Category Archives: Dan’s Blog

Dead? Com’on!

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The fact is that God truly did cause our old self to die, even though we still have to drag the weight of it around in our new life in Christ. “But how can I get rid of that monster?” Well, the truth is that God has gotten rid of it for us. In the Greek, to “be done away with” literally means to be made powerless.

This means that, even though it’s still there causing lots of trouble, the flesh—“our body of sin”—has actually become a non-issue for us as children of God. Why? Because the flesh has been made powerless! Now this can obviously be somewhat confusing, but you’ll clearly see why and how it is if you read my book.

Accusation & Deceit

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It’s not hard to come away from Romans 6 with at least a head-knowledge that our flesh has somehow died now that we’ve received Christ. After all, isn’t that what it says in Romans 6:6: “…that our body of sin might be done away with?” “Finally, my old self is dead!” we reason, even though deep down it’s really hard to believe.(Colossians 3:9-10)

Nevertheless it is true. But the manner in which “our body of sin” has been “done away with” is a little different from what may appear on the surface. Actually our body of sin didn’t go anywhere. It’s still clinging close at hand. So what seems to be a contradiction here can be an ongoing frustration for Christians, because it’s tough not to be disheartened by a sense of guilt which is constantly blown out of proportion by Satan’s masterful manipulation through accusation and deceit.

Old Self Crucified

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Most Christians understand and accept the concept of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. But what many are far less familiar with is the meaning behind what Paul says :

“knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of    sin might be done away with, that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For   he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7)           

When Paul says that we are freed from sin, he uses the same Greek word that is translated justified or made righteous we discussed in detail in the last chapter. Verse 7 can literally be translated: “For he who has died is acquitted from sin.” We all know what happens when someone is acquitted in a trial—he’s found not guilty of the charge brought against him.

This is exactly what God caused to happen for us as Christ took the guilt and punishment of sin off our shoulders and laid it upon Himself: we have been found not guilty in regard to our sin. So this should help us to better understand the fact that our ability to experience God’s life consists of something a great deal more than merely maintaining sinless behavior now that we’re saved.

Baptism Saves Us?

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Many Christians believe a myth about baptism—namely, that the sacrament of baptism washes away our sins, thus bringing us into right standing with God.

But what it really teaches is that we are connected to Christ through the new birth in such a way that we actually become joined to Him. And having become united with Him, we now enjoy all the benefits accomplished on the cross—just as if we had suffered the punishment of death for sin ourselves.

Water baptism, then, is a powerful symbol of the spiritual reality of being joined to Christ, both in His death and in His resurrection. We are commanded to perform the ritual of baptism as a public acknowledgement of our decision to step forward into this new life in Him. (Romans 6:3-5)

 

Righteousness a Gift?

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It’s easy for us to think of salvation as being a free gift of grace, but righteousness is often a different story. Yet righteousness before God comes exclusively as a free gift from Him as well. Here’s how Paul puts it: “… those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17). Truly magnificent, isn’t it? But as wonderful as this is, it’s merely the starting point in our walk of faith.

The question is how the reality of God’s righteousness, having now become our own, plays out in the believer over the course of his life. What about our old nemesis: sin? How is it that God can allow our ongoing struggle with sin to exist right alongside the awesome position of righteousness we now have in Christ? The incredible gift of God’s grace has everything to do with it! In Christ, God has actually caused us to die to sin itself.

By Grace Alone

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By grace alone we have been made righteous. We tend to think of righteousness as having become acceptable to God. But righteousness is much more than merely being acceptable. Rather, it is rooted in the fact that Christ is now in us, and we in Him.(Colossians 2:27)

The promise of the Gospel is a gift. Our righteousness can never be earned by working toward it. The truth is, redemption means that we have actually become the righteousness of God Himself.(2 Corinthians 5:21) In Christ Jesus we have been granted an almost unbelievable status with God. But believe it we must, since by faith we have been reconciled to God and consequently have been made righteous.

Unearned Favor

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Why is falling back under law so instinctive to us? I suppose one reason is that it’s hard to believe that God could so freely and completely forgive our sin. Could He really be that generous? Yes, as a matter of fact! This overwhelming generosity is what Scripture calls grace.(Romans 3:24)

The definition of grace in the Greek is: “A favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor.”

God’s grace just naturally flows from a key attribute of His nature: mercy. Mercy is the pillar of God’s redemptive gift, and grace is the means by which He administers it.(Romans 5:20-21)

Rescued from Sin

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Think back for a moment to what your life was like at the time Jesus rescued you from your sin. In and of ourselves, could any of us have achieved righteousness in God’s eyes? Of course not! Each and every one of us had to rely totally on Jesus to clean up the mess we’d made of our lives.

Then how in the world could we ever think that now we might somehow be capable of building relationship with Him by our own efforts?(Romans 5:10) Well, needless to say, it’s impossible. Still, it’s not at all uncommon for believers to keep trying, since our human nature instinctively inclines us to do so. Therefore, we must always be vigilant not to retreat into a mindset of trying to earn a position of good standing with God.(Colossians 2:20-21)

Faith vs. Belief

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It’s helpful to understand that while the terms faith and belief carry the same meaning when used in Scripture, this is not necessarily the case in the secular use of these terms. In the secular context one can certainly believe something whether or not he first hopes for it. So belief may differ from faith in that regard.

Can you see how our Biblical belief in God can vary dramatically from the way a worldly person is likely to perceive it? Understanding the difference between the two can help greatly when sharing with nonbelievers about belief in God.

Thirsty for Faith

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Our faith grows and develops as we cling to Him awaiting the final redemption of our body.(Romans 8:23) Faith is both a gift of God and an act of our will. We are to personally exercise faith, but the decision to do so is helped along by His gift of hunger for more of Him. It reminds me of that popular soft drink slogan, “Obey your thirst”—God wants us to step out in the “obedience by faith” to receive what He has made us thirsty for.

The proof of our faith is found in our actions, because people behave only in a manner which conforms to what they really believe. When we take action (the assurance and conviction aspects of faith), it grows. And as our faith grows, hope becomes stronger, in turn fostering greater faith, snowballing to promote growth in both our maturity and effectual use by God.