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We Have Victory in Christ
INTRODUCTION
Part 1 of today’s lesson continues John’s unflattering look at the rather strange and unlikely assortment of people that were involved in the drama of Jesus' burial and resurrection. The roles of Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and John the Apostle are examined and despite their long association with Jesus and their obviously strong love and concern for Him, none of them really distinguished themselves by their behavior, in their reaction to His resurrection.
This will lead us into Paul's introduction to the section in his letter dealing with sanctification; which we can describe as God's activity to liberate the Christian believer from the power of sin, by imparting the righteousness of God throughout man.This sanctification of course follows logically upon justification, where God declares a person to be righteous on the basis of faith in the person and work of Jesus.In discussing justification, Paul teaches us that God imputes the righteousness of God to man and then he begins to show how we can stop acting according to our former selfish nature, doing what comes naturally and actually now doing good, acting from the life of Jesus Christ, and finding it easier to be good because we experience that the life of Christ is much stronger than the life we received from Adam. Let us understand that Christ is presently living his life through believers.Now we should understand that the portion of the chapter 6 we study is only an introduction to Paul's discussion of the process of sanctification and merely presents the need and motive for sanctification and does not give us the full solution to the problem of sanctification.
We are often told that when we have come to the last Adam, Jesus Christ, God brings our old life abruptly and completely to an end, and the Spirit that we received makes it possible for us to ‘be good’ just as easily as we were naturally bad in Adam.
Why then aren't we at that level, showing this attractive Christian living, instead of the obvious fruitlessness, frustrated living, struggling to be good, choosing to do wrong, finally ashamed to continue confessing our sins and then keeping a public appearance so that the people around us are satisfied with our life?
We now begin to look at how human beings really are and how God works to change them after they are accepted by Him.
Note that for followers of Jesus, seeing is not necessarily believing. Awareness and understanding of what he has spoken to us and revealed in His Scriptures is not always there at all.
Similarly, Justification does not automatically lead to the kind of sanctification for which we seek and so we see people living lives of defeat, failing in their continuing attempts to make the old life behave, instead of treating it as it really is, namely dead. one writer asserts: “ If there is no change in your life after you receive Christ, then there is serious doubt whether you ever received Christ at all”. As Charles Spurgeon puts it: “ An unchanged life is the mark of an unchanged heart, and an unchanged heart is a sign of an unregenerate life.”
OBSERVATIONS ON THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUSWe must remember that Jesus was executed as a criminal and that the disciples kept far away from Jesus at that time. The prophecies had stated that the Messiah would die with the wicked, but would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. This seemed hardly possible, since the trial and death of Jesus was a hurried, illegal affair and his body along with those of the other executed criminals had to come down from the cross before the Sabbath began. The disciples had run away and his relatives would certainly be afraid and powerless to stop Jesus’ body from being dumped unceremoniously in the local Jewish cemetery for convicted criminals.
Suddenly out of nowhere, we see emerging the unlikely duo of two highly regarded members of the rabidly hostile Jewish Sanhedrin Council, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, teaming up; one courageously requesting Pilate to give him the body of Jesus for burial and then both taking the body wrapping it with aromatic spices and placing it in the tomb of this rich man Joseph.
Before this we would never have guessed that any of these two men would be very helpful to Jesus in any capacity. At best, unknown to everybody, they might have been secret disciples, with Nicodemus on a couple of occasions objecting to the Council not giving Jesus due process of the law. They must have been somehow talking to each other secretly and discovered that they thought similarly about Jesus. Both men, rich and influential, were able to accomplish something that none of Jesus' family or his eleven disciples could do, that is, gain access to Pilate and get possession of the body of Jesus.
We know that God acts to override the foolishness, weaknesses, and fears of men, bringing about the changes, and the events that he wants to occur.
So the first lesson we learn is that God is able. He does what he wishes in the affairs of men and he changes hearts in those that he has chosen, rewarding those who are responsive to his call.
Our text today begins with a look at another unlikely player, Mary Magdalene. She had been given the very unflattering introduction as the woman from whom Jesus and earlier cast out seven demons. She had faithfully followed Jesus after this time and the Scriptures honor her as the first woman who came to the tomb, fully intending to anoint the body of her Lord.
Note however that she did not come to witness His resurrection. She came to do the wrong thing, jumped to the wrong conclusion and made erroneous assumptions. She had put her faith and hope in him, but now had to face the fact that he had been executed as a criminal. Still she loved him and cried bitterly when she realized that she would not be able to proper anoint his body for burial and thus honor him. This was terrible, and any news she would carry would be terrible news.
