“Our old man (the former you) 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 6:6-7). At the moment of our justification, when we confess Jesus as our Lord and are baptized into full fellowship with Him and His church, the shackles of sin’s enslavement fall off of us. Jesus Christ then points to the cell’s open door and commands, “Go, and sin no more!” As with father Abraham, we consider not our own body with its’ desires and lusts. We consider God’s strength and promises. We then begin reigning in life by Jesus Christ. (See Romans 4:18-22 and Romans 5:17).
“How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2). Or are you a live wire when confronted with some temptation to sin?
Paul goes on to say, “we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4), a life of holiness and peace – peace with God and our fellow man. “Knowing this that our old man (the former you) is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed…for he that is dead is freed from sin” (See Romans 6:6-7). Are you freed from sin? Paul says all that are united with Jesus Christ are now freed from sin – not will be, not hope to be, but are freed from sin’s power right now in the present moment.
In Romans 7 Paul is not describing his own struggles and failure. He says he is speaking after the manner of men, defeated men at that, because of the infirmity of THEIR flesh, informing them that they have made the common mistake of yielding to the pulls of the flesh. (See Romans 6:19). He then describes THEIR problem in Romans 7. Those who use Romans 7 to excuse their sin, believing Paul is describing himself in Romans 7 are grossly deceived. It matters not what lofty titles they may enoy, or how many books they have written, or how huge may be their congregations! In this matte they are deceived. To be continued….
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley