Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:14-25

Have you ever been frustrated with yourself?

Have you ever said things or done things you did not mean?

Even after we accept Christ, we struggle with sin. In Hebrews 12, after telling us to set aside the sin that so easily besets us, the author says, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4 ESV) This shows how serious the struggle against sin is.

The Apostle Paul, the author of the letter to the Roman church, gives us an inside look at the struggle of his own heart. As we look at today's passage, we will see that we are not alone or unique in our struggle against sin.

Romans 7:1-13 explains to us that when we are united with Christ, we die to the law and serve God in a new way by the Spirit. However, death does not mean annihilation. The law still exists and so does our flesh. We are new creatures in Christ, and yet we still live in our earthly tents.

Romans 7:14-25 helps us understand our continuing struggle with sin. No matter how much we may hate sin and love the law of God, we must still make a daily habit of presenting the members of our body to God as instruments of righteousness. Romans 7:25 states the struggle like this:

I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:25 ESV)

Verses 14-25 can be divided up as follows:

1.       Verses 14-17, I am not the one doing wrong.

2.       Verses 18-20, Nothing good lives in my flesh.

3.       Verse 21-25, The Answer is in Jesus Christ.

First, let’s look at the statement, “I am not the one doing wrong.”

Of course, by this we do not mean to say we are not responsible for our actions. We are starting with the conclusion, and verse 17 gives this conclusion when it says:

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:17 ESV)

Let us look at the reasoning that led to this statement. How is it that we can say, “I am not the one doing wrong?”

First, we must recognize that something is seriously wrong within ourselves. The Apostle says of himself:

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14 NLT)

Here, the Apostle is saying that the trouble is within him. He is a slave to sin. Now, we have just come out of Romans 6 that has taught very clearly that we are dead to sin and no longer slaves, and Romans 7 has been telling us we are not under law. These truths contradict what this verse is saying. Because of this obvious contradiction, many teach that verses 14 and following are speaking about the unregenerate. However, the book of Romans and this chapter are written to believers, and Paul is clearly speaking of his own experience, an experience common to all who love the Lord Jesus. We have all experienced this. We love the Lord. We love the law, and are horrified at our own sinfulness. The purpose of this passage is not to disassociate ourselves from reality, but to help us understand the battle that we are engaged in.

The confusion and frustration of this battle is expressed in verse 15:

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 ESV)

Here is the problem within...we find ourselves doing the very thing we hate. We do not understand our own actions. Jeremiah 17 tells us:

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT) 

Romans 7:15 is a case in point. We cannot even understand ourselves.

We see reflected in Romans 7:15 a struggle between two natures where a person literally ends up doing the very thing he or she hates. In Christianity, we speak of the old nature and the new nature.  We also speak of the Spirit and the flesh. It is clear from the New Testament that we can live according to the Spirit or according to the flesh. For example, Romans 6 challenges us to no longer present the members of our body to sin as slaves to unrighteousness.

Sadly, many Christians, finding that they still sin even after coming to Christ, give up and do not struggle against the flesh at all. We call these carnal Christians. Carnal means fleshly. Literally, carnal means meat. To walk according to the flesh is to live as if we never knew Christ at all. If you are a Christian and experience no battle with the flesh, it may be because you have already given up. The alternative is that you are not truly a child of God, and are fooling yourself into thinking you are. The person who does not know Christ has no battle because he or she has no new nature. This is also why we know that Romans 7 is speaking to believers. As verse 16 says: “Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.” (Romans 7:16 ESV) It is the new nature, the new creature in Christ that agrees with the law, that the law is good.

It is important for us as believers to come to the point that we realize the truth of Romans 7:17:

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:17 NLT)

This is a matter of our identity, and it is the first step toward victory in this battle. While the battle will not be completely done until the flesh is eradicated, victory is possible. First, we must learn our identity.

We are new creatures in Christ. We are dead to sin and the law. We are called upon to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. When we sin, we act in a way that is inconsistent with who we are. It is not our true selves, but our old selves, who sin.

How we see ourselves is extremely important. We are not to deny our sin. We are not to make excuses for our sins. We are to confess our sins. However, we are not identified by our sins. Jesus has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. We are sons and daughters of God, our Heavenly Father.

Therefore, I am not the one doing wrong, but rather it is sin dwelling in me. This brings us to our second truth: Nothing good dwells in my flesh.