John himself told us that none of them thought that Jesus would be resurrected and for them the empty tomb was simply that. Obviously they shared Mary’s analysis
Clearly sanctification is a most necessary thing.
It is to be noted that knowing a few facts can affect our decision and our actions. There are certain unshakable and unchangeable facts that Paul says we must understand. This is a most critical matter, for knowledge of certain facts about God and what he's doing, affects everything about our life. If there is misunderstanding about these critical facts and if life is not lived according to the logical implication of the facts, there will be trouble.
We must realize and understand that the Christian faith is based on the claim that a miracle has taken place. This claim has tremendous implications and we must face up to these facts and live in the light of them.
Our study highlights the following:
It might be helpful to keep in mind the three aspects of sanctification that have been traditionally accepted. One writer states them as follows: “1. Positional sanctification is that state of holiness imputed to the Christian at the moment of their conversion to Christ. It denotes not so much one's spiritual condition as his spiritual position. The Corinthians believers could thus be called ‘saints’ even though they were in a carnal state. (1 Corinthians 1:2). 2. Progressive sanctification refers to the process in our daily lives by which we are being conformed to the image of Christ. It is the process of becoming what we are in Christ. This involves the putting off of the old habits of lying, stealing, backbiting, etc., and putting on the Christ like qualities of honesty, Mercy, and love (Colossians 3). 3. Ultimate sanctification is that state of holiness that we will not attain to in this life, but will realize when we are finally in the presence of God. “ Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” 1 John 3:2. Sanctification, the putting off of the old man, and the putting on of the righteousness of Christ, is three dimensional: positional, progressive, and ultimate. The argument of the apostle Paul in Romans 6 is that we are obligated to experience progressive sanctification because of our positional sanctification accomplished on the cross of Calvary.”
Let us now look at the behavior of Mary Magdalene and then Simon Peter, and then the apostle John, so we can get a clear picture of what God needs to do in us and why and how he will begin to do it.
Also understand clearly that these people were victorious. Ultimately they came out as shining stars. We need not fear that we will not be able to do it as well. God is able. He loved then, and he loves now.
THE TEXTJohn 20:1-10.
Verse 1: The first day of the week, which began at sunset on Saturday evening (remember that the Sabbath began on Friday evening at sunset and ended on Saturday evening at sunset), Mary Magdalene headed to the tomb of Jesus early when it was still dark.
In view of Mary's intense concern it is quite possible that she went to the tomb very soon after the close of the Sabbath day, or she could have gone to the tomb some few hours before daybreak following the sunset on Saturday evening. She was clearly the first to reach the tomb.
What is quite clear however is that when she reached the tomb it was empty. This is plain commonsense. There is absolutely no indication anywhere in the Gospels telling us the time when Jesus was raised. Following the lead of the largely Gentile church, mostly everyone has bought into the speculation and outright assumption that Jesus was raised on the first day of the week. This insertion of ideas have supported the interpretation of a Sunday resurrection, which incidentally fits neatly into the old pagan Day of the Sun God resurrection. This crossing over of pagan worship is one of the many pagan practices brought into the Church and supported by several other speculations.
We can see clearly that when the first visitor came to the tomb it was absolute empty, with no indication as to whether Jesus was risen at any of the myriad of times before sunset, precisely at sunset, or at any time after sunset. Many actually believed that it would be most appropriate for Jesus to be raised on the Sabbath Day rather than on the day of the pagan Sun God.
Another passage in the Bible mentions other groups of women visiting the tomb but here it appears there were others traveling with Mary to the tomb. (See Luke 24 and Mark) . It is mentioned that the women headed there to anoint Jesus’ body with all the “extras”, since Jesus' body had been taken down from across so close to the beginning of the Sabbath that Joseph and Nicodemus had to rush the burial activity. The women would have had no chance to become involved.
Some details not mentioned here in John are important to help us understand what this entire situation would mean for these female followers of Christ. Mark 16:4 mentions that the stone before the cave was very large and heavy and thus they would not be able to remove the stone. Matthew 27:62-66 also is important, as it places two guards in front of the tomb of Jesus to ensure that no one could steal the body and so claim that He has been resurrected.
The focus is on Mary and she shows perfectly the mindset of the followers of Jesus. When she got close and saw that the stone was removed, she immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. She was right in assuming that the body of Jesus was gone, but she was wrong to assume that someone had taken the body away. She never thought that Jesus had been raised from the dead, as he had frequently taught all his followers.
Now consider the shameful behavior of these disciples but note that at least the women were concerned about honoring Jesus because of their great love for Him.
Unlike the disciples and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, the hostile Sanhedrin leadership were the only people who remembered that Jesus had said that after three days he would rise again and they were the only ones with enough belief in his power to take precautions, since they were unsure what could possibly happen.
