Lesson 82

The Christ-Centered Life

The Foundation is our Position in Christ - Rom 6

Review:

Ø 6:12 The Third Responsibility

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts"

- When we were unregenerate, before the cross, our sinful nature reigned like a king over our physical body, making it a "body of sin." ("sin possessed body" 6:6)

- He is not saying or implying that believers don't sin but that the sin nature is not to dominate the life. That's the normal Christian life. Supernatural life with supernatural resources.

In life there are only 3 options for the believer:

1. We can do the will of Satan. ------- Eph 4:27

2. We can do the will of God.---------- Rom 6:13

3. We can respond to our sin nature!--- Rom 6:12

- What does it mean for the sin nature to reign/to dominate your life?

Last phrase of vs:12 tells us. Choosing to obey its lusts

- What does the pronoun "its" refer to? What is its antecedent?

- The antecedent is "mortal body" to this dying physical body.

- Why and how the body? Can you see the sin nature, can it be observed? Not at all!! It must have a vehicle!!

The sin nature is an intangible, invisible entity.

It needs the body in which it resides for it to carry out its desires. [evpiqumi,a] strong desires;

Examples:

- Question: Can the Sin Nature in the believer do these things without permission?? No!! We must give permission; turn it loose;

- In the light of the cross, and the fact that we're dead to sin, it can no longer dominate with out our permission.

We have to choose to let it reign; to dominate our life.

Reason we said that as a believer walking by the Spirit you must choose to put the sin nature in rulership before you can sin.

- Question Why the emphasis on a dying body?? qnhto,j sw/ma [subject to death] it keeps us humble; our feet firmly planted on the ground;

* As a believer, who is in union with Christ, a saint, does it make sense that we should be dominated/ruled by something that is temporal? That is going to die? That's going in the grave?

Our responsibility then is to choose not to let it reign in our life!

Ø 6:13a The Fourth Responsibility

The fourth responsibility of the believer is to "not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness"

- do not go on presenting pari,sthmi to place beside or near; to put or place at the disposal of;

- Note the term instruments: o[plon tool or weapon of unrighteousness avdiki,a disregard for what is right;

Ø 6:13b The Fifth Responsibility is a positive one!

- The fifth responsibility presented by Paul is to "present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead"

pari,sthmi to place beside or near; to put or place at the disposal of;

Ø 6:13c The Sixth Responsibility [second part of the pos. cmd to present]

- Here Paul says to "present your members as instruments of righteousness to God"

A decision that we have to make continually.

Ø 6:14 Declaration of Release from Law

Several things should be noted concerning this declaration of release from law.

First, Paul is drawing a contrast between two positions:

the position of being under law and the position of being under grace.

- His use of the word "under" [u`po.] for both positions indicates that both involve subjection to some governing principle, some authority. [Centurion Mt 8:9]

Second, Paul is indicating that there is a relationship between being under law as a governing principle and having the sinful nature as master.