Romans 7:18-20 addresses this truth. The full statement of the fact that nothing good dwells in my flesh is found in verse 18:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)

Here is another truth that we must learn in order to enjoy victory over the flesh. Nothing good dwells in my flesh. I cannot love the flesh, that is, I cannot love that part of me that opposes God. I cannot reform the flesh. This is why I am crucified with Christ. The flesh must die. One day my earthly body will die, and the flesh will die with it. Then, I will get a new body. My new body will be a heavenly body and will not be of flesh. My new body will be in line with my new nature and then I will experience perfect unity in body and soul and will no longer experience the struggle between flesh and the Spirit.

It is not that our physical bodies are evil. Rather, our fleshly nature has been corrupted by sin. Verses 18 through 20 repeat the same problem of verses 14 through 17. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:19-20 ESV) So, we are talking about the sin that dwells within me. However, the repetition is to make the point that nothing good dwells within my flesh.

Galatians 5:17 says:

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17 ESV)

This battle started in the Garden of Eden when the man and the woman decided they would be like God. The flesh still wants to be God. In Genesis 6, God describes the heart of man as follows:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)

Only evil continually describes the flesh. Christ did not come to reform our flesh. Christ came to give us new birth. This means that Christianity is not a system of morals. It is not meant to be a code of conduct. Trying to follow the letter of the law does not result in righteousness. Trying to follow the letter of the law always results in hypocrisy. This is not hyperbole. Trying to follow the letter of the law ALWAYS results in hypocrisy. The flesh cannot be reformed. The flesh must die. We are crucified with Christ; therefore, we can live “separated” from the flesh. However, the flesh will not be annihilated until this fleshly body experiences physical death.

Our identity is important because sin is inconsistent with who we are in Christ. Knowing that nothing good dwells within our flesh is important because no moral code, set of rules or laws can reform the flesh. This all leads us to the third point: The answer is in Jesus Christ.

Romans 7:21-25 covers this point.

Verses 21 and 22 start out with what looks like a third repetition of the fact that I do not do what I want to do, but do the very thing I hate. 

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, (Romans 7:21-22 ESV)

Here we see a key point. “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.” The Spirit of God in our heart testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. It is by His Spirit that we cry “Abba, Father.” Our new nature loves God and everything about Him, including His law. Along with the Psalmist we say:

How I delight in your commands! How I love them! I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. (Psalms 119:47-48 NLT)

We are not happy with our fleshly captivity to sin. Therefore, we say along with the Apostle, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) 

Romans 8 talks about this when it says:

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. (Romans 8:22-23 NLT)

We believers groan. We wait eagerly for the day when God will give us the new bodies He has promised. However, in this life, we rejoice in Jesus Christ. Chapter 8 goes into detail of how we have been set free from the law of sin and death. However, when the question is asked, “Who will set me free from this body of death,” the answer is given in Romans 7:25.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:25 ESV)

The answer to sin and the flesh is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Praise God, we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless, we live, not us but Christ lives in us.

We can trust God to deal with the sin that dwells within us. Do not determine to do better. Determine to submit to God. Determine to seek God with all your heart. Seek God with every last iota of your strength. No rules - just love God.  Love Him with all your heart.

Do you have a problem with anger?

Jesus can deal with it.

Do you have a problem with lust?

Jesus can deal with it.

Do you have a problem with alcohol?

Jesus can deal with it.

Now, do not think you can go it alone. No rules, but the Lord has told us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together. He has told us to bear one another’s burdens. He has told us to confess our sins to one another. If you have one of these problems and think you can keep it a secret, you can forget it. Jesus does not work in the dark. We are here to help each other bear these burdens and take them together to the Lord. I am here to help you bear these burdens and take them together to the Lord.

If you say you do not have this struggle, you are only fooling yourself. We all know better. It is time for us to quit trying to reform our flesh and get serious about walking in the Spirit.

Newness of the Spirit

Romans 7:1-14

How are we to serve God? What pleases Him and how are we to know when we have pleased God?

It would be nice if we had a shopping list, a to-do list that we could check off and, when the list was completed, know that we had done everything required of us.

This is what the law seems to be, a service checklist.

One day, a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

This is the question behind the question of how we are to serve God.  We desire eternal life, life abundant and full that goes on forever. The person making the inquiry of Jesus wanted the “to-do list” for eternal life.

Jesus answered: “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 19:16-22, contains the whole story)

We all recognize this list as being part of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the “to-do list” for those who would serve God. However, as Romans 3:20 has already stated:

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20 ESV)

Romans 6 has established the fact that we are dead to sin, but the question remains, “How are we to relate to the Law?” The man who asked Jesus the question, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life,” said he had kept all these laws. But, he went away disappointed when Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give it all to the poor. Keeping the to-do list was not enough and did not give eternal life.