The only redeeming feature for the disciples and we should note that it is good to seek Jesus early and continually even if we are not sure about what is happening around us, was that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome made their way to the tomb early on the first day,
This kind of behavior does show devotion to Christ and demonstrates some level of faith, though imperfect. This is how Mary demonstrated love for Christ.
Note that just being at the grave could have meant death for her and even result in some action against the other disciples. The Jewish leadership would certainly be suspicious and hostile to them being near the grave of Jesus, and attempting to do anything to His body.
Why do we need sanctification? At the tomb when Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome made the discovery of the miraculous and glorious empty tomb of Jesus, they did not think back to His words of His resurrection. It is good however that Mary Magdalene was one of the last people to see Christ at His death, and now she is one of the first to be present after His resurrection because of her love to Him.
Verse 2. Upon seeing the stone moved away, Mary Magdalene ran back to inform Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, that is to say John. Mary must have looked into the tomb, since she mentioned that the body of Jesus was gone.
It doesn't seem to have occurred to Mary that maybe some of the disciples could have taken the body. She jumped to the hasty conclusion assuming that the Jews, the Roman soldiers, or somebody like the gardener (20:15) had made off with the body of Jesus, thus frustrating her wish to locate His body and give it a proper burial. The “they” might have referred to the chief priests or Nicodemus and Joseph, each for reasons of their own.
Let us not forget the terrible and heart wrenching agony that Mary felt. Jesus had saved her from terrible bondage and she had devoted herself to supporting him and following him. She was helpless when Jesus was captured, tried, convicted, and crucified. And now the body of Jesus was gone. No wonder she could do nothing else but weep. This was the darkest moment of her life. But note that the darkness of the moment, as well as her tears, were ill founded, and based upon false assumptions.
Even nowadays when terrible tragedies happen and the bodies of our love ones are violated, families are very eager to locate the body of missing relatives and see to it that it is given a proper burial. Soldiers take terrible risks and undergo tremendous difficulty to recover the body of their slain comrades. Nations get very upset when they cannot recover the body of their captured citizens.
Remember though that at this time when she felt so helpless, a power much greater than she could ever imagine was at work within and all around her. It would take time for her to learn the far greater blessings that would appear to impact her life. But now in adversity she could not see the truth. Verse 3 & 4. Upon receiving the report, Peter and John made their way to the tomb with haste. Their concern for the body of their master was genuine. They also wished to see if what the women were saying was true, not that they thought that the woman were outright lying, but they actively sought the truth around matters concerning Jesus.
Once again here is a good lesson, as echoed other places in the Bible. When someone tells us something regarding the work or the word of God, we can just believe them and go about our busy life ignoring what was said, or we can actually test what was said , to ensure that truth is being told. They might have been some danger in running to the tomb to see what really was going on. However, both of them probably strengthened each other as they ran towards the tomb.
We are told that John outran Peter to the tomb. Their reaction upon reaching the tomb is intriguing !
Verse 5. When John reached the tomb for one who loved Jesus so much, all he did was to stoop down and look in. Since the tomb was hewn out of rock, the entrance would not be any bigger than necessary, and in any case a small entrance would make it easier to seal the tomb and offer protection to its occupant.
John, the Son of Thunder, who had previously sworn that he was able to be baptized with any kind of baptism, was hesitant, and only did enough to verify what Mary Magdalene had testified, ensuring its complete accuracy. Fear and disbelief might have deterred him from entering the tomb, as his fears then might have been realized and indeed the body of his Lord had been taken.
In our Christian lives we often are at the door, deciding whether to move forward when it comes to performing or even accepting the words of God.
This has implications for us, as we are clearly dealing with matters involving spiritual maturity. In cases like this, fear has taken hold and is preventing us from achieving a closer union with God. However we do not have to fear, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the results of His victory. This is what Romans 6 begins to discuss and to teach.
In light of the context of the events that are unfolding here; taking into account the words spoken by Jesus and the prophecies about His resurrection, at this point we see that Jesus has conquered death. The ultimate expression of our inability to do things, which often manifests itself as fear and disbelief can now be shrugged off, leaving us to complete all that has been requested of us by God. All of this is possible because Jesus has conquered death, which by proxy implies we too in Jesus have conquered death.
John’s love for Christ was without a doubt genuine. His motivations for getting to the tomb was not to confirm that Jesus was indeed risen, but to try and determine what had happened to His body, if Mary’s report was true. He was not considering the words spoken by his Master and thus a spiritual truth was needed to bring him closer to God. John did not have the courage to go into the sepulcher.
