Provisions for Believers from the Cross

by P/T

In this article we will examine some of the basic spiritual benefits that accrue to the person who by faith receives Christ as his or her Savior? These will be a few of the many results that flow to us from being saved and being in Christ and have important ramifications in our daily life.

Grace is Established as the Rule of life

Everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation is "justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:24; see also Titus 3:7), is saved by grace (Eph. 2:5, 8), and has redemption and forgiveness "according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

As a result we "are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). We "stand" (that is, we are positioned spiritually before God) in a position based on grace (Rom. 5:2).

Yet many Christians seem to think they are obligated in some way to keep the Law. Even some prominent theological writers even suggest this idea.

Let me cite some statements from several authors:

- "The law is a rule of life for believers, reminding them of their duties and leading them in the way of life and salvation?"

- "Christ does not free us from the law as a rule of life."

- "Christians should recite the commandments (as their creeds) to keep in memory what they must do to enter into life?"

- "The law is a declaration of the will of God for man’s salvation?"

- "Though Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law he has not freed us from the obligation to it."

These statements as we have seen in our study are all in error. The fact that Christians are under grace and not the Law (Rom. 6:14), that is, the Mosaic Law, does not mean we have no laws, no precepts to follow. Lawlessness or anarchy is the essence of sin (1 John 3:4).  Paul encouraged believers to fulfill the "law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2) and James spoke of "the perfect law of liberty" which we are to look intently at and abide by it (James 1:25).

To be "under grace" means we are living under a new administration from God, with a new set of principles with grace as its focus and Christ as its center.  Ryrie illustrates this well: "As children mature, different codes are instituted by their parents.

Some of the same  commandments may appear in those different codes. But when the new code becomes operative, the old one is done away?"  Through the centuries God established different administrations or dispensations in which God’s children were to demonstrate their obedience.

None of those administrations for believers was ever a means of attaining righteousness, or establishing a standing before God. Eternal life has always been available only by grace through faith.

The Law of Moses was not a means of deliverance from the penalty of sin. The Law was given that mankind might have a vivid picture of the character of God and how far short of it we all fall.

The Law, though it was "holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12), was a means of making sin known. "For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. ²² But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." (Gal. 3:21—22).

The Greek verb translated "has shut up" has the idea of being locked up together, confined or shut in on all sides so that there is no possibility of escape. The Law leaves us condemned, so that the only escape from sin and its penalty is faith in Christ.

Freedom from Sin's Domination

As a result of Adam’s sin and our participation in that sin, we were all constituted sinners and death was the result.

However, even though death reigned from Adam to Moses, it was not until the Law was given through Moses that what was inherently sin previously became explicitly and exceedingly obvious.

Yet "where sin abounded" because the Law did its work of condemnation, "grace abounded much more [literally, ‘super-abounded’]" (Rom. 5:20).

This super-abounding grace raises the question, Why not then sin so that grace may abound? (see 6:1).

The apostle responded in shock with the strongest kind of negation, which might be rendered, "Don't even think such a thing" (6:2).

This would be to deny the tremendous results that we as believers receive because of our identification with Christ’s work on the cross.

One of the major purposes of Jesus’ death was to deal with our sin nature.

Paul wrote that at the cross "our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin" (6:6).

The verb "done away with" is katargew, which means "to put out of business" or "to dissolve business relationships." Other meanings: made powerless, impotent, or rendered ineffective." Paul uses the same verb again in Romans 7:2 and 7:6. In both of these instances he uses it to express release from a relationship to law. Verse 2 uses marriage to illustrate the point.

In light of this, it would appear that in the context of Rom. 6 Paul uses the verb to express the termination of a relationship. The point is that the sin nature, then, was not removed, its not dead; it was nullified or rendered inoperative.

Paul also states that our "old man," was "crucified with Him?’ The "old man" here speaks of all that we were in our unregenerate state without the life of God. Or as Paul refers to in 1 Cor. 15:22 as being in Adam. Man is either "in Adam" or "in Christ."

That person, the one we were 'in Adam' is gone forever, crucified with Christ. But the "body of sin" was not crucified; but it was "made of no effect?’ It has lost its power in our lives.

Its interesting that this word katargew is also used of Satan in Hebrews 2:14: Christ died to "destroy...the devil?" (KJV)

Of course, Satan has not been destroyed or annihilated, but his tyranny over us has been broken.

The Amplified Bible translates Hebrews 2:14, He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—

Similarly the "body of sin" (which Paul personified in Romans 7:20 as "the sin that dwells in me") has not been annihilated, but it has been nullified.

And this is because Satan’s tyranny (the power that energizes sin) has been nullified. As a result, "we should no longer be slaves of sin" (6:6).

