Thursday: Free From Sin
Keeping in mind what we have studied so far in Romans 6, read Romans 6:19-23. Summarize on the lines below the gist of what Paul is saying. Most important, ask yourself how you can make real in your life the crucial truths that Paul is addressing. Ask yourself what issues are at stake here?
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
Paul’s words here show that he fully understands the fallen nature of humanity. He talks about the “infirmity of your flesh.” The Greek word for “infirmity” means also “weakness.” He knows what fallen human nature is capable of when left on its own. Thus, again, he appeals to the power of choice-the power we have to choose to surrender ourselves and our weak flesh to a new master, Jesus, who will enable us to live a righteous life.
Romans 6:23 often is quoted to show that the penalty for sin-that is, the transgression of the law-is death. Certainly sin’s penalty is death. But in addition to seeing death as sin’s penalty, we should see sin as Paul describes it in Romans 6-as a master dominating his servants, duping them by paying them off with the wages of death.
Notice, too, that in his development of the figure of the two masters, Paul calls attention to the fact that the service of one master means freedom from the service of the other. Again we see the clear choice: one or the other. There is no middle ground. At the same time, as we all know, being free from the dominion of sin doesn’t mean sinlessness, doesn’t mean we don’t struggle and at times even fall. It means instead that we are no longer dominated by sin, however much a reality it remains in our life and however much we must claim daily the promises of victory over it.
Thus, this passage becomes a powerful appeal to anyone who is serving sin. This tyrant offers nothing but death as payment for doing shameful things; therefore, a reasonable person should desire emancipation from this tyrant. In contrast, those who serve righteousness do things that are upright and praiseworthy, not with the idea of thus earning their salvation, but as a fruit of their new experience. If they are acting in an attempt to earn salvation, they are missing the whole point of the gospel, the whole point of what salvation is, and the whole point of why they need Jesus.
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From above..
"At the same time, as we all know, being free from the dominion of sin doesn’t mean sinlessness, doesn’t mean we don’t struggle and at times even fall. It means instead that we are no longer dominated by sin, however much a reality it remains in our life and however much we must claim daily the promises of victory over it."
A few years ago, an SDA seminary professor presented a sermon as a guest speaker at the church I usually attend.He said that we can not eliminate sin from ourselves..only subdue it. He also mentioned that this notion was the majority opinion in the denomination
Look at this SOP quote. "Everyone who by faith obeys God's commandments, will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression." Maranath p 224
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," Jude 24
"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;" 1 Pet 4:1
"That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph 5:27
What do you think?
I do understand your concern and its been a center of discussion in many circles of the Church the question of Whether we can achieve sinlessness as did Adam and Eve before the Fall. I do agree with the scriptures and the quote stated above, however the question is as an individual how do i know that i have attained the state righteousness. How can i be sure that i can no longer sin? The truth is as humans we have no metric for such. But, the lesson is encouraging to die daily to our humanity, to become servants of the most high every day of our lives, then this daily sacrifice will result into righteousness. There are many religious preachers especially in Uganda here that preach the gospel of am saved by faith and therefore once am saved i can no longer sin, even when I sin there is no need to worry because the blood of Jesus has covered my sins already. As an Adventist this is not the biblical understanding, the idea is that we are never going to know whether or not we have achieved righteousness isn't our business, my responsibility is to die daily to self, subject my life as a living sacrifice to God and then the rest God will decide. Also in terms of being spotless, it does not mean that we have never sinned, it means that we have acknowledged the need of the Savior daily in our lives.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ssevvume. I agree wholeheartedly with the view you stated here. The focus is on Jesus continually, not on me. However, we are told to watch and pray lest we fall into temptation. The time to "watch and pray" is always NOW.
Living in a corrupt world and being human leaves us vulnerable to temptation. Calling on Jesus to help us we are capable of resisting. Yet our human nature fails us sometimes. The crux of the matter is to get up when we fall and continue trying to please God. As christians that is our will.
What do I think? I think that sin has several phases that it manifests itself in people's lives. 1. sin as "Lifestyle;" this is sin as it manifests itself in everyone before they come to Jesus, baptism, and then go on to Sanctification for the WORK OF A LIFETIME. 2. Sin as "Nature;" this is sin as it continues to manifest itself even after we come to Jesus because of its "Bilogical," claim it has on everyone Christian or otherwise. 2. sin as "Character Defects," this is sin as it manifests in all Born Again Christians because of Genetics, sinful lifestyle backgrounds, etc. So the bottom line is that even EGW said that it will never be safe to claim SINLESSNESS, and FLAWESSNESS, and 100% PERFECTION until after Jesus Second Coming when HE gives us GLORIFIED BODIES.
Pete, I don't look at it that way. I see sin as the darkness that occurs in the soul that results from the absence of the light of Jesus' presence. When we allow Jesus to come into our soul His Light dispels the darkness in us and sin is not an issue unless we focus on it instead of Jesus.
"Everyone who by faith obeys God's commandments will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression." Maranatha p 224
I don't feel that I'm mincing words when I say that "reaching the condition of sinlessness" is not the same as being sinless. That sinless condition is credited to us by Jesus, the only One Who is capable of rendering it and then crediting it to us by grace. We receive it by faith, we don't achieve it by faith. It cannot be ours otherwise, else Christ died in vain.
“Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son.” – Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 367
Yes, Jim bob, the Bible and SOP are on the side of sinlessness as the achievable goal in Christ. It is not a cover-up but real sinless living in Christ as we walk. We can walk sinlessly in the power of the Holy Spirit of God's Love. Don't ask who has done it as if to disqualify the possibility. Just go forward in God's Love and you can live victoriously.
The gospel is God's solution to the problem of sin.And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ~ Matthew 1 : 21.So to keep choosing to sin while we claim to be justified doesn't make any sense to me.I guess there are only two choices either remain a sinner or be healed.I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live: ~ Deuteronomy 30 : 19
I love the verse you quoted from Deuteronomy and have thought much on it. It's God's call to His children to live with Him for eternity. Thanks for your comments. steve
Verse 19 continues in 20: “so that you may love Jehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them.” The focus of Moses’ last day message to God’s people is that God is Love and God is Life. Read the preceding verses and see that salvation and sanctification are God’s work, not ours. Our work is choosing whom we will believe and follow: the One who has delivered us out of bondage and is bringing us to the promised land (his promise, not ours), or the Deceiver who says, “Did God really say…?”
If we focus on being sinless, then we have been been duped and will get the wages of that master: death. If our focus is the Lover of our Souls, then we will have that Love and Life and have it abundantly and eternally. As Moses said, we must cling to Jehovah for he is our life, and our only hope.
I agree with the idea being said but with a distinct alteration.
Based on an Accountants calculator you are informed that you owe X in taxes. Can the calculator be held responsible for the information received? No, but the Accountant can.
In a similar fashion, sin nor righteousness have no power in and of themselves. They are kin to the Accountants calculator while Satan and Christ are perspectively kin to the Accountant.
Satan's calculator is sin.
Christ's calculator is righteousness.
The question isn't whose calculator you are going to hold but rather whose character are you going to embrace.
As I read this lesson, it brought to mind the only way we can live a righteous life and it is found in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Pictures speak louder than words often times. Forgiveness is the key to get you out of jail, or if you will, set you free. Romans 6:22.
This lesson has helped me become closer to God. As I have been reading the book of Romans this week I am understanding little by little of what it is trying to mean. I am trying to connect more with God because we are living a crazy world.
Romans 6:23 is similar to Philippians 2:12. While WORKS do not save, yet there is something we have to WORK AT to become better servants of God and also better people and holier people for God.
I see a few replies to my top post and rather than reply individually, it might be more edifying if I presented some insights.
In the plan of salvation there are goals,processes,participation, and personal,subjective sanctification evaluations. There is s tendency to avoid the topic of goals by digressing to the other 3 issues. Many, if not most, bible teachers/scholars affect the other 3 issues by altering the goals. If one embraces the defeatist goal of not, through God's grace , being able to reach the state of sinlessness, then their participation, consecration ,motivation, and personal evaluation is negatively/detrimentally affected with the resulting experience of sanctification. Jesus spoke about the person who DID show up at the wedding and yet had no correct robe fit for the occasion. Also the prodigal son had to repent and leave his depraved situation before his father could treat him as a son and put the robe on him. Closer to home for this denomination,.the incentive for holiness, and a close relationship with Jesus is sabotaged by removing the overcoming/victory goal and results in perpetuating the lukewarm, poor, blind, naked Laodicean mind set. The destiny of those people is tragic.
Isn't it interesting how where Jesus spoke in his marriage feast parable "the person who showed up at the wedding reception without the 'correct robe'" was the only one that was cast out of that event even though that reception hall was filled with "both good and bad" people there? To me this means that the wedding garment equals Jesus righteousness 100% and not one single item of it is my own righteousness at all-----in other words it is not one single item of my own works at all either.
Yes, Pete, let's allow Jesus to work in us so that we can have something good to work out instead of our own righteousness. The old man of sin does not have to be in charge when Jesus Lives in us.
What is a 'Double Agent"? Governments try them for treason .... according to which side exposes them! Recent politics is an example! In the Church we unfortunately have many double agents too! People who have fooled themselves into thinking that they are working for God when in fact they are working for themselves .... for pride of position, fighting to keep their status within the church at all costs. To these I would say .... in God's kingdom there are no double agents. Serving God for self advancement or to be looked up to by others makes you a double agent. There are only two sides in the spiritual battle. Choose ye today whom ye will serve .... Self = Sin - Satan - eternal death. Or total commitment to God and the saving grace of Jesus.
It is the whole point of Martin Luther's revelation from Romans. Although one might be striving for perfection, even living in a cloister where there are fewer visual temptations, the closer we get to God the more we see our unworthiness and our need of Christ our Savior and Sacrifice. Only He met the demands of the law for us and we can rest assured we are covered by His robe of righteousness.
Jim, is there any hope that, with Christ living in and through us that we might reveal His Righteousness in us and that we might become sealed in His Righteousness such that our filthy rags are no longer an issue?
In answer to the challenge from this lesson, "ask yourself how you can make real in your life the crucial truths that Paul is addressing" I don't hope to make these truths real, but I have confidence in One who can do it for me and in me. God can make all truth real to me if I will choose to allow Him to motivate my thoughts.