One might say that he was wisely taking into account the situation before him. However, the warmest affections are not always accompanied with the boldest resolutions; many are swift to run God’s race that are not stout to fight His battles, until they are completely tuned into Jesus.
Verse 6. Peter’s reaction upon reaching the tomb was slightly different than John’s. Both loved Jesus dearly, but where John stopped at the entrance of the tomb, held back by fear, or perhaps some misguided notion of defiling His tomb, or some other reason, Peter went straight in when he arrived.
Why? What was the difference between Peter and John? Even though John had outrun Peter, Peter’s intention was to see what transpired at Jesus’ tomb for himself. Peter was clearly an impetuous, in your face, bold person. He was not just talk alone. He would take up a sword and fight. He was probably not as scrupulous as John who might not want to defile himself by rushing into a tomb. No wonder Jesus elected this kind of personality to go and meet with the gentile Cornelius and his family and witness to him directly. Later, Peter would have to boldly defend this decision to visit Cornelius. Interestingly, he later slipped back into the old ways of the flesh and Paul had to pull him up about it.
Peter’s resolve was similar to that shown earlier on when he asked Jesus if he could meet Him on the water. However, the question is whether or not Peter’s resolve to reach the tomb and see what transpired a result of him wanting to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus, or like Mary and John, wanting to see what happened to the body of Jesus?
Peter was not hindered by any strange inhibitions about entering the tomb of a deceased individual. He went in to see exactly what was going on. As Peter went into the sepulcher, he demonstrated the same type of impetuousness seen when he requested to meet Jesus on the water and when he said he would not desert Jesus. However, this impetuousness did not lead him to the truth about Jesus that the others might not have seen, for John insists that they all were at that time disbelievers in the resurrection.
Jesus had to strongly reprimand other disciples on the road to Emmaus for their widespread shocking unbelief. Then he had to deal with the case of Thomas, another disbeliever.
It is told to us that the linen clothes were lying down neat and orderly. If these were the clothes Jesus was wrapped in, then if His body was stolen, the thieves might be carrying around a naked body, but if they were interested in anything valuable then they would have taken the fine linen Jesus was buried in. The scene did not suggest grave robbery.
The other possibility is that Jesus could have risen. There is no indication that John or. Peter considered this.
Verse 7. We are also told that the linen cloth surrounding Jesus’ head was apart from the rest of the linen, and folded neatly and placed to the side. This should have struck Peter as being strange. Thieves in the employ of the Romans, or the Jews that orchestrated His death, or some other venture group would hardly take the time when committing a crime of this nature to be neat. So what is going on here?
Verse 8. At this time, John decided that it was safe to go in. His curiosity had reached a sufficient level so that he could no longer resist, and must investigate the situation more closely with his companion who had already ventured into the tomb.
It is often easier for us to act when we have company with us. This is why fellowship is important when it comes to evangelism. Should it be required? No! For truly our strength and boldness should come from what Jesus has done for us. Strength and boldness should come from what God the Father and the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives every day, as long as we continue to let them influence our lives and not act to hinder them.
The second part of this verse indicates that when John came in and saw the linen, he believed. The question before us is, what did he believe? A mind disposed to contemplation, like that of John, may perhaps sooner receive the evidence of divine truth than a mind disposed to action, like that of Peter.
But what was the reason they were so slow of heart to believe? Understanding of the true nature of the sacrifice that Jesus had made, cannot occur without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit teaches us what the significance of actions might be.
Verse 9. Why they may not have believed in their hearts what had happened to Jesus, might be linked to this verse. They knew not the Scripture. This does not mean that they had not read the Scriptures over and over again, and had not participated in discussions with other Jews interested in the doctrine of Messiah. In addition, Jesus taught them about his death and resurrection, and often alluded to the fact that He would rise again in three days. Once again, without the Holy Spirit to clarify things for us, we are left to ponder such statements made by Jesus. We can never get the true understanding if we do not let ourselves be open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 10. Indicates that the disciples went home after they had seen that the body was gone. When it indicated that they had believed, once again, believed what? If they had some clue that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead, then they would and should be rejoicing, and as Mary had made haste, so would they to inform the rest of the brethren. But the text does not indicate that is what they did. They went home and were considering what it was that they experienced.
They left Mary weeping, and all alone.
COMMENTSIn this drama of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we note first that the eleven disciples had been sidelined and a couple of very unlikely substitutes took center stage, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and Mary Magdalene.
Obviously God provided persons to make sure that his Son Jesus was buried exactly as the prophecies had predicted. He chose as his instruments persons that we would never have thought about. His sidelined eleven disciples were frightened and lacking in faith. But he would use the women, who, though they were overwhelmed with foolish fears, loved him more than the others, and were rewarded with the job of testifying about him, and meeting the resurrected Christ.