Romans 7 addresses the issue of how we are to relate to the law as those who have been crucified with Christ and raised to newness of life. In Romans 7:1-14 we will see two things. First, we will see that we serve in newness of the Spirit not in oldness of the letter. Second, we will see that the law is good.

First, verses 1-6 show us that we serve in newness of the Spirit.

Looking back at Romans 6:3-4, it says that the one who is united with Christ is united with Him in His death, burial and resurrection. Therefore, we walk in newness of life. Romans 6 then tells us that we are to present our bodies as instruments of righteousness to God. Now, as we enter Romans 7, it shows us that presenting our bodies as instruments of righteousness does not mean trying to keep the law.

The transition from chapter 6 to the chapter 7 is “Do you not know?” (Romans 7:1) This is the third time the author is using this question. He asks this question in 6:3, 6:16 and now in 7:1.  Each time the question is asked it implies knowledge that should be possessed.  It is like saying, “This is not rocket science,” which implies that the subject matter is not difficult.

Occasionally the New Testament chides us for not knowing what we should know. In this case, what we should know is: “...the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives.” (Romans 7:1) As an example of what this means, the author speaks of marriage. When the spouse dies, a person is no longer bound by the vows they made to that person. The simple logic is that since we have died with Christ, we have died to the law, and are thus free from the law.

This implies that before a person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, he or she is bound to the law. Now, if we are bound to the law, we are obligated to keep the whole law. Galatians gives us an example of this when it says: “I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.” (Galatians 5:3 NLT) If a person says, “Well, the law of Moses is my list,” another truth about the law must be faced. James 2:10 states it like this:

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. (James 2:10-11 NLT)

Having the “to-do list” to serve God only results in condemnation. And, condemnation results in shame. For example, a wife who is unfaithful to her husband is called an adulteress. (I choose this example only because it is the example the text has used.) Whether it was one act of infidelity or a thousand acts of infidelity, the label is the same. This is what it means to be bound by the law. Guilt and shame come attached to the law. This is why many of us will give up and say, “Well, I have already messed up, might as well go all the way.” Calling a person an adulteress identifies that person with her shame. She could be a mother who committed adultery, but no, we identify her by her shame.

In Scripture, shame is tied to words like guilt, sin, nakedness, blight, confusion, reproach, folly, poverty, nothingness and contempt. Shame is a painful experience. Most of us will not face our shame, avoiding it at any cost. The pain of shame will bring us to repentance faster and more effectively than anything else. This is why freedom starts by admitting our shame. “Hi, my name is Joe, and I am a sinner (alcoholic, porn addict, drug addict...).”  Shame is so painful that most of us will die rather than face our shame. This is why alcoholism and addictions of all sorts are so dreadfully powerful. We will literally drink, gamble, medicate... ourselves to death rather than face our shame, and shame is exactly what comes from being bound to the law.

As I have said, chapter 7 starts out with, “Do you not know,” because it is something that we all know instinctively. Every single one of us is bound to keep the whole law until we come to Jesus Christ for salvation. This is why Galatians 3:22 says: “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:22 ESV)

Imprisonment under sin results because, as Romans 7:5 says:

When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. (Romans 7:5 NLT)

Praise God, we have been set free from the law. Romans 7:6 says:

But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:6 NLT)

I am getting way ahead of myself, but the conclusion this is all heading for is stated so clearly in Romans 8:1 that I must share it now:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NLT)

Read that again, slowly. There is no condemnation...no condemnation, none, zilch, zero. What happens to shame? It is gone. What happens to guilt? What guilt?

We have died with Christ and are free from the law. Now we serve in a new way by the Spirit. We are going to spend a lot more time on how we walk according to the Spirit, because it is basic to our Christian life. However, it is clear to most of us and to those who do not yet believe in Jesus, that we are far from perfect. In order to free us completely from sin, God would have to take us home to heaven immediately upon our salvation, but this is not what He does. He gives us His Holy Spirit and empowers us to be His witnesses. He teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight. He grows us from infants to maturity in Christ, and in so doing He leads us into a deeper, fuller fellowship with Him than we could experience any other way. He does this for our good and our glory. As Romans 8:18 says:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18 NLT)

Since, we are walking by the Spirit, but are not yet perfect, what then is our relationship to the law? Romans 7:7-14 begins to address this question. It shows us that the law is good. Romans 7:12 says:

