Answer to the sin problem

[hourglass]

ROMANS SIX
Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?

We are dead to sin! Ironically enough man can only continue in sin if he remains under the Law. Sin is the transgression of the Law and without the Law there is no transgression.

4:15, “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.�

7:6, “But now we are delivered from the law…�

6:3) “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

This is not speaking of a physical baptism; it is speaking of a spiritual baptism, when we were joined with him in his death at the cross. Water baptism is a sign of the work of Christ.

6:4) “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.�

We have been raised up and seated together with Christ in heavenly places. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus, the old man passed away at the cross. Now instead of confessing sin and claiming to be a sinner we are to walk in newness of life.

Ephesians 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.�

6:5) “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

We were planted with him in the likeness of his death so that we might join him in the likeness of his resurrection with a glorified body at the sound of the last trump.

6:6) “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.�

That old man (sinful man of the flesh, some call it the sin nature) was crucified with him at the cross some 2000 years ago. We are no longer servants of sin.

Ephesians 4:22-23, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

6:7) “For he that is dead is freed from sin.�

Because we died with him we are free from sin.

6:8-10) “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once…�

We had to be freed from sin to live with him. Christ will never deal with sin again (Heb 9:28) and has no fellowship with sinners. Sin was taken once and for all; it is not a continual process or a personal experience. We do not die daily to sin as some interpret the scriptures to say, to their own destruction. When Paul said that he died daily he was not referring to sin, he was referring to physical persecution from the Jews.
.
6:11, “Likewise reckon (conclude) ye also yourselves to be dead (not dying daily), indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.�

For your mind to grasp hold of this awesome salvation you cannot think that you are dying daily to sin or that forgiveness of sin is a continual process. The exceeding greatness of the power of God: the length, breadth, depth and height of our salvation is that we were freed of sin once and for all when Christ died on the cross for sin.

It was prophesied that this report would come to question, for it is indeed a spiritual revelation beyond mans natural thinking.

Isaiah 53:1, “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

And Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “… Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.�

Christians were to be as little children, but worldly intellect has stamped out faith and Christians aren’t really Christians anymore.

6:12-13, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.�

This salvation of ours goes deeper than the flesh, it is a spiritual matter. Sin reigns in your mortal body if you are under the law. The law judges after the flesh and sin consciousness is the sad result. You ask, how do I know if I am under the law? Ask yourself if you are a sinner? If the answer is yes, then you are under the law. The answer should be no I am not a sinner because I reckon myself to have died with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. The lust of the flesh is to attain righteousness by the works of the law, but is futile. The law pin-points sin and sin consciousness is the result. He came to free us of sin to our very core, our conscience, so that we can stand unashamed at his coming. Unbelief (sin-consciousness) is the sin that will condemn in judgment (Rev 21:8). We are servants to righteousness by faith in the operation of God.

6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.�

Sin has no dominion over you if you are not under the law. This does not mean that we are now able to physically keep the law; it means that we are free of the law by faith and cannot be condemned if we have knowledge. Grace has no meaning without the forgiveness of sin.
,
6:15, “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.�

The question here is because we are free of sin can we go out and sin? The answer to that is it is not expedient.

I Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Why is sin or evil; the things of darkness, not expedient? Because it convicts us and wars against the spirit. Convictions troubles our pure conscience and makes one ashamed. The love of God is easy to be entreated, but sin screams at our faults and can make us ashamed before God. The New Covenant says that God does not see sin, so the battle of our conscience is us up to us.

What make for a troubled conscience are the things of darkness. What makes for a trouble free conscience is first, that Christ forgave the world of sin once and for all and does not see sin and second, the act of loving your brother, Ephesians 4:23-32, and oh, of course not being told you are not sinner in the first place.

6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

If one continues in the law he is a servant to sin. If one walks in ‘the faith’ that the flesh is dead one walks in obedience to righteousness.

Romans 14:23, “…For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.�

6:17-18, “But God be thanked, that ye were (under the law) the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.�

Before the cross, before the body of sin was destroyed, before the flesh died, man was a servant to sin because faith had not come. Sacrifices for sin were continually offered upon an altar. As long as sacrifices were offered there was no place for a pure conscience! But when faith came man revived and the old man died and we became servants of righteousness.

5:10, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved (given eternal life) by his life.�

After the cross, when the body of sin was destroyed, when the flesh died to sin, we became servants to righteousness. We have accessed this grace by ‘faith’ in the body of Christ wherein we stand, 5:2.

I John 3:1-2, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…Beloved, now are we the sons of God…�

It is an abomination to be joined to Christ and call yourself a sinner. Only the law can judge a man thus.

Jesus said to remain under the law, one will be judged by the law. To follow Christ is to walk in the ‘perfect Law of Liberty’ and under this law one can find no fault.

Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.�

6:19), “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.�

According to Chapter 7, Paul is speaking to those who know the law. Under the law the flesh is sick; but grace yielded the flesh dead to sin. Under the law ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; under grace ye yield your members servant to righteousness unto holiness by the works of Christ.

6:20-21, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed: for the end of those things is death.�

Before Christ came, under the law man was a servant of sin and free from righteousness. Under the Law there is no fruit unto holiness, the conscience is defiled and it is with a pure conscience that we must stand before God. It also is not possible to love your brother if one judges after the flesh.

6:22, “BUT NOW BEING MADE FREE FROM SIN, AND BECOME SERVANTS TO GOD, YE HAVE YOUR FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS, AND THE END EVERLASTING LIFE.�

It took being made free from sin to become the servants of God (a sinner is an enemy to God, 5:10). The fruit of holiness believes in the works of Christ and results in everlasting life.

6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.�

The gift of God is eternal Life and that gift came to us by the good news that Jesus set us free from sin in the flesh. The ordinance of ‘the wages of sin is death’ was nailed to the cross. When He died on the cross for the sins of the world He fulfilled the Law.

Abraham was deemed righteous 430 years before the law came because he believed God. Do we believe God? No longer are our heads to hang down and the feeble knees, but make a straight path for our feet, for that which is lame (in sin) will be cast out.

Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.�

Some interpret the ‘many’ in this verse to mean that Christ died for the Christians, but this is not so. Technically Christ died for the Jews under the Law and the fulfillment of the Law brought the Gentiles in as adopted and blessed with all spiritual blessings. The Gentiles were not under the Levitical priest hood from which Jesus and the Law came and so the only knowledgeable conclusion would be:

Galatians 4:45-5, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, To redeem them that were under the Law, that we (Gentiles) might receive the adoption of sons.�

A son is not a sinner! We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

[McCulloch]

Moderator Action

Moved to a discussion forum for lack of a debate question. In fact, it reads more like a sermon than the opening post on a debate site. Please review the Rules and Tips on starting a debate topic.

When the moderators feel the rules have been violated, a notice will frequently occur within the thread where the violation occurred, pointing out the violation and perhaps providing other moderator comments. Moderator warnings and comments are made publicly, within the thread, so that all members may see when and how the rules are being interpreted and enforced. However, note that any challenges or replies to moderator comments or warnings should be made via Private Message. This is so that threads do not get derailed into discussions about the rules.

[Goat]

This sounds like a definition of a problem that doesn't really exist, and then an answer to sell. I keep on thinking of the snake oil salesman of the 19th century.