We are often frightened, lacking in faith and consequently do nothing. Still we do not see, as this lesson teaches, that God can do the impossible, often using the most unlikely instruments, orchestrating things so that everything works at His right time, and in the right way.
Most importantly we note that belief in the resurrection of Christ is saving faith. The disciples had forgotten the words of the prophets, and Jesus' prophecies of His resurrection.
But all these events, and the reaction of the disciples serve to emphasize this foundational truth. The disciples did not believe at first, but they came to believe that the resurrection was true because of the compelling evidence that they faced. Should we reject this evidence? That would make no sense.
Note also what this death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ did for his disciples. It turned their weakness to strength, their fears to courage and boldness, and their sorrows and tears to joy. They were completely transformed people and there were made ready to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So are we also transformed when we are justified, says the Apostle Paul. and with sanctification comes the increasing appreciation of what Christ has done for us, and we will grow, becoming fit for the Master's kingdom.
Romans 6:1-11, 13.
Verse 1. The Apostle Paul has told us that because of our fallen nature, we could never bridge the gap between us and the Father. Since we were ‘in Adam’ we were selfish, foolish, helpless and locked into sin. Now that we have been justified, the ‘old life’ is abruptly and completely ended, since we have received the life of Jesus, which is much stronger than the life we had received from Adam.
The question that obviously comes to mind is why are believers not exhibiting this ‘life of Christ’ and why believers still seem to be slaves to sin, instead of being changed into the likeness of Christ! Of what significance is the day that I, the believer, died?
Two questions are posed here. The first, what shall we say then? follows on the immediately previous sentence, that stated categorically that just as sin had ruled over us and had led to death; just also in direct contrast, the grace of God had brought Jesus Christ to us and now ruled, demonstrating complete righteousness, resulting not in death but resulting in eternal life.
Paul had stated the great fact that once sin entered the world through Adam, sin had totally controlled everyone born after Adam. But once Jesus died on the cross, those with faith in him were united with him and the reign of sin or its absolute command over those persons with faith in Jesus was broken.
Even more marvelous was the other fact that the power of God and the grace of God was infinitely more powerful than the power of sin and could and would overwhelm anything than the power of sin could do. When sin brought pressure on people and sin increased, the grace of God stepped in and easily counteracted it.
When Paul looked at all this, he exclaims that we should have such gratitude, love and praise for God, that he could only simply say in the light of all this, What can we say? How can we respond to this glorious and gracious God? What can we do in response to what he has done? How can we show our appreciation for his goodness?
The second question is rhetorical, with the obvious answer that at all costs, whatever we do, we must of necessity avoid anything that is displeasing to God Here the questions lead us to the concept of sanctification or regeneration that takes place as a benefit of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This second question can be looked dealing with two issues that may be raised. The Apostle had to deal with the question because Satan is always twisting the Scriptures.
Obviously Satan was arguing that if in fact where sin increased grace always increased more, there would be no problem sinning more and more, rebelling against God, destroying others, living as the flesh desired, because no matter how much a person sinned, grace would be available to top over it.
One writer points to a real life example of this twisted argument of Satan that it doesn't matter if a Christian lives a life of sin, for God's grace would overcome it anyway with greater grace. He comments: “ The idea is expressed in the statement, ‘ I love to sin, and God loves to forgive -what a perfect arrangement!’ The Russian monk Gregory Rasputin taught and lived the idea of salvation through repeated experiences of sin and repentance. He believed that, as those who sin most require most forgiveness, a sinner who continues to sin with abandon enjoys more of God's grace (when he repents for the moment) than the ordinary sinner. Therefore, Rasputin lived a life of notorious sin, and taught that this was the way to salvation -and extreme example of the Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound idea.”
When we look around us we see all kinds of variations of this idea. Paul, in Phil. 3 pointed to many “who glory in their shame”. There are many today who encourage others in a life of sin, telling them sin is not so serious and who live a life of sin themselves. This attitude of encouraging sin is much more common than we like to think. Some believe that they are among the elect and therefore can do what they want. The rationalizations for sinning are many.
A person might ask if they can continue sinning and find favor with God at the same time, since if they continue sinning, God be glorified and grace increase.
Another might ask if they had to continue sinning and continuing to hurt and shame themselves, in order to experience the grace of God.
It is a fact that because of His resurrection from the dead, we too as Christian, have life beyond death through him. The corruption in our bodies does not mean we are locked into sinning continually. We are in a position that we have escaped that snare. The guiltiness of sin is not imputed to us, but the corruption in the flesh is still present. As we move closer and closer to God, then we more further away from sin by the sanctification provided by Jesus, which sanctification follows justification.