The power of the sin nature and our slavery to Satan were made void, rendered of no effect, and we were released from their demands.

John didn’t hesitate to admonish us, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin" (1 John 2:1). Believers are released from slavery to sin and its energizer, Satan, by the finished work of Christ. He has triumphed!

A person in Christ is a new person a new being. He or she is not simply the old person worked over.

That’s why Paul wrote, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Think of the miracle God performs at the moment a person places their faith in Christ.

The believer has an entirely new power source and as they grow in Christ will have new goals, new objectives. The tyranny of Satan and the slavery to sin has been broken.

A key passage on our identification with Christ’s death and resurrection is Romans 6:1—11.

So, when Paul wrote in verse 2 that we have "died to sin," he was not saying our sin nature has been extinguished or that we are sinless. Instead, as already noted, the phrase means that the tyranny of sin has been broken and that Satan’s dominion or right to rule has been disannulled.

Is this contradicted, however, by the statement in verse 7, "he who has died has been freed from sin"? No, because the word "freed" is diakaiow, "to justify."

Only here is it rendered "freed" because at the point of justification the believer is set free from bondage to the old master, OSN. It's not freed from the sin nature in the sense that it no longer exists or tempts us with its various lust patterns.

Not only has our penalty been paid completely [being justified] but the sin nature's stranglehold on our lives has been broken, that's all a part of positional truth. Reject your position in Christ and the truth that flows from it and you miss out on much of God's awesome provision for our life today.

Before sinners trust Christ, they are by nature children of wrath, with Satan as their master, and the sin nature, their capacity for sinning, is energized by that deceiver (Eph. 2:1—3). But when a sinner trusts Christ, he or she becomes a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), partakes of God’s divine nature, and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Now the new person and the flesh are bidding for control of one’s life. No longer is the individual obligated to sin; he doesn’t "have" to sin.

Although the devil appeals in devious and subtle ways for believers to follow him and to give in to their sinful desires, God gives assurance that the One who is resident in us, that is, the Holy Spirit, is greater than the one who is in the world, that is, the devil with all his counterfeit systems of thought (1 John 4:4).

In light of these wonderful truths that we "know" (6:3,6,9), Paul urged us to "consider (reckon-count as true) yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God" (6:11).

Often you hear people in response to someone's statement to them, "I reckon." Many times it seems meaningless. But if you look this word reckon up in a dictionary, you will find that it means to "count, estimate, compute, regard or think of as, consider, think, suppose." And this is exactly the thrust of logizomai, the Greek word for "reckon."  There are 2 basic threads of meaning. One is as an accounting term, to compute or count, to credit to one's account. It is used that way in Romans 4. Secondly is the thread with an emphasis on thinking. To understand the facts of something so that you believe them; these facts what you know become the basis of your thinking, your convictions.

So Paul is urging believers to enter into the ledgers of our mind, our thinking, the fact of our being dead to sin and alive to God. In other words, we should recognize these truths and live in light of them. Paul did not say we are to behave as if we are dead to sin but to lead godly lives because we died to sin.  Also the reckoning is not simply negative. Like a good battery, it has a positive as well as a negative pole. Besides being dead, we are alive (6:11)!

And in verse 5, Paul stated, "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection?’  Because Christ is alive we are too. Therefore we are to walk in "newness of life" (6:4).  Each believer is a new creation, with God’s life in him or her, so that each Christian is a "new man."

Now the challenge is to experientially to put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (Col. 3:9—10).

We have the spiritual resources available to see that this is a reality for each of us. These can be summarized as the new nature, being a new creation in Christ, having the Word of truth available, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word and empower the life. Our response is to be obedient to the known truth so that we can walk worthy consistently.

In the light of what we know about who we are in Christ, Paul gave some directives to point is in the right direction in Romans 6:12—14:  First in 6:12 he commanded us not to "let sin reign" that is do not choose to put the sin nature back in a rulership place in life, you've been separated from its power, why go back to it! Then the command "do not present your members . . . to sin" (vs:13) could literally be rendered, "Stop presenting your members ... to sin."  But why is this command even necessary?

If our bondage to sin has been broken, why do we still sin? The answer, as stated before, is that our sin nature, or our capacity for sin, the root out of which flows the fruit of personal sin, has not been eradicated.  God has made us new creations so that we have the opportunity of choice.  The time God gives us after salvation, then, is our opportunity to develop faithfulness as good stewards, to be obedient to our Master, the Lord Jesus—by choosing not to yield to sin and instead yield to righteousness. (Rom. 6:16,18)

Our objective should be to put the resources given us by grace to their maximum use in our life and thereby glorify Him in time.