But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. (Romans 7:12 NLT)

Since the law brings condemnation and shame, and since we are no longer bound by the law, we might think that the law is bad. Romans 7:7 goes right to this point when it says:  “Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful?” (Romans 7:7 NLT)

What follows then is an explanation of how sin used the commandment of God to bring about death. The example used is covetousness. If the law had not said, “Thou shalt not covet,” we would not know what covetousness is. Romans 7:11 explains:

Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. (Romans 7:11 NLT)

The law serves a purpose, and we see it in the process described in verses 7 through 12. One of the purposes of the law is described in verse 13 when it says, “So we can see how terrible sin really is.” The law is holy, righteous and good. It really is a bad thing to steal, kill or lie, and the law makes this clear. For this reason, Romans 7:13 explains:

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. (Romans 7:13 NLT)

The law still serves this purpose. We truly are free from the law. We truly are dead to sin. However, death means we are separated from sin and the law. Death does not mean that sin and the law have ceased to exist. Therefore, the law still serves a purpose. As verse 14 transitions to a practical application, it addresses the law’s continuing purpose. Romans 7:14 says:

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14 NLT)

The English Standard Version translates it:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14 ESV)

The problem is with the old nature. When we are united with Christ, we are born again and we are new creatures in Christ, but the old nature is not eradicated. Therefore, we can live according to the flesh. We are “sold under sin,” in the sense that we are entirely in love with sinning. It is this love of sinning that makes us “slaves.”

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and judgment, so in repentance we accept Christ as Savior. Although we are reborn, our flesh still loves our sin. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. Using the law, He makes us aware that we are walking according to the flesh and not in the newness of the Spirit. He does not condemn us. The law does that. As God’s children, when the Holy Spirit convicts us, we have a choice to make. We can plug our spiritual ears and ignore the Holy Spirit or we can do what 1 John 1:9 encourages us to do. We can confess our sins and allow Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Believers live as prisoners of sin because of incomplete repentance. We have been united with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. We are not under law. Sin has no dominion over us, and yet many of us choose to hold onto our sin in love, rather than repent and walk in the newness of the Spirit. When we are feeling condemnation, shame and guilt, we must realize as verse 14 says, “...the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.” Let the law do its work in showing sin for what it is, and then take the next step, which is to confess our sin and let Him cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sanctification

Romans 6:15-23

Sanctification is a big word.

What I mean by big word is that we use and it is not clear what we mean, but it sounds good and hopefully using such a word makes us sound intelligent.

However, sanctification names the process by which we are set apart to and for God. Romans 6 through Romans 8 deal with the subject of sanctification, and I pray that by the time we finish studying these chapters, sanctification will be something that we not only understand, but also joyfully participate in with God our Savior.

In Romans 6:1-14, we began our look into sanctification by learning that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. A dictionary definition of sanctification is “set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred."^[1] The word sanctification has its origins in the Latin word for “sacred,” which is another way of saying “holy.” Our death to sin is the starting point of our sanctification. We are being made holy. We are separated from sin and set apart to/for God.

Romans 6:19 ends with the phrase “leading to sanctification.” The Greek word translated “sanctification” is the word “ἁγιασμόν” (hagiasmon), which is a form of the Greek word for “holy.” To be sanctified is to be holy, and to be holy is to be set apart.

The use of such big words and lengthy explanations can suck the life and energy out of an otherwise exciting and practical subject. In Romans 6:15-23, we will see sanctification explained in a practical way that has meaning for our everyday lives. Romans 6:15-23 shows us that we must choose whom we will serve. The preceding verses show us that we are separated from our sin and that sin no longer has dominion over us. However, we still have a choice to make. Therefore, verse 15 starts out with a question:

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? (ESV)

This question is answered in verses 15 through 23. These verses explain sanctification in three different terms. These terms are:

1.       Slavery

2.       Freedom

3.       Wages

We will look at each term as it appears in the text and will find each term drives us back to the fact that we have a choice to make.

The discussion starts with the fact that we are not under law but under grace. This fact is stated in both verse 14 and verse 15 of Romans 6.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Romans 6:14-15 ESV)

Having been justified by faith and given access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, our sins are no longer held against us. This is described as “being under grace.” All our sins, past, present and future, have been covered by the blood of Christ, and we stand justified before God. Therefore, naturally, we can do whatever we want because we are already forgiven. This is where the question comes in, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” The answer is no, “By no means!”

