Death Becomes Life

This week, I propose the same question that Coach Boone asked Gary before getting on the bus in the movie “Remember the Titans.” This movie has a specific scene where Coach Boone (played by Denzel Washington) is preparing the team for summer training camp. As the star player, Gary Bertier, is about to board the bus, Coach Boone stops him to establish a new hierarchy of authority by asking him, “Who’s your daddy”?

Coach Boone tells Gary that while his mother is nearby, she is not getting on that bus with him. Boone repeatedly asks Gary, “Who’s your daddy?” until Gary finally acknowledges, “You’re my daddy.” This scene represents the moment a player decides to stop being in charge of his own life and submits to the coach's leadership.

This cinematic moment vividly explains the spiritual battle described in Romans 6 regarding the dominion of sin. Like Gary, who decides to allow his coach to assume the role, we as believers in Jesus as our Savior must decide who has the ultimate authority over our lives. Whether we allow sin to control or allow the Spirit of God to reign. Ultimately, the movie relates to the power of sin by highlighting that victory over sin is not just about avoiding bad actions, but about a total change in authority while allowing believers to exercise the right of “Dead to Sin.”