“Dead To Sin”

[netchaplain]

Prior to our rebirth we were “dead in sin” (Eph 2:5); after our rebirth we are “dead to sin” (Rom 6:2), and this by being “dead with Christ” (Rom 6:8; Col 2:20)! “We have been planted together in the likeness of His death” (Rom 6:5), which is displayed during communion of the Bread and the Cup (1Cor 11:26). The keyword to address here is “dead,” for it is the permanent position of all reborn. Our death to sin involves the termination of the “damnation” (Jhn 5:29) and “dominion” of sin (Rom 6:14), but not its presence (Rom 7:17, 20) and effect (Rom 7:15-20). Through comparative-contrasting sin manifests God’s holiness, which can been seen in “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” They knew right and wrong by God’s commands (Gen 2:16, 17) but this (in my opinion) does not reveal His holiness as does the manner of “knowing” the contrast between good and evil.

Eventually believers will be without the sin nature but for this life, God continues to use it teach us His holiness and our dependence on Him. Otherwise He would have eradicated the “old man” upon rebirth. I believe the issue with God is not so much the continued presence of sin within Christians nor its effects, but the significance is the “work” He does within them (Phil 2:13), which manifests itself through the good-evil contrast.

In Scripture the Greek word for “flesh” is “sarx” and primarily has two meanings, referencing either the physical body (Definitions l-lll), or the spiritual nature (Definition lV):
(https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G4561&t=KJV). The OT usage of “flesh” always references the physical body, and in the NT usage it mostly references the spiritual nature (old man; sin-source). It’s my understanding that condemnation is not incurred in sinning but in the cause of sinning—the sin nature—because the sinning merely manifests the source. Thus, if one who is not reborn in Christ could possibly live without sinning (which only Christ did), there would yet be the necessity of redemption to avoid condemnation!

Though the sin nature is in the believer, the believer is “not in the sin nature” (flesh – Rom 8:9), meaning not desiring and living after the sin nature. It is never the desire of those reborn to “sin willfully” (Heb 10:26), and this is due to the “work” of the Father (Phil 2:13) and His Spirit (Gal 5:17)—using the “life” of Christ (Col 3:4) and the written Word of God (2Tim 3:16); all only through “faith which operates by love” (Gal 5:6). Sin keeps the believer God-dependent, and the unbeliever self-dependent!

 

[iLOVE]

Romans 7

15 For that which I do (the failure) I allow not (should have been translated, "I understand not"; these are not the words of an unsaved man, as some claim, but rather a Believer who is trying and failing): for what I would, that do I not (refers to the obedience he wants to render to Christ, but rather fails; why? As Paul explained, the Believer is married to Christ, but is being unfaithful to Christ by spiritually cohabiting with the Law, which frustrates the Grace of God; that means the Holy Spirit will not help such a person, which guarantees failure [Gal. 2:21]); but what I hate, that do I (refers to sin in his life hates, but finds himself unable to stop; unfortunately, due to the fact of not understanding the Cross as it refers to Sanctification, this is the plight of most modern Christians).

16 If then I do that which I would not (presents Paul doing something against his will; he doesn't want to do it, and is trying not to do it, whatever it might be, but finds himself doing it anyway), I consent unto the Law that it is good (simply means that the Law of God is working as it is supposed to work; it defines sin, portraying the fact that the sin nature will rule in man's heart if not addressed properly).

17 Now then it is no more I that do it (this has been misconstrued by many! it means, "I may be failing, but it's not what I want to do "; no true Christian wants to sin because now the Divine Nature is in his life and it is supposed to rule, not the sin nature [2 Peter 1:4]), but sin (the sin nature) that dwells in me (despite the fact that some Preachers claim the sin nature is gone from the Christian, Paul here plainly says that the sin nature is still in the Christian; however, if our Faith remains constant in the Cross, the sin nature will be dormant, causing us no problem; otherwise, it will cause great problems; while the sin nature "dwells" in us, it is not to "rule" in us).

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing (speaks of man's own ability, or rather the lack thereof in comparison to the Holy Spirit, at least when it comes to spiritual things): for to will is present with me (Paul is speaking here of his willpower; regrettably, most modern Christians are trying to live for God by means of willpower, thinking falsely that since they have come to Christ, they are now free to say "no" to sin; that is the wrong way to look at the situation; the Believer cannot live for God by the strength of willpower; it alone is not enough; the Believer must exercise Faith in Christ, which automatically says, "no" to the things of the world); but how to perform that which is good I find not (outside of the Cross, it is impossible to find a way to do good).

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

 

[iLOVE]

Romans 7

19 For the good that I would I do not (if I depend on self, and not the Cross): but the evil which I would not (don't want to do), that I do (which is exactly what every Believer will do no matter how hard he tries to do otherwise, if he tries to live this outside of the Cross [Gal. 2:20-21]).

20 Now if I do that I would not (which is exactly what will happen if the Believer tries to live this life outside of God's Prescribed Order), it is no more I that do it, but sin (the sin nature) that dwells in me (this emphatically states that the Believer has a sin nature; in the original Greek Text, if it contains the definite article before the word "sin" which originally did read "the sin," it is not speaking of acts of sin, but rather the sin nature or the evil nature; the idea is not getting rid of the sin nature, which actually cannot be done, but rather controlling it, which the Apostle has told us how to do in Rom., Chapters. 6 and 8; when the Trump sounds, we will be changed and there will be no more sin nature [Rom. 8:23]).

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

 

[iLOVE]

Romans 7

21 I find then a Law (does not refer in this case to the Law of Moses, but rather to the "Law of sin and death" [Rom. 8:2]), that, when I would do good, evil (the evil nature) is present with me (the idea is that the sin nature is always going to be with the Believer; there is no hint in the Greek that its stay is temporary, at least until the Trump sounds; we can successfully address the sin nature in only one way, and that is by Faith in Christ and the Cross, which Paul will detail in the next Chapter).