Thus begins the explanation of sanctification, and the explanation begins in terms of slavery. The text immediately asks a question:

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16, ESV)

The question “Do you not know...” implies an expectation that this should be common knowledge. In this case, the common knowledge is along the lines of the physical impossibility of being in two places at once. You either give yourself to sin or you give yourself to righteousness, but you cannot do both. It is a definite either/or situation. Either we are slaves to righteousness or we are slaves to sin. Jesus put it in the terms that no man can serve two masters. In this case, we are said to be slaves of the one whom we obey. Notice also that the text says whom. We can take this one of two ways. Either sin is personified, or there is a personality behind sin. We know that the one behind sin is called the prince and the power of the air. While we cannot use the excuse “the devil made me do it,” if we choose to obey sin, we end up doing the devil’s will or his work.

When we speak of sanctification, we are not talking about salvation. We are talking about those who have been justified by faith. However, we must still make a choice. We must choose which we will obey, and therefore which we will be slaves of. Either we obey sin or we obey righteousness. 

Before we were saved, we had no choice. We were born into slavery to sin, and could not break free. This is where the text takes us to next. It explains sanctification in terms of freedom. Verses 17-18 say:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18 ESV)

The first part of this passage makes it plain that we were all once slaves of sin. We all once walked according to the dictates of the flesh. This is the definition of slavery. We had no choice. We were separated from God, prisoners of sin and under the power of the prince and power of the air. However, according to this passage we have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which we were committed. Of course, this is speaking of the gospel that Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose again for our justification. We enjoy salvation by believing in His name. It is by this that Romans 6:18 refers to us as having been set free from sin. It is only by being set free from sin that we can become slaves of righteousness.

We are not saved by our sanctification. We are saved and thus become free to be sanctified. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can choose righteousness. Ephesians 5:1 encourages us to be imitators of God as beloved children, and this is what we are. We are God’s beloved children, and with His Holy Spirit living inside us we can walk in love just as Christ loved us. This is what it means to be sanctified. We are set apart as children of God and set free to live in imitation of Him.

In verse 19, Romans 6 makes it clear that it is speaking in human terms, because of our natural human limitations. Verse 3 of Romans 6 asks a “Do you not know” question and assumes there is knowledge common to all people who have believed the gospel. This knowledge common to all who have believed the gospel is our union with Christ. Our union with Christ should make the idea of continuing in sin seem ludicrous. Now, in verses 15 through 19, our knowledge of freedom and slavery should make the idea of continuing in sin seem ludicrous. This is not a deep spiritual truth. These are the simple physical facts of the situation. We are slaves to the one we obey. In light of this truth, Romans 6:19 pleads with us to make the choice of obedience to righteousness, which leads to sanctification.

After presenting the truths of slavery and freedom, the text next explains sanctification in terms of wages. Verses 20-21 say:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:20-21 ESV)

In these verses, the term “wages” is not used. Wages is used in verse 23 in the conclusion. Verse 21 asks the question, “What fruit were you getting?” Verse 21 also makes it clear that the end of those things is death.

Being free in regard to righteousness is not a good thing. The fruit of sin is ultimately death, but that is not its only fruit. Consider all the heartache, pain and suffering in the world, and realize that it all comes as the fruit of unrighteousness. Horrific, horrific, horrific crimes are committed each day because people are free in regard to righteousness. We think we are okay because we are horrified by the evil in the world, but we harbor malice and envy in our hearts, which are the roots from which these evils in our world come. We are horrified at sex trafficking but for our own gratification, we will step outside the boundaries God has put on sex. It does not take a spiritual genius to see the hypocrisy in this. However, what is strange is that we all seem to be blind to the fruit of our slavery to sin. That thing that everybody is doing has become acceptable. Even though we know it is wrong, do we realize that the end of it is death? We run around busily trying to establish social justice but ignore the elephant in the room, which is our sin. We have chosen to present ourselves in obedience to sin. We see the fruit all around us.

Thank God that we have been set free from sin. Having been set free, the assumption of Romans 6:22 is that we have become slaves of God.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:22 ESV)

Just as our slavery to sin bore fruit to death, our slavery to God bears fruit to life. It bears fruit in the lives of those around us as we share the gospel, demonstrate His love and reach out to the lost. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost, and we are here as His hands and feet to do His work. Our slavery, or sanctification, expresses itself according to our individual gifting. Some have the gift of helps and are good at supporting, encouraging and helping others. They get loads of physical work done. Some have the gift of mercy and are empathetic and can spot and feel the pain of another from across a crowded room. They are good at supporting and encouraging us emotionally and spiritually. They bind up the brokenhearted. Some have the gift of administration. These people keep us organized and help us get things done. The fruit of all these things is life giving as long as they are done in obedience to the Lord.

