Bring On the Flood Waters
Warnings and Comforts
Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14)
Generation on fire, I greet you in the name of Christ, the one who sits at the right hand of God and has dominion over all things. Last week we explored The Dam Breaks, a unique perspective from Apostle Paul that characterizes our earthly experience. Paul the renowned gospel advocate says of himself “I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:14). Most striking about this admission is that it is in the present tense, this is not Saul the Pharisee before Christ arrested him on the road to Damascus, this is Paul the gospel champion, the mature believer and unrivaled church planter whose influence on faith and the gospel is perhaps only second to Jesus Christ.
Paul’s words serve two purposes, a warning on the fragility of faith and comfort in the author and the finisher of our salvation to see us through. Paul’s words warn us that no one gets so advanced in their faith journey that they no longer acknowledge their sin. This is why in this word he exhorts us to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies and to avoid presenting our members as instruments of unrighteousness. Members in this context means every part of us, internal and external, our body, soul, spirit, mind and hearts. If we ever feel that we are becoming good Christians, know that we have lost the plot and are now walking in deceit. In reality, spiritual maturity means increased discernment that makes us even more aware of the condition of our hearts. Simply put, the more holy we become, the less holy we feel. Isaiah exemplifies this best. As a prophet of God, he went about warning the Israelites about their unrighteousness. He picked apart every corner of society and exposed their sinful underbelly. Undoubtedly, he would have been considered more holy but when faced with visions of God’s holiness, he could only conclude “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). For us believers as we grow in intimacy with God and draw closer to him, we too conclude “Woe is me” because of our growing appreciation of God’s holiness.
This scripture also warns us that no one gets so advanced that they do not struggle with sin. In fact, we should expect a vicious battle with increasing intensity the closer we draw to God. 1 Peter 5:8-9 instructs us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” As believers advance in faith, we become bigger threats to the devil. In turn he attempts to use our very own innate sinful nature to set us back and ultimately destroy us. The seventeenth-century puritan John Owen wrote, and I paraphrase “When Christians first set on a lust or sin to deal with, they struggle with great violence to break loose. The sin in us cries with earnestness and impatience to be satisfied and relieved… it may have a dying pang that makes an appearance of great vigor and strength, but it is quickly over, especially if it be kept from considerable success.” This is encouraging because it lets us know that the raging battle of temptation and constant conflict with sin is emblematic of a growing believer.
In this word, Paul concludes that “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Notably, Paul does not say that sin is banished or that we will not confront it, he says that it will not overcome us. Timothy Keller describes sin as a defeated but active enemy, like a guerrilla force. He illustrates “imagine if a wicked military force had complete control of a county, and a good army invaded, the good army could throw the wicked force out of power and give the capital and the seat of government and communication back to the people. But the out-of-power soldiers could still live out in the bush. The guerilla force could create havoc for the new, rightful government. It could often impose its will on part of the country even though it could never get back in power.” For every of God’s creation, the rightful government is Jesus, it is the cabinet of God’s grace. For us believers, our rightful government has been restored, sin has been banished to the fringes of society and will be completely eliminated when Christ returns.
Finally, in telling us not to present ourselves instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves instruments of righteousness to God, Paul highlights the choice before us. Even though we are now under grace, sin is unfortunately still an option and many take it. In Romans 6:17-18, Paul writes “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Being saved from sin does not mean we are free from having a master, we are either slaves of sin or servants of God; but we cannot be neither and cannot be both.
Prayer
Father, let your grace continually speak for me and never allow sin to have dominion over me. Holy Spirit, help me in my time of weakness and give me the wisdom and discipline to remain in fellowship with you all the days of my life. Give me the strength to be alert and have a sober mind so that I may resist the devil and stand firm in my faith. Amen