Paul says here that not because the grace of God covers us, that we can go on sinning. More to the truth is that, since we have the grace of God over us, we do not have to be depressed and lose hope if we do err and sin. If we repent truly, then God is just and faithful, in terms of forgiving us, so that we can continue to move towards Him in knowledge and in truth. It is more a provisional statement, so that we are not consumed by our temporarily fallen state. We should not look to actively sin to test God, but know that He will forgive us of our transgressions.
Verse 2. Paul is a man who has sinned, and his sins include the suffering and death of believers. He knows that his sins are too awful, and he has learned to recoil from sin, wanting nothing to do with them, longing desperately to be free from any life of sin. For him it is unthinkable that anybody who has died to sin can continue as before practicing sin.
The benefits of sanctification and justification are always joined together, and are a result of the grace of God, now able to be extended to us because of Jesus Christ. The nature of sanctification consists of two things, mortification and vivification—dying to sin and living to righteousness. This is manifested by us changing the way in which we related to God in the past, to the way in which we now relate to God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the new creation in us. With the contrast between the new and old creation being that, we cease from doing evil and learn to do well or good. We must act in a way such that we cease from the acts of sin and to do so might include outward restraints, or other inducements, but we must get the bad habits and inclinations to sin weakened and eventually destroyed, to be of service to God.
We are dead to sin in terms of profession and obligation. All this is in vain if we persist in sin; we contradict a profession, violate an obligation, and return to that to which we were dead. From the state where we were once quickened, now it is like we are the walking dead, lost to a true sense of purpose and real life.
Verse 3-4. How does Paul teach us that we are no longer slaves to sin, we have died to sin, and that there has been an end to the reign of death?
He says we have been baptized into Jesus. In Greek the word “baptizo” means not only ‘to immerse’ or ‘to dip’ but also to ‘cause to perish’. The Holy Spirit baptizes us, thus joining us to the person and work of Christ, in such a way that: we are baptized into union with his death, placed into Christ, joined to him on his cross, in his grave, and in His resurrection. What ever happened to him happened to us. Adam sinned, and we sinned in Adam, thus death ruled over us.
Now, in union with Christ, our baptism signifies that in regards to sin, we are dead. Not only that, but the baptism irretrievably links us to the death that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross. Since we profess that we are dead to sin, our actions should demonstrate that. However, if our actions show that we still persist in sin, then all that has transpired is vain with regards to us, since we have contradicted the profession and hence, violated the obligation we have to Jesus and God the Father as Christians.
Note what is said about Jesus. Jesus died and delivered us from the penalty of sin. He was perfect, without sin, and without iniquity, but he bore the sins of the world because he was our sin bearer. Sin therefore has no claim or authority over us.
Since we are identified with Christ in his death, and sin has no claim on Christ, sin has no claim on those who have died to sin in Christ, for participating in the death of Christ to sin, has abolished all claim sin once had on us.
Not only that, but our participation in his resurrection is participating in a new kind of life, where sin has no claim on us, for in this union with Christ we are raised to newness of life.
We are now positionally dead to sin, and alive to God.
Baptized into Jesus’ death, means that we are capable of participating in the privileges of His death. That is to say we are redeemed from all iniquity, and now no longer have to be a slave to sin, since we are freed from it. Sanctification is tied into three parts. Our old sinful nature is now cast aside through the experience of baptism. The baptism ties us to the death and burial of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ for us is connected to us coming out of the water. Where now we are separated from the old sinful nature we had, to the new nature, one that is created to serve God in spirit and in truth.
Verse 5.. Paul uses something that is called a conditional statement in logic. This is a statement with two parts, an antecedent and the consequent. Once the antecedent is true, and since it is the basis for stating the consequent, this latter statement is also true.
If we have been united with Jesus into the likeness of His death, we will be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. We know that we died with him, so we are certain that we will also have resurrection life . We will be changed, and will be united in newness of life.
In regards to the death of Jesus and through baptism our deaths to sin; we are to conform in all aspects. We take part in the complete fellowship of His sufferings and we live the life that God has set before us, free from sin. What we are doing is conforming to the will of God, and by our actions, in our lives, it is a seen as a confirmation, just as the baptism, that we are now under the will and providence of God. We, in all sense of the word used are ‘grafted” into the vine. Thus, we are nurtured by it, and sustained by it in everything we do.
To that end, we even take on the properties of the vine that we have been grafted into. We take on the complete likeness of Christ since we are now part of Him, and He is our source. To that end, Christ would not sin, so neither should we! Jesus Christ looks towards the plan and the will of God the Father for direction and instruction, as should we. For in God will we find the strength to accomplish all things.