The practical work of sanctification is expressed in terms of wages as Romans 6:23 gives the conclusion:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

There is no benefit in slavery to sin and it only leads to death. In contrast to this, God gives eternal life. Eternal means never ending, and in addition, it means a new quality of life that Jesus termed “abundant life.”

We have been set free, and yet we should fear lest we fail to enter into the riches of the eternal life that God gives so freely. Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to lay aside the sin that so easily besets us. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV) Having been justified by faith, let us move forward into our sanctification, trusting Him who has begun a good work in us to carry it through to completion.

Let’s close with a verse from Romans 6 that comes before our text for today:

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:13, ESV)

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^[1] google.com, accessed June 8, 2018.

Dead to Sin

Romans 6:1-14

Since February, we have been studying our way through the book of Romans. We come now to the sixth chapter. As a reminder, here is a brief outline of the book of Romans:

Romans 1-3:20             -         Sin

Romans 3:21-5             -         Salvation

Romans 6-8                  -         Sanctification

Romans 9-11                -         Sovereignty

Romans 12-16              -         Service

From the middle of chapter three through the end of chapter five, we have been looking at justification by faith, otherwise outlined as "Salvation." As we begin in chapter six, chapter five has just finished arguing that the more sin increased the more grace abounded. This is the result of justification by faith. We are saved, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy. (Titus 3:5)

In view of this free salvation, a question comes to mind, and Romans 6:1 asks that question. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Romans chapters six through eight deal with this question as they speak of our sanctification. What has become of sin in our lives? Having been justified by faith, how then should we live? What change should it make in our lives? How should being justified change us?

The book of Romans, up to this point, has argued strongly that we are not saved by works, by keeping the law or by any righteousness of our own. It has just argued that that the law was given so that transgression would increase. The law made sin obvious, and, rather than decreasing sin, only served to increase sin. However, in response to this increase in sin, grace overflowed to the forgiveness of our sins and to our receiving eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, it seems natural that if more sin results in more grace, we should sin all the more in order to increase grace.

This sort of thinking is natural, in other words, unspiritual and ungodly.

This is why the immediate, strong negative is given, “By no means!”

The next twelve verses, verses three through fourteen, will respond to this question giving us something we should know, something we should consider and something we should consider that would result in each of us presenting ourselves to God, our Maker.

Here are these three things in outline form:

1.       We should know that “we have been baptized into Christ Jesus.” (Verse 3)

2.       We should consider ourselves dead to sin. (Verse 11)

3.       We should present ourselves to God. (Verse 13)

Returning to the question, “What shall we say then?” the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Paul, asks two questions of His own. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” and “Do you not know?” (Verse 3)

These two questions point out both the absurdity of this kind of thinking, and the expectation that all Christians should know better. In other words, there is knowledge here so basic to our faith that every Christian should know.

Here is that basic knowledge laid out in the words of Romans 6:3-4:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4 ESV)

These verses are a description of what happens when we are born again. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are “baptized” into Him. This is not speaking of water baptism.

Remember when people went to John the Baptist to be baptized in water, he said:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 ESV)

Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is not by any works, such as baptism, done by the hands of man that we are born again. Rather, we are born again by the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is He who unites us with Christ, baptizing us INTO Christ. We are united with Christ. We are made one with Christ. Thus, we have new life, eternal in duration and quality. As described in Romans 6:4, we were buried with Him and rose with Him so that we might walk in newness of life.

This is something every Christian should know. This is the essence of what it means to be born again. This is one of the basic truths of the gospel.

The truth of our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection has ramifications for our daily lives, and this is where the discussion moves to in Romans 6:5-11. There is something we are to consider. This section of the chapter deals with the ramifications, or the meaning of, our union with Christ.

Verse 5 starts out by saying:

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5 ESV)

This is the underlying truth of what we are about to be told to consider.

The word consider shows up in verse 11 at the end of this section and means to count, think or conclude. It is variously translated: think, consider, count, reckon, reason, decide or conclude. The implication of these words is that we are to take the basic facts that we know and see what they add up to. We are to reason through to the conclusion of the matter. This is precisely what verses five through eleven do. These verses lead us through the reasoning that follows from our union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.