22 For I delight in the Law of God (refers to the moral Law of God ensconced in the Ten Commandments) after the inward man (refers to the spirit and soul of man which has now been regenerated):

23 But I see another Law in my members (the Law of sin and death desiring to use my physical body as an instrument of unrighteousness), warring against the Law of my mind (this is the Law of desire and willpower), and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin (the Law of sin and death) which is in my members (which will function through my members, and make me a slave to the Law of sin and death; this will happen to the most consecrated Christian if that Christian doesn't constantly exercise Faith in Christ and the Cross that all powers of darkness were defeated [Col. 2:14-15]).

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

 

[iLOVE]

Romans 7

24 O wretched man that I am! (Any Believer who attempts to live for God outside of God's Prescribed Order, which is "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," will, in fact, live a wretched and miserable existence. This life can only be lived in one way, and that way is the Cross.) Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (The minute he cries "Who," he finds the path to Victory, for he is now calling upon a Person for help, and that Person is Christ; actually, the Greek Text is masculine, indicating a Person).

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (presents Paul revealing the answer to his own question; Deliverance comes through Jesus Christ Alone, and more particularly what Jesus did at Calvary and the Resurrection). So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God (the "will" is the trigger, but it within itself can do nothing unless the gun is loaded with explosive power; that Power is the Cross); but with the flesh the Law of sin (if the Believer resorts to the "flesh," [i.e., "self-will, self-effort, religious effort"] which refers to his own ability outside of Christ and the Cross, he will not serve the Law of God, but rather the Law of sin).

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

 

[iLOVE]

Romans 6:6-7 - Knowing this, that our old man is Crucified with Him (all that we were before conversion), that the body of sin might be destroyed (the power of the sin nature made ineffective), that henceforth we should not serve sin (the guilt of sin is removed at conversion, because the sin nature no longer rules within our hearts and lives).

For he who is dead (He was our Substitute, and in the Mind of God, we died with Him upon Believing Faith) is freed from sin (set free from bondage of the sin nature).

The power of the sin nature is broken, not eliminated.

The role of obedience in a Christian life is Faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished Work (The Law of the Spirit of Life In Christ Jesus - Romans 8:2). This gives the Holy Spirit the legal means (who only works in this parameter) to help us and transforms us into what we ought to be (Christlikeness - Romans 8:13). Faith in anything and everything else the works of the flesh will manifest (Gal. 5:19-21). You are now committing Spiritual Adultery.

It is difficult for Believers to place their Faith exclusively in the Cross of Christ because it goes against the flesh (Romans 8:7; Gal. 5:17).

 

[iLOVE]

For sin shall not have dominion over you (the sin nature will not have dominion over us if we as Believers continue to exercise Faith in the Cross of Christ; otherwise, the sin nature most definitely will have dominion over the Believer): for you are not under the Law (means that if we try to live this life by any type of law, no matter how good that law might be in its own right, we will conclude by the sin nature having dominion over us), but under Grace (the Grace of God flows to the Believer on an unending basis only as long as the Believer exercises Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross; Grace is merely the Goodness of God exercised by and through the Holy Spirit, and given to underserving Saints). Romans 6:14

Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey (the Believers is either a slave to Christ, for that's what the word "servant" means, or else a slave to sin, which he will be if he doesn't keep his Faith in Christ and the Cross); whether of sin unto death (once again allow us to state the fact that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any method other than Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, the Believer will fail, no matter how hard he otherwise tries), or of obedience unto Righteousness? (The Believer is required to obey the Word of the Lord. He cannot do that within his own strength, but only by understanding that he receives all things through what Christ did at the Cross and his continued Faith in that Finished Work, even on a daily basis. Then the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, can accomplish His work within our lives.) Romans 6:16

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

 

[netchaplain]

For sin shall not have dominion over you (the sin nature will not have dominion over us if we as Believers continue to exercise Faith in the Cross of Christ; otherwise, the sin nature most definitely will have dominion over the Believer): for you are not under the Law (means that if we try to live this life by any type of law, no matter how good that law might be in its own right, we will conclude by the sin nature having dominion over us), but under Grace (the Grace of God flows to the Believer on an unending basis only as long as the Believer exercises Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross; Grace is merely the Goodness of God exercised by and through the Holy Spirit, and given to underserving Saints). Romans 6:14

Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey (the Believers is either a slave to Christ, for that's what the word "servant" means, or else a slave to sin, which he will be if he doesn't keep his Faith in Christ and the Cross); whether of sin unto death (once again allow us to state the fact that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any method other than Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, the Believer will fail, no matter how hard he otherwise tries), or of obedience unto Righteousness? (The Believer is required to obey the Word of the Lord. He cannot do that within his own strength, but only by understanding that he receives all things through what Christ did at the Cross and his continued Faith in that Finished Work, even on a daily basis. Then the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, can accomplish His work within our lives.) Romans 6:16

JSM - The Expositor's Study Bible

Hi iL, and I like the like a lot of what you're sharing. My take is Paul's revealing that not only is the sin nature yet within the believer but it still has to some degree certain influence. But I see the key issue concerning "dominion" being the ability of the sin nature influencing the believer to desire to "willfully sin" (Heb 10:26), which can never be due to the inner dwelling of new nature, the internal "work" of the Father (Phil 2:13) and the Spirit's ongoing opposition to it (Gal 5:17).

We will always see in our thoughts and actions the continued workings of the old man, but God no longer sees us in it but in His Spirit and Son (Rom 6:9).

Love in Christ's blessings!