Corinthians 15:29-31 KJV (29) Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? (30) And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? (31) I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

There is no baptism for the dead (which I believe speaks of being baptized for the sake of Christ's death, since Rom 6:3 says we are baptized into His death, but that is off-topic) if there is no resurrection of the dead. Christ resurrected physically. We would not even get baptized if Jesus never physically resurrected. This is because we are baptized INTO CHRIST'S DEATH for the purpose of rising in the likeness of His resurrection.

Romans 6:4 KJV Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Paul was speaking of physical threats to his life everyday! Our text in question -- 1 Cor 15:31 -- is sandwiched between verse 30 which refers to physical threats to his life, and verse 32, which mentions physical threats to his life.

But the most detrimental of all thoughts when we think verse 31 speaks of spiritual dying to sin is that the bible teaches we DIE ONCE to sin, through Christ's death. We do not die over and over again to sin!

Romans 6:10-11 KJV For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As much as Christ died ONCE to sin, we are to reckon ourselves to LIKEWISE be DEAD INDEED to sin. How can we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin ONCE through Christ's death if we believe we die daily to sin? We destroy the whole point of Romans 6!

Not only that, but verse 13 says we are to present ourselves ALIVE FROM THE DEAD to God so He can use us. How can we present ourselves alive to God if we think we are not dead to sin yet?

Romans 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Saying I DIE DAILY is referring to spiritual dying to sin is destructive of the very keys that Paul gives us in Romans 6 to victorious living!