The first part of this reasoning is that the old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be done away with. This is what Galatians 2:20 is talking about when it says, “I am crucified with Christ.” In Ephesians 4, when talking about how we were taught to live in Christ, the Scriptures say:

…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (Ephesians 4:22 ESV)

The “old self” is said to belong to our former manner of life, and it is also said to be “corrupt through deceitful desires.” This “old self” is obviously who we were before we were born again. This old self is done away with. However, this does not mean our personalities change or that our tastes, preferences or uniquenesses are lost. Rather, we are given a new heart, one that desires the things of God and is no longer a slave to the passions or desires of the flesh. Before this happened, we were slaves to sin with no choice as to whether or not we obeyed the dictates of the flesh. This is what verse seven of Romans 6 is getting into when it says, “For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 7 will explain this more when it uses the analogy of marriage to explain how we have been set free from the law. However, the point here is that we are given new life, and this new life is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The promise of verses eight and nine is that we have a new life that is in Jesus Christ our Lord and as such, it is eternal in both duration and quality. Our joy, freedom and the richness of this new life can hardly be expressed in words, since it has to do with our being seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Because of these things, verse eleven leads us to the conclusion that we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This “considering,” or thinking, is essential to our Christian life. We must both know the truth and think it through to its logical conclusion. However, it does not stop there. We must take the next step and act upon the truth. It is important here to distinguish between being saved by our works, and being freed from our sins. We are not saved by what we do, but we are freed from the rule, dominion and slavery of sin. As Romans chapter 6 starts out, why should we who have died to sin still live in it? Why would we want to? What profit did we have in those things that lead only to death?

Therefore, verses twelve through fourteen show us that we must present ourselves to God.

Being dead to sin does not mean that we cannot still let sin rule in our bodies. We must first consider ourselves dead to sin, and then verse twelve tells us:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (Romans 6:12 ESV)

We still have the option of obeying the passions of our body. Death does not mean annihilation. 

Before we are born again, the Bible describes us as dead to God and righteousness. This does not mean that we do not have a spirit and a soul, but it does mean that we are separated from God. In addition, there is an imprisonment or bondage in regard to spiritual things. The Scriptures speak of death and the grave as being equivalent. In Hosea 13:14, the Lord says, “I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.” And in Revelation 20:14, the Scriptures speak of death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire. In these references, both Sheol and Hades are references to the grave or the place of the dead. The grave is seen as a place of confinement. A soul is thus kept from life and from God. Therefore, not only does death imply a separation, it also implies a confinement or removal from the presence of life. Jesus used a parable where He spoke of souls being thrown into outer darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). Here again there is a removal of the soul from life. However, the soul still exists and is conscious. In regard to our death to sin, this should make us aware that sin, which was a part of us, is now separated from us, and it has been confined in that its power to dominate us is broken. Therefore, as Romans 6:14 says, “...sin will have no dominion over you...” Since we have died to sin, we are separated from sin and sin is confined, it has no power over us.

For this reason, Romans 6:13 says:

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:13 ESV

Sin still exists. We can still present our members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but we have no obligation to present ourselves to sin. We are now free to present ourselves to God. We are no longer separated from God. We are united with Christ, and therefore we can present ourselves to God. Presenting our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness is what it means to walk in newness of life. Before we were baptized into Christ, this was not even possible.

We have seen that it is necessary for us to know that we are baptized into Christ, to consider that we are dead to sin and then to present ourselves to God.

Is there anything keeping you from enjoying this grace which has been given to us?

Eternal Life through Christ Jesus Our Lord

Romans 5:12-21

Death is not natural, nor is it good.

We are trained to think death is natural and necessary.

The theory of evolution assumes that death is natural. We are born and we die. According to the theory of evolution, it is through this process of birth and death that all things improve.

The Bible paints a different picture. Romans 5:12 says:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— (Romans 5:12 ESV)

In this passage, we see that death entered into our world through sin. Therefore, before sin entered the world, death was not in the world. Death has indeed spread to all humanity, just as Romans 5:12 says. Until Christ returns, every person will experience the death of the body. However, 1 Corinthians 15:26 says:

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV)

Here, in this passage, we see death described as an enemy, and we see that Jesus Christ will destroy this enemy.

According to Romans 5:13, death is in the world because of sin, and sin came into the world by one man. It hardly seems fair that we should all suffer death because of one man, especially since he lived and died thousands of years ago. He broke a rule, a rule that you and I have not even had the opportunity to break. God told him, “Don’t eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.” But you and I have not even seen the garden, let alone eaten the forbidden fruit.

