For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: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.For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:5-7)
The Bible teaches us that sin is a multi-faceted horror. We know from 1 John, that sin is the transgression of the Law of God,
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.(I John 3:4)
We have seen from Romans chapter 1, that sin is the rejection of God’s truth and His Glory, and in Romans three it is the coming short of the Glory of God. Sin is failure to love God supremely, or to love our neighbor as ourself, it is lawlessness, self will, and iniquity. In John’s gospel it is called the love of darkness.
But in Romans 5 and 6 we are taught that sin is a state of being, it is living under a God estranged rule, an authority called “the reign of sin and death”. It began when Adam transgressed, and all of his children were born under it and have known nothing else all of their lives, but the dominion of sin. The only relief for the faithful was the promise of an absolute deliverance from sin,dating back to the Word in the garden of the coming serpent crusher.
For one under the reign of sin, there is no choice, for everything he does is a sin. It is a state of being. As Proverbs declares, even the “Plowing of the wicked is sin”.(Proverbs 21:4) .Within the reign and dominance of sin, there are of course varying degrees of sinfulness, there are some more given to evil than others. But all under sin, must sin, for they live under its power.
If one is born into this condition, how can one escape? If my problem is deeper than what I have done, it is instead who I am, how can I be freed of that? Only by death. I was born into Adam’s family, the only way ut of it is to die out of it.
The gospel is that when Jesus came into this reign of sin- he overcame it in every respect. Jesus was truly tempted in every way, as a human being, relying on God the Father to deliver him out of temptation. He conquered sin, then went to the cross to pay the price for our sins, and in dying there,He died to sin once and for all.
Jesus is now out of the realm of sin- as Hebrews 7 tells us, For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;(Hebrews 7:26). He can never be defiled, or conquered by the dominion of sin, he has won the victory and passed over out of that realm.
But the point is that when Jesus died to sin, so did we, in Him. Sin can never have dominion over us again, we are no longer under its realm, we have died to it in Jesus.
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: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6;9-11)
It doesn’t seem necessary to point out that Jesus is no longer under sin and death, because it is obvious, that he never sinned and when he died, Jesus rose again. Of course he is no longer dominated by sin or death! It seems absurd to have to state that sin and death have no more dominion over the resurrected Lord of Life!
But Paul makes the point because it is in Jesus’ capacity as the last Adam, the representative of us all who believe, that Jesus died to the realm of sin and death, and we died to it in him. In this sense “He that has died is free from sin”, we have died and sin no longer has the absolute dominion over us, that it once did when we were “in Adam”!
In practical terms I am not saying, nor is Paul, that believers in Jesus never sin. What we are saying is that believers in Jesus are no longer ruled by sin, we now have a choice to sin or not to sin, having been brought into right standing with God.
The “abundance of grace and the gift of Righteousness”, has made it possible for us to Love God who loved us first and to believe in Him. What is the essence of Righteousness but Faith and Love towards God. If we Love God and our neighbor, will we not fulfill all of the law? And is it not true that “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin”?
Pastor Bill Randles Blog 