2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
live any longer in it?
Death is separation. The Christian died to or separated from the sin capacity in principle at salvation. Our sin capacity is still here but decisively dealt with by Christ on the cross.
The issue here is not occasional sin but willful sin as a pattern of life. The believer cannot be submissive to sin like he was as a non-Christian.
Those “such ones as we” are different having becoming Christians. We must not confound relationship to sin with its presence. We need to distinguish our experience of victory over sin from God’s disclosed fact that we died to sin. This idea confounds many because they do not understand the principle of grace. We do not die to sin by our personal experience; we died to sin in Christ’s death to pay for our sins.
God left the sin capacity in the believer (1 Jn 1:8). “Death” here does not mean sin is dead in us. The death here is not subjective but objective. It is objectively dead in us. Subjectively, sin is still there. This death occurred in Christ, not in me. It occurred for me but not in me.
Death died already; it is not about to happen in the believer. Sin is not dead in us, we are not dead to sin, and sin is not dying to us. The major surgery that Jesus did on the cross is not necessary to repeat. Christians can sin but not from his constitution (“new man”). Christ did not provide death to sin but for sin.
We need to consider ourselves as entering into a corresponding spiritual state regarding our sin. We do not continue to live the Christian life as if Christ did nothing for us. Freedom from sin is not freedom to sin. Our new position in Christ is a new order to which we respond.
Old order—in Adam (Ro 5:12ff). This is how God views non-Christians.
New order—new man in Christ (Ro 6). This is how God views believers.
PRINCIPLE:
Something decisive happened at the point of our salvation.
APPLICATION:
Sin is a power tempting us rather than a power controlling us. The decisive nature of our salvation and the change that occurred at that point transforms the Christian forever. Something radical happened at salvation. There is a change in outlook and actions once a person becomes a Christian.
Grace does not allow sin to bring us into bondage to sin. God never gives man a blank check to sin without restraint. It is completely outside the scope of grace to give God an opportunity to provide more grace by sinning. The end never justifies the means. The principle of grace never allows for license.
Jude 4, For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
How can people who died to sin positionally in Christ keep on living in sin without regard for their Savior?
Christians are not Christians because they lead a Christian life; rather, they lead the Christian life because they are Christians. The price that Jesus paid for our sins compels us to please Him. It also gives us a very serious view of the nature of sin. Sin placed Jesus on the cross.
I believe that knowledge of God amazing saving Grace will transform a person’s life because that is what will motivate the Christian.
Then there are many who live under salvation by works. Many of the subjects under that conception later drop out of “pleasing God” because they’ve become exhausted in trying to earn God’s favor, so they move away and continue sinning
Sometimes, I believe salvation by works doctrine is the main reason many walk waywardly, believing they could not meet God’s standards and therefore condemned to hell.
So, is one saved by resting on the principle of God’s Grace for the Christian life
Or by believing salvation is from Christ but we still obligated to work the way into the pearly gates.
Other words,
Does absolute Grace has to be the object of one’s rest for salvation to be saved?
Because many are “Christians” but tries to earn their salvation.
Does resting on the absolute Grace matters to one’s salvation?
In this context, I don’t mean a person who believed on resting on grace and digressed to works salvation, because I believe in Eternal Security.
I mean someone misguided from the beginning/start of salvation?
Were they never saved since the start because they’ve been guided in to works salvation?
I’m bad at amplification, but I hope you understand
Mike, thanks for another excellent question. I struggle to answer your question in a post because it will take extensive explanation. However, if you let me summarize the issue, here it is. The issue is a cause/effect problem. What is the cause of our salvation? It is what Christ did on the cross. He sufficiently paid the price for our sins. He does not need our help in the salvation process. He did it all; all to Him we owe. The effect has to do with the manifestation of our salvation. The truly saved individual will produce works in his Christian life. It is not to gain anything from God, but it is done in appreciation for what He has done for us. If you study my commentary on Galatians, you can see this principle throughout. The book of James is a cause/effect book. Those who have genuine faith will produce works. That argument is found throughout the book of James. Note my studies especially in James two.