God's Plan To Do Away With Death: Part Four

Bernard Pyron

The Cross of Christ Makes It Possible To Be Set Free From Slavery To Sin

Hebrews 10: 9-10 teaches that "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." Christ took away the Old Covenant and the first priesthood. He established his own everlasting priesthood. The priesthood of Christ is the will of God. By this will of God those who come to Christ on his terms are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. By his offering of his human body on the cross, we are redeemed from the sentence of death and the law as the ministration of death, and converted, or regenerated spiritually. We are set free from the punishment that the law requires, but we are still called to obey the moral law.

Then Hebrews 10: 14 says "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." He has set free all saved people from the guilt and charge due to sin. The Levitical priesthood could not do this.

By his death on the cross, and by our union with him, Christ imputed to us some of his own righteousness. Paul says in Philippians 3: 9 that he wanted to "...be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

In Romans 10: 3 Paul explains that the Jews "...being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

We can see in Romans 7 that the law of Moses does not free a person from the sin nature of fallen man. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. Although a believer may want to stop sinning and obey the moral law, he has very great difficulty in doing so.

Paul says in Romans 6: 4 that "...we are buried with him in baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life." In verse 11 he goes on to say "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." We die to sin as Christ died on the cross. But we are reborn and morally regenerated by his resurrection and by the Holy Spirit, who can lead us to substantially overcome our sin nature.

Peter writes that we were not redeemed with corruptible things like gold and silver, but "...with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot: (I Peter 1: 19)." Then in verse 23 Peter states that, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Being born again from Christ's blood means a believer is spiritually and morally regenerated.

Then in I Peter 4: 1-2 the apostle says "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God."

If we have the mind of Christ, we are no longer dominated by sin, nor do we enjoy sinning.

We may suffer in our flesh to defeat our sin nature. And we look to Christ in his resurrection to stop us from being taken over by sin. The Holy Spirit brings to us a change of heart, when we identify with Christ's suffering, shedding of blood and death on the cross. Then we do not live the remainder of our time in the flesh on earth being under the control of sin.

After we have been born again through Christ's death and by the healing of the Holy Spirit, we often remember with regret the harm we have done to others, and our having rejected Christ.

Revelation 1: 5 says this Revelation is "...from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

The Holy Spirit Makes It Possible To Become Free From Slavery To Sin

Jesus Christ teaches in John 6: 63 that "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

The suffering and death of Christ does not mean too much to many people, unless the Holy Spirit quickens or makes their souls spiritually alive. Then they can identify themselves with Christ's suffering and death.

The Spirit leads us to understand the words of Christ, which are spirit. Those who do not receive the Holy Spirit are less likely to fully understand his words. Not understanding what he says, they often reject his message.

The Holy Spirit makes us alive spiritually and causes us to want to stop sinning and he enables us to become free of the burden of sin.

Romans 7: 14-24 describes the believer who wants to obey the moral law, but finds that he cannot stop his sinning. Romans 7: 18 says "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." This seems to describe a person who wants Christ, though he or she may not fully understand him. But his sin nature is still going strong within him, which opposes the Christ nature and the Spirit.

Paul teaches in Galatians 5: 17 that "...the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

But here is Paul's answer to this problem of not being able to stop sinning: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8: 1)." Note that in the Alexandrian Greek New Testament manuscripts, such as Codex Vaticanus, and in the New International Version, "but after the Spirit" is left out. The New International Version is based on the Alexandrian manuscripts.

We were under a sentence of condemnation for sin. Since Christ bore that sentence of condemnation, there is now no condemnation for us who are in Christ. Paul does not say there is no condemnation for us because we have no sin. We have sinned and still do once in a while, and that may harm us, yet we are not condemned because we are in Christ. We can walk in the Spirit when we unite spiritually with Christ.

Then Romans 8: 3 tells us "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

The moral law can accuse us of sin, can convince a sinner of his sin, and can condemn. But the law cannot abolish or have victory over sin. Only Christ has done that.

Christ can change our old sin nature, as well as pardon us from the sins we have done.

Paul explains in Romans 8: 4 "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Christ fulfilled the righteousness of the law and imputed that righteousness to us since we are united spiritually with him. God then sees us as having fulfilled the righteousness demanded by the moral law.

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Romans 8: 13)." Living in a state of conflict between being addicted to sin and yet wanting to stop sinning may not go on indefinitely. In a believer who loves Christ, the truth and earnestly seeks him, the sin nature may hold on for a while, maybe for several years. It may be that such a believer was a baby or carnal Christian.

But eventually the grace of God implanted at some time will win out and he or she will start listening to the Holy Spirit and will substantially stop sinning. The person may still sin sometimes but is no longer under the sway of sin. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul dealt with baby Christians, who tended to walk after the flesh. For example, in I Corinthians 5: 5 he said he "...delivered such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Apparently "such an one" engaged in fornication (I Corinthians 5: 1).

He also said in I Corinthians 3: 3 that some of the Christians at Corinth were carnal. But Paul did not say all or most of these people were necessarily lost because they sinned or retained some of the sin nature.

In Galatians 5: 16 Paul notes that "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." The Spirit works within us who are in union with Christ, those who have been reborn in him. Walking in the Spirit must mean that we listen to the Holy Spirit and act largely under his guidance and inspiration. Then we do not totally fulfill the desires of our sin nature, and we are largely freed from that old nature. Paul seems to equate the flesh with the sin nature.

The Holy Spirit, who is God, teaches believers the will of God as shown in the Scriptures - and that will is to get rid of our sin. A believer who is led by the Holy Spirit finds it is not as hard as before to stop sinning. If we think we are not led by the Spirit as much as we would want, we can pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ for the Holy Spirit to lead us more often and more fully.

Ephesians 2: 18 tells us that "...through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." "We both" refers back to Ephesians 2: 18 where Paul is saying that Christ made of "twain," or two - Jews and Gentiles in Christ - "one new man." Christian Jews and Gentiles are given access to God the Father by the Holy Spirit because of Christ's going to the cross.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4: 29-30)."

The Holy Spirit may be grieved by the actions, words and thoughts of believers. He may be grieved if Christians fail to love the truth of the Scriptures or fail to show respect to God. The Spirit is in all those who have been reborn in the Lord. He leads us into truth (John 15: 26, 16: 13). And he sanctifies us through the truth of Christ, and his suffering, bleeding and death at the time of the cross (John 17: 17).

It is the Spirit who seals the saints to the day of redemption, our physical death, or if we are alive at the appearing of Christ. The Spirit inspires us to want to be with Christ.

"But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (II Thessalonians 2: 13)."

The Holy Spirit of truth creates in remnant believers an inner life that reflects some of the glory of God. Truths of the Gospel are put in our inner life by the Spirit, and he gives us a love of that truth. Having truth implanted in the inner life by the Spirit helps us to overcome bondage to transgressions.

Peter said he is "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied (I Peter 1: 2)."

Sanctification by the Spirit means to love the truth of the Gospel which bears fruit in good deeds in the name of Christ. These good deeds may include edification of the saints through one's speech or writing. The blood of Christ is put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, not only to pardon us from the sentence of death but also to cleanse us substantially from sin. The work of the Spirit in us brings us joy.

Because of the Lord's spilling of his blood and death on the cross, the Holy Spirit can now transform a believer from being a servant of sin and Satan into a new person in Christ, and we are made free largely from the domination of sin and the devil. Bernard