Romans 5:12 says, “...death spread to all men because all sinned...”

According to this, we do not die for Adam’s sin. Death spread to all men because all sinned. We are not judged for another’s sin, but we are judged for our sin.

How is it I can be guilty of sin when I do not know the rules?

How is it that men sinned when there were no rules to break?

This question is addressed in Romans 5:13-14.

...for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. (Romans 5:13-14 ESV)

Notice here, this passage says, “...even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam.” While it says, “sin is not counted where there is no law,” it does not say there is no sin where there is no law. This is very important for us to understand, because it has to do with our salvation, and relates to our ability, or inability, to save ourselves.

When the law was given through Moses, the people of Israel thought that they had been given a means to be delivered from death. However, they found that the law, which is good and right, brought only death and condemnation. Romans 7 explains it like this:

The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:10-13 ESV)

Sin is something. By this, I mean that sin is more than just a concept. Sin is a moral evil that brings death. Here, in this passage, it says, “It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin...” Sin exists in the heart apart from law. Before the law, there was sin. Genesis 6:5 says:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)

In this time before the law was given, the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great. In other words, we see that sin is wickedness or evil in the human heart. When God examined human hearts, He saw that wickedness was great, and every intention was only evil continually.

Do you think that humanity or the human heart has changed?

Ephesians 2 tells us that before Jesus made us alive, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. The exact words are:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— (Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV)

Humanity has not changed.

If sin in the heart meant that “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” before the flood, it means the same today. Thus, Romans 5:21 says, “...sin reigned in death.”

Sin and death came into the world through one man. Romans 5:12 started to give a comparison when it said, “just as.” Romans 5:14 points to the comparison that was being made when it says, “...Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” Romans 5:15-17 draws this comparison in more detail. However, verse 15 points out a difference rather than a similarity. Romans 5:15 points out the “MUCH MORE” aspect of the work of Jesus Christ. Indeed, sin entered the world by one man and through this, all died. But, much more has the free gift of grace abounded because of the righteousness of the One Man, Jesus Christ. These verses say:

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:15-17 ESV)

It bears repeating, “...the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.”

Sin was there even when there was no law. The law only served to make sin apparent or evident. Sin existed and the law just pointed this out. We were dead in our trespasses and sins; however, the grace of God was much greater than our sins. The free gift of grace abounded much more than sin to bring justification. So now, according to what we just read, we will reign in life through Jesus Christ. Death has been defeated. Now, instead of death reigning through sin, those who receive the free gift of righteousness reign in life.

The idea of justification is central to reigning in life. We live, walk and breathe as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are the meek who will inherit the earth (emphasis on the word meek). This is possible only because we are justified freely by His grace. Sin is defeated because we are justified. Death is defeated because we are justified. The passage says, “the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.”

Adam, as the father of us all, acted as the source and representative of the human race. By using this representative system, God opened the door for a representative of the human race to take upon Himself all the sins of the human race. Christ is like Adam in that He represents the whole human race, just as Adam represented the whole human race. However, Christ is unlike Adam in that in His righteousness and obedience He brought life to the whole human race, whereas Adam’s disobedience brought death.

Romans 5:18 restates this comparison and leads to the conclusion:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. (Romans 5:18 ESV)

Jesus said:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)

Our justification has resulted in abundant life, what Romans 5 describes as reigning in life. Chapter 5 starts out by saying that because we have been justified, we have peace with God, and having peace, we enjoy an abundance of grace. The vast, limitless abundance of God’s grace is ours.

Romans 5:18 says that this justification and life are for all men.

Does this mean that all men are automatically justified?

The answer is no.

The invitation is definitely to all men. Indeed, in almost the last words of the Bible, Revelation 22:17 says:

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17 ESV)

While the invitation is there, a warning is included. In another place, John explains:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:18-19 ESV)

In many other places, the Scriptures warn of judgment for those who do not believe in the only begotten Son of God. Romans 1:18 warned that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. To be sure, the redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to save all men everywhere. However, only those who believe are said to be saved.

The law still serves a purpose. Romans 5:20 says. “Now the law came in to increase the trespass...” The law still serves to show us our need for salvation. But, the good news is what Romans 5:20 finishes with, “...but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more...”

This “abounding grace” leads to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Are you enjoying this eternal and abundant life?

If not, why not?

Our entry into this life is by believing, believing that Jesus is God’s Son, that He did for our sins and that He rose again from the dead. If we believe He did this for us, we will call upon Him to be saved. Once we are saved, we can trust Him for all that we need.