Verse 6. Here we see that it is the old nature or ‘old man” that is now dead. That part of us that kept us separated from God is now gone. The body of sin may still be present, because sin is still locked into the flesh, but it has been reduced to a state where it does not or should not hinder us from doing God’s will or following God. It puts us in a state where the body can be destroyed and we can be completely free of sin.
The nature, or battle between the old man and the new man, is similar to the comparison between Adam and Christ. Christ is typically seen as the last Adam. This means through Adam (old one) sin entered into the world. We are all descendents of Adam and so will always be locked into the battle with sin, since it is connected to our flesh. With regards to the Last Adam, that is Jesus Christ He is the one who has set us free from the bondage of sin in the flesh, and thus creating a new man, one in which we can have a new and closer communion with God. If sin is destroyed in the body, then we as Christians should no longer be a servant to it, because it has no part of us, and we no longer have any loyalties to it.
There can therefore be no talk of continuing in sin. We must show our position in Christ by our practice of personal righteousness.
The old man refers to us when we were apart from Christ and in Adam. Our bodies were instruments to express sin, since we were dominated by sin. But the old man has been crucified and has died. That which has before commanded and controlled us has died, it's authority crushed.
This is perhaps the most important part of the lesson in terms of practical teaching; for it explains what is happening to us, and why we have such difficulty in resisting sin, and not growing in the likeness of Christ. We must understand ourselves, so that we can see what the Devil is doing to us. Remember that we are not ignorant of His devices, says the Scriptures. We ignore this at our peril.
A reminder of a famous experiment in psychology which deals with conditioned reflexes should help us understand what the body of sin does to us and what we need to do now.
This writer explains how our mind works: “One of the most famous experiment in psychology had to do with conditioned reflexes. It was performed by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov on some dogs. Pavlov would let his dogs become very hungry, and then he would feed them great quantities of aromatic, entirely enticing food. They were so hungry they could do nothing else but eat it. And every time he gave the dogs food he would ring a bell. This went on for a period of time. Then eventually he rang the bell without waiting for the dogs to be hungry or giving them food. And because the dogs had been conditioned to associate the sound of the bell with the food they had been so hungry for, when Pavlov rang the bell they would salivate just as they had when he gave them food. What Paul is saying about the sin nature’s having been executed on the cross is very similar to that in our experience. There was a time when sin had real authority over us, when it made us really hungry, and we had no choice but to eat the food that was placed before us. It had an aroma that was absolutely overwhelming to us. And the bell would ring every time. But now all sin has in our experience is the sound of the bell, which it uses to try to stimulate the same response in us as when it had authority over us. And when sin rings the bell, we can be made to think we have to sin -unless we see the process at work and choose that it should die. Because we have been conditioned to associate the sensation of temptation with the absolute power of sin in our life, what we must do is hear the gospel and believe it, and then chose to recognize that what once owned us owns us no more; it has died. And it is as we choose to assert the death of our sin nature and to believe that life is given to us from God that we begin to be changed; we no longer sin as much. The real change in our behavior is taking place in us because we have a new identity; we are united with Christ.
The difficulty we experience is believing that the sin nature is really dead. It is a very savvy and wily former master of ours. There are times when sin is so familiar that we are blind to what we are doing. We are led down paths of temptation into foolish things without even realizing it, so habitual are they. There are times when the ringing of the bell is so persuasive that we feel as if we can really do nothing other than its bidding. The experience of newness of life is less familiar to us than sin is.
It is important to recognize the emphasis that Paul therefore gives to the crucifying of the old nature in this passage. In vs. 3 Paul says that in baptism into Christ we have died and have been buried in death with him. Now, not only did Christ's body die, but it was buried, and a rock was rolled over his tomb. He was really dead! That is Paul’s clear emphasis here. And just as certain is the fact that our old nature was crucified, the body of sin done away with, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. But if we are not careful we may think of sin as having been sent to its room rather than having been crucified, or of its having been tamed and having its knuckles rapped and somehow coming into line.
We want to think that we can manage it a bit. But that will not do. What we have to do is to see that sin has no life left. It can't command anymore, it can only ring the bell and try to make us think we need to sin. It can only dredge up all the old memories, but we don't have to do with those things anymore.”
Verse 7. Christians are in the state where we are freed from sin and now have a new master to serve. Sin’s rule and dominion, privileges and pain no longer apply to us. When we take the time to compare masters, old and new, and the rewards associated with serving either one, why would any wish to return to a state where there is death and hardship?
The term ‘freed’ is a word perfectly used.
Verse 8.. Keep in mind John 20, and the proof of Christ’s resurrection. The implication should be that if we believe the testimony, we will have eternal life with Christ.
