A slave cannot free himself; he has not the power to do so. He may only be freed by his owner: a member of the household to which he belongs. If a slave claims to be free based upon his own declaration, it is still not so, but if a son declares him to be free, he is free indeed.

Jesus came that we might be freed. His blood bought our freedom from the penalty of our individual sins, and our inclusion in His death frees us from the power of Sin over our lives, but this involves action on our part. First, we must “count” (an accounting term which indicates seeing and acknowledging the facts as they are written on the ledger) ourselves to be “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:11) This involves faith and is just “believing God according to His Word.” (The Spiritual Man, Nee, 137) Second, we must yield ourselves and our bodies to God and not to sin. (Rom 6:13) This involves a choice on our part to put ourselves under the Lordship of God and to forsake that which is evil. Notice the twofold aspect. As Abraham Fuller notes, “Sin is to be overcome, not so much by direct opposition to it as by cultivating opposite principles. Would you kill the weeds in your garden, plant it with good seed; if the ground be well occupied there will be less need of the hoe.” The key to being free from the power of sin is to recognize that Christ has indeed set us free from its power and then acting as if that were true by choosing to obey God and not temptation. The Son, who is the Truth, sets you free; and he whom the Son sets free, is free indeed! The particular piece of the truth that sets us free from the power of sin is that we have died to sin but are now alive to God because we accepted being included in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now go and walk in that truth!

Romans 6:11  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:13  Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.