Yes, that "The Walking Dead." I am OBSESSED with that show. The season 7 premiere was so nerve-wracking and hard to watch (in a good way) that my chest hurt for a full hour even after the show had ended. (We can argue via email about whether a Christian should watch shows like that. I welcome your opinions.)
For those of you unfamiliar the show, it is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a viral pandemic which causes the dead not to stay dead. So zombies roam the earth trying to eat living human flesh. The show tracks a group of survivors and their efforts to survive in this new reality.
But by now, I'm sure you have guessed that this blog post will not be about the show. Not really.
A very wise friend of mine on Facebook posted something yesterday that got my mental juices flowing. Here is my train of thought:
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, in Christ we are new creatures; the old has gone and the new has come. In other words, our sin nature has died. And should stay dead. But think for a moment. If, as Christians, we let sin reign in our mortal bodies (Rom. 6:12), have we not become like the walking dead? Like the zombies in the show, we might not be what we once were before, but what should be dead isn't. Not quite.
The fact that the "flesh man" can reanimate, so to speak, is not a novel idea. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul urged us to mortify the flesh (8:13). The word "mortify" comes from the Latin word mort, which mean death. So to "mortify" means "to put to death."
Making sure what should be dead stays dead is not convenient at all. It takes deliberate work. We have to be intentional about it. Paul, arguably one of the greatest Christian examples that has ever lived, had to put forth effort to die on a daily basis (1 Cor. 15:31). We ought to be no different.
We were made for newness of life in Christ, not to be zombie versions of our old sinful nature. Maintaining the former takes effort. It takes a commitment to prayer, Bible study and constant self-examination to make sure we are displaying our new lives.
In the show, becoming a zombie was not by choice or lack of effort. In this Christian walk, the choice is ours.
For those of you unfamiliar the show, it is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a viral pandemic which causes the dead not to stay dead. So zombies roam the earth trying to eat living human flesh. The show tracks a group of survivors and their efforts to survive in this new reality.
But by now, I'm sure you have guessed that this blog post will not be about the show. Not really.
A very wise friend of mine on Facebook posted something yesterday that got my mental juices flowing. Here is my train of thought:
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, in Christ we are new creatures; the old has gone and the new has come. In other words, our sin nature has died. And should stay dead. But think for a moment. If, as Christians, we let sin reign in our mortal bodies (Rom. 6:12), have we not become like the walking dead? Like the zombies in the show, we might not be what we once were before, but what should be dead isn't. Not quite.
The fact that the "flesh man" can reanimate, so to speak, is not a novel idea. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul urged us to mortify the flesh (8:13). The word "mortify" comes from the Latin word mort, which mean death. So to "mortify" means "to put to death."
Making sure what should be dead stays dead is not convenient at all. It takes deliberate work. We have to be intentional about it. Paul, arguably one of the greatest Christian examples that has ever lived, had to put forth effort to die on a daily basis (1 Cor. 15:31). We ought to be no different.
We were made for newness of life in Christ, not to be zombie versions of our old sinful nature. Maintaining the former takes effort. It takes a commitment to prayer, Bible study and constant self-examination to make sure we are displaying our new lives.
In the show, becoming a zombie was not by choice or lack of effort. In this Christian walk, the choice is ours.
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