That is the first step, the exercise of faith that rests on a fact. God wants us to believe that fact. Christ suffered the death of the cross. He did that so that He may take the sins that resulted in us being separated from God, so that now we would be given the opportunity to be reconciled to God the Father. His body had died, and so, has brought all our sins to the grave, as not to hinder our communion with God once again. Unlike Lazarus, when Christ arose, He rose up, never to die again, unlike the others. With His sacrifice, and actions He has declared and made us joint heirs.
To that end, if we should believe His testimony and His words, then we too should take part in life once again, being conquerors of death through Jesus Christ.
We died with Christ. We will live with him.
Verse 9. Jesus Christ died once. His battle with death is over. He has proven through his resurrection who has the greater power. The power that death has over men who lived, had acted out its part. Death is become of no effect to Christ and hence His followers.
Verse 10-11. The second part is that the dominion that sin might have claimed to have over Jesus, as a result of us, is past. Once Jesus had died for our sins, and taken those sins to the grave, it was there to stay. He can no longer die to the sins of the world, because all were taken to the grave. Now that He is alive, and death and sin have no dominion over Him, then He lives only to God. If we are Christians, then sin and death have no dominion over us, because we are joint heirs with Christ. Since, Jesus is alive, then so too are we to participate in eternal life, able to follow Him as He serves and lives His life to God.
We enjoy resurrection life from the moment of conversion. We live in Christ today knowing for certain that the future consummation will come.
Let us not just try the lie of ‘trying harder’. One cannot live on that basis, for our best will never be good enough. No matter how often we resolve to consecrate ourselves to do the best for God, if we live in ignorance of the fact that God has provided sufficient power to meet all the demands of life, we will fail.
He has already given us the power, and that power comes from having Christ live His life through us.
This must begin however with the knowledge of one solitary fact, namely, all of my old self, and all that I am in Adam, was crucified and buried in Christ. There is nothing good in that old self, and I can expect nothing but failure from my old self.
PRACTICAL COMMANDSPaul now gives a command for the first time after information and discussion.
We are told this rest on the fact stated. That means we are to apply his teaching to ourselves. We are to count as true literally, “consider” dead to the power of sin and alive to God. We must have this theological discussion with ourselves.
Don't bother to make excuses for what God says is wrong, and letting what God says is dead to be alive. Don't waste time with excuses or rationalizations. Give it up! Break the pattern. Don't let anything destructive have authority over us. Don't fool ourselves by saying we are helpless, for it is our choice.
Give our body, our mind, our will, our emotions, our physical members to the indwelling secret of the life of Jesus Christ. Call on him to operate and energize us in every single thing that we do. This means that we are being practical, for we have bodies too, and they make continuing demands on us. We need to have them under his control in everything.
Verse 13. Our flesh is still connected to sin. But we are exhorted not to yield to the desires of the flesh. Instead we should be spurred on by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to follow the example set by Jesus Christ in serving God the Father.
The members of the body are said to be fearfully and wonderfully made, and due to the effects of sin, the original use is now changed, and the Devil seeks to use God’s creation for his own benefit, to spur on unrighteousness unto sin, such that sin would lead to death. Once sin had taken hold, it gives way to other sins taking place, until death is the end result.
But thanks be to God we do not have to yield to the temptations of the flesh. Through the strength of Jesus we can resist, and so achieve the level of sanctification that God requires of us.
CONCLUSIONOur sin nature is like an evil genius. But the grace of God is the antidote to the POISON OF SIN.
The life of victory comes only when we live in the light of the truths in Romans 6 through 8.
We know that we can live in defeat even though we know the secret of victory.
Verse 15 tells us that occasional failures is not permissible. We cannot live with the continuing problem of even occasional failures. The answer in that verse is certainly not!
We know that when Israel came into C ANAAN, blocking their way was a bad monster. They faced the large, powerful city of Jericho with its tremendous walls, it looked like an impregnable fortress. But that great city was no fight at all.
When they surrounded the city in the name of the Lord, with God's indwelling presence in the midst, the walls fell down flat. No problem.
But shortly thereafter, when one-man named Achan succumbed to greed and took part of what God had set apart for himself, the entire nation was thoroughly defeated at the tiny village of Ai. That was a shame.
So we know the principle for victory in all of life’s journey. The indwelling Christ leading.
No ambition, self-confidence, possessiveness, anxiety, greed, self-pity, fear, depression is allowed for those who are truly people of God.
We have a new master and we are in him. We can only have one master, Jesus Christ. He will have continually victory. We should not live for ourselves but allow Christ to guide us in everything, little or large.
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