By Robert Wurtz II
THE NARROW ROAD TO SALVATION
(Revisiting the Book of Romans)
Part 6
By Robert Wurtz II
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man 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. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:1-11).
As we learned in Romans chapter 5 we are all slaves to sin until we are born again. As every child of a slave is born a slave, so we, by Adam's slavery to sin, were born slaves to sin also. Sin, in reality, was our slave master, just as the Law of Moses was our schoolmaster. Freedom from slavery comes about at death, unless the slave master sets the slave free them self. Sin, of it's own volition, has never freed a single soul. If you are born a slave to sin, you will be one until death, or until you render yourself dead to sin, through a born again experience.
Some would argue that it is not fair to have been born slaves to sin when the person born had no bearing on the decision; however, that has been true for literally millions of slaves who have been born slaves throughout history. Aaron paid tithes in Abraham when Melchezidek met him- because he was yet in the loins of his father. It was also true for the children of Israel who were born slaves in Egypt, and African American slaves who were born slaves prior to the civil war. Slavery is never fair, just, or anything else, but it is a reality. We are born slaves to sin whether we think it's fair or not.
At death our dealing with sin is over, we are no longer under its influence. Our death to sin comes when we reckon ourselves crucified with Christ and by virtue of the fact that we cease to live our life as would the old man or old woman that was a slave to sin. The flesh is that old person that we once was, but have crucified with Christ that we may now live in the spirit as a slave to God.
The price for our freedom was paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ, and our having been purchased by it, requires that we now reckon ourselves the servants of God and the possession of God. Now, with God as our master, we are to obey Him, and not the old slave master, which was sin. Hence, Paul asks in Romans 6:1.....How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? It is impossible to live in sin and claim to be dead to it. Though we at times may sin, we are not to live in sin. As one verse put it, our master is who we obey (John 8:34, Romans 6:16).
Having been bought with a price we are to seek wholly to please God alone, as it is written.... For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (I Corinthians 6:20),....and again....Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men (I Corinthians 7:23).
Sin Must Not Rule God's Possession
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:11-18).
Being dead to sin requires also that we be dead to the Law of Moses. For it is the Law of Moses that rouses the sinfulness of the flesh. And since we know that we cannot be made to be subject to the Law in our flesh, God set us free from the Law of Moses at the same time He set us free from Sin; and He did so through the Law's penalty for sin, which is death. So we see then, that when the Law and Sin moved out, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus could move in. God wanted to achieve the same results (His image in us), but chose a different method (Galations 2:19). God's plan was to go progressively from no Law, to Law, to the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ. The Spirit of God writes God's Law in our hearts as the final method of compliance.
The Law of Moses brought about it's penalty which was death, and that death sets us free from sin that we might serve God through the Holy Spirit. One of the purposes of the Law is to bring us to the realization that we need to obey from our heart the doctrine of salvation that has been delivered to us. The Law is holy and just and good, and nothing about the Law was ever a problem; the problem was always with mans carnality and his inability to achieve the righteousness of God (Compare: I Timothy 1:8, Matthew 5:17-19, Luke 16:17, Acts 21:24-27, 22:12-14, 25:8, Romans 2, 3:31, 7:12-25, 8:1-10, I Corinthians 9:8, 18-23, 13:34, etc.).
Over the centuries there has been great confusion as to the meaning of the Gospel as taught by
Paul and the Apostles. Some have taken some wild extremes in their selective scripture quotations and omissions of key verses in their doctrine. Theirs is a tendency to believe that we are saved by God's grace in such a way that we are in no wise required to live as servants of God. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They also teach that since we are not under the Law of Moses we are under no Law at all which is not only false, but is the definition of iniquity, which the Bible says will abound in the last days. And that, at the hands of false teachers (See all of Jude).
Ignorance and even worse, lust induced willful ignorance has led to some of the most blasphemous doctrines over the centuries. Gnostic beliefs that teach that body is evil/ spirit is good, has led to people taking no thought of what they do in their body, because they contend that only the soul is saved. All of John's epistles are thought to have been written to combat these heresies. Not only was Paul beaten repeatedly for rumors that He taught against the Laws of God (license), he once submitted (at the direction of James) to a Nazarite type oath at the Temple as a sign that he was not in fact teaching iniquity (Acts 20:17-32).
Neither Paul or the Apostles taught that sin and the Gospel go hand in hand, but rather, they taught that the Law and sin must be removed and replaced with the Spirit of God, and the work that He will do writing the Laws of God upon our hearts and mind. What the Law of Moses could not do from without, the Holy Spirit would do from within. What mankind could not be as a slave to sin, they could become as servants of God.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:19-23).
One thing is certain in scripture, only those who live after the Spirit are the children of God (Romans 8:1-14). The entire book of Galations is written against those who would attempt to serve God in the flesh. Whether it be by works of the Law or by the fruits of the flesh of which we are now ashamed (Romans 6:21); flesh is flesh is flesh is flesh. You do not have to fall under the curse of Galations by teaching law only, but by any teaching that negates the necessity of being dead to the law and sin, and allows the flesh to reign in our mortal bodies. Our salvation is found through the born again experience, and departure from it in any form constitutes a different gospel or perverted gospel (II Corinthians 11:3-4, Galations 1:6,8,9).
Death in Romans: Physical or Eternal?
At this juncture we have determined that those who live after the flesh will die, and that the wages of sin is death. The question that must be answered is whether God has a different set of standards for sinners than He does for the 'elect' or the born again; leaving the only difference between the two being whether they believed in Christ or not. Is the wages of sin for a believer spiritual or physical death; or both? Keep in mind that over the centuries, theology has often been more philosophy than it has been scripture.
Knowing that the devils also believe and tremble, we can affirm that their belief is not enough to acquit them from eternal damnation, and Hell actually was created for those devils who believe. We can also say that devils have yielded their members unto Satan as his servants and for that cause are free from any form of righteousness (Romans 6:20).
Given the fact that God is no respector of persons it can be affirmed that God's standards are the same for sinners and saints. Actually, respect of persons is a sin (See II Chronicles 19:7, Proverbs 24:23, 28:21, Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, James 2:1, 2:9, I Peter 1:17). Paul said it like this... And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Given the fact that we use the verse- the wages of sin is death as part of the Roman road to salvation for a sinner, i.e.: affirmation of mans destiny without God being hell, we must be consistent with Paul and affirm without respect of persons that the wages of sin is the same for believers. Given the fact that death is juxtaposed with eternal life it is rational to also affirm that death in Romans 6:23 should indeed mean eternal death.
Viewing our 'belief' in Christ as a ticket to Heaven without any regard for the whole Gospel may indeed render us accursed (Galations 1:8-9). The intention of the Gospel is to bring about an 'all things new'-born again experience that includes the replacement of the law and sin, with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Anything short of that is not the Gospel, and is therefor not salvation. As we will see in Romans 8:6-10... For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
