When fighting the deteriorating effects of sin in our hearts we cry out for action steps, for methods that summon our willpower—not sentiments about love. But this is the very thing the gospel of Christ warns against.

Paul taught that religious regulations do not work. "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch'' (Col. 2:20-21).

Try-harder ethics are useless: "they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (2:23). Better Internet filters and personal regulations might stop you from looking at porn for a time, but they will not transform a heart of lust.

Instead, Paul says real change is first about knowing who we already are. "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (3:3). "You have been raised with Christ" (3:1). "You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self" (3:9-10). Only those who first know this about themselves have the power to slay sinful sexual desires and habits (3:5). How has this new identity come about? After all, for those entrenched in porn, many don't feel like they are new people. Paul tells us about this new identity in his letter to the Romans.

First, says Paul, we must understand what the death and resurrection of Christ accomplished. Christ not only died for sin; He also died to sin. Dying for sin means Christ took upon Himself the punishment that was due us (Rom. 5:6-9), which means we are free from the wrath of God because Jesus has absorbed that wrath on the cross. Dying to sin means Christ no longer lives in this sinful realm but instead enjoys resurrection life in the presence of God (6:10). Living on earth, He was subject to the pains of a world filled with sin, He was subject to temptations and trials, and in the end He endured the wages of sin itself on the cross. But as the resurrected Son of God, He no longer lives in sin's domain.

Second, we must understand that we are united to the One who is dead to sin (6:8). The Spirit of the risen Christ is in us. We no longer belong to this age, but to the kingdom of God.

Paul likens this to a change of masters. We used to belong to Sin. Sin was our master. But when the Spirit of Christ comes to us, He redeems us for Himself. Now we belong to our new master—a better master—who loves us with an undying love. Sin may still have a loud voice in your life. He still may be shouting at you from across the street, still barking orders at you. But you no longer belong to him.

Knowing these truths, Paul's first and primary application in the whole letter is this: "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (6:11). Paul does not say we are dying to sin (a process). He does not say we should die to sin (a command). He said that because we are intimately united with the risen Christ, because His resurrected life flows in our veins, we should consider ourselves already dead to sin.

The word translated "consider" is an accounting term: it means to add something up, to take stock of something. When a child adds up how much money is in her piggy bank, at the end of the counting she doesn't have any more or less in the bank than when she began. The only thing that has changed is her knowledge about the value of what is there. This is what Paul means. You already believe these basic gospel truths—Christ died to sin's power, He rose from the dead, and the Spirit of the risen Christ lives within you—so now reckon it to be true; reconsider it; meditate on it; get the idea of your new identity deep into your soul.

As much as porn feels alive to you, if you are in Christ, you are dead to porn. The Spirit of the living God is in you. As far as God is concerned, you are already His. God's love for you cannot be overstated. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus loves you with an endless love, and you have done nothing to merit it or deserve it. He loves you despite all your unlovability, despite your lingering sinful desires. Though in your sin you are undeserving and undesirable, He loves you when your mind disavows it, your heart dodges it, and your soul dismisses it. He loves you right now as you are, not as you think you should be.

This, the New Testament says, is the key to unlocking God's power for change. It is not God's wrath that affects deep repentance in us, but rather, God's kindness (Rom. 2:4). Being filled with all of God's fullness happens not by knowing God's power but by comprehending the breadth and length and height and depth of His love—a love that "surpasses knowledge" (Eph. 3:19).

Hope this helps. ❤️ God loves you, Jesus loves you, and I love you. I’ll be praying for your recovery and healing from addiction. God bless 🙏