One summer afternoon, I found myself wrestling in the garden. A wild vine had wrapped itself aggressively around our lilac tree, choking out its life. I hacked at it for a while, chopping the parts I could reach, but realizing that there was a lot more of it than met the eye. That's when I changed strategy to what should have been obvious in the first place. Rather than cut each shoot I found, I started carefully tracing it to the roots and cut it down there. Since each root fed a multitude of shoots, it took me little time to finish the job.
From the lilac’s perspective, when I cut those roots, nothing had changed. The vine still clung tightly and looked very much alive. The tree could not “feel” that its enemy’s power was gone. Yet the decisive act had already taken place. The root was severed. The vine’s fate was sealed. Within days, it withered and took little persuasion to fall away.
That picture has stayed with me as an illustration of Paul’s teaching in Romans 6. It helps me grasp what theologians often call the “already but not yet”—the tension of living between Christ’s finished victory and the final day when that victory will be fully visible.
The Cut at the Root
In Romans 6, Paul insists that through Christ’s death and resurrection, the power of Sin was decisively broken. He says:
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6)
That moment at the cross was like the gardener’s cut at the root. The source of Sin’s strength was severed. Its reign was over.
And yet—just as the lilac still felt the weight of the vine—so we still feel the entangling strands of sin in our daily lives.
Entangled but Free
Paul doesn’t deny this ongoing struggle. Instead, he tells believers to reckon themselves dead to Sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).
The lilac doesn’t have to wait for the vine to wither before continuing it growth toward the sun. It is already free in principle, even if not yet free in experience.
So too, the Christian doesn’t wait until heaven to live a new life. We don’t have to let the withering tendrils of sin dictate how we grow. The old tyrant’s reign is over.
The “Now but Not Yet”
This is where the illustration sharpens our understanding of the Christian life:
- Now — The root of Sin has been cut. Its power is gone.
- Not yet — Its presence still clings, still deceives, still whispers lies.
- But soon — It will wither completely, and the believer will stand in the full freedom of resurrection life.
Augustine once said that sin is like a dethroned king who still shouts commands. The vine keeps its grip long after its root is severed. But those shouts carry no authority anymore.
Beyond Sin: Death and the Devil
This picture doesn’t stop with sin. It applies equally to death and to the Devil.
- Death: Christ’s resurrection has already struck the root, but we still live in bodies that feel its shadow. Yet one day, death will be swallowed up in victory.
- The Devil: At the cross, Paul says Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities (Col. 2:15). The decisive blow has landed. Satan still writhes and tempts, but his end is sure.
All three—Sin, Death, and the Devil—are like cut vines. They may still cling, but they are doomed.
Living Like the Lilac
So how do we live in this “now but not yet”?
- Don’t hand yourself back — Paul urges, “Do not let Sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). Don’t keep acting as though the vine is still alive.
- Turn toward the sun — Present yourself to God, not to the dying vine (Romans 6:13). Lift your branches toward the light of Christ.
- Trust the process — Sanctification often feels slow. But remember: the root is already cut. The withering has already begun.
The Christian life is not about waiting for freedom—it’s about learning to live out the freedom already secured at the cross.
Final Thought
Every time I walk past that lilac tree, I’m reminded of Paul’s gospel. The vine was cut, even while it still clung. That’s where we live: in the tension of the already and the not yet.
So when sin feels strong, when death looms, or when the Devil whispers—remember the root. Remember the cut. The power is gone. The withering has already begun.
And one day soon, the lilac will blossom free.