The Law Of Sin And The Law Of God

I’ve heard many Christians over the years say that they, not Paul, were really the chief of sinners, which is a direct contradiction to the inspired word of God.

 

It seems like everybody wants to be a Chief (of sinners), but nobody wants to be an Indian (a saint)!

 

There is Pauline theology, and then there is “Christine” theology, that is “Christine O’Donnell theology”, which says “I am you!”

 

“I am you”, “Christine theology” works when speaking on a worldly level: “I’m an average American, and so are you.”

 

But “I am you”, “Christine theology”, doesn’t work when speaking on a spiritual level about Christians, once they are born again, and are new creations in Christ. Now it’s, “Praise God! I am no longer you!”

 

What I am in my new regenerate spirit is who I really am. When I sin, it is not me (that is, in my new spirit), it is “sin in me”, as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 7:17:

 

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”

 

And Romans 7:18 goes on to say, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells…”.

 

Someone may ask,

But certainly you are not suggesting that these things are no longer sins if we do them just because we are Christians?

 

It doesn’t mean that when I sin, it is not sin. It simply means that it is not me, but it is “sin in me”, in my flesh doing the sinning, and it is my flesh warring against the new me, warring against my new regenerate spirit. (Romans 7:17)

 

You ask, “How are we different from a murderer?”

 

We are different in our spirit.

 

To the extent that we acknowledge, understand, reckon, and appropriate our new identity in Christ as born again new creations, alive to God and dead to sin (Romans 6), and now saints, we will have the strength in our new spirit to walk by the spirit, as the Apostle Paul so often instructs us to do.

 

That’s the reason for making the distinction that “I am not a murderer”.

 

But to the extent that we instead focus on “our old man” who “was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with” (Romans 6:6), and call ourselves something that we are not, “sinners” (defined as one who practices sin as an ongoing lifestyle), to that extent we will live somewhat defeated lives, struggling with sin more than we should have to, like the double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways.

 

I know that I am not what I used to be before I was radically saved 31 years ago.

 

And the murderer, if he comes to know the Lord five minutes before he dies, like the thief on the cross, will find himself with Christ in great glory in Heaven.

 

And at that point, the point at which the murderer should trust in the Lord, I can then say that the murderer is now just like me.

 

You may ask,“When I sin, it is not me”?

 

So, then, what do we do with this verse in Romans 7:17?:

 

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”

 

Paul clarifies it, to answer your question, with this next verse in Romans 7:18:

 

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells…”.

 

Paul is making a distinction between “I” (“the one who wills to do good” Rom.7:21) and “my flesh” (“in me, that is, in my flesh” Rom.7:18.)

 

You will say,

Paul later says: “So then, I *myself* serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

 

Exactly. “I *myself* serve the law of God with my mind…”

 

but

 

“…with *my flesh* I serve the law of sin.” (Rom.7:25)

 

Not only does Paul say, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in Romans 7:17, “But now it is *no longer I who do it*, but *sin* that dwells in me.”…

 

…but Paul goes on to say again in Romans 7:20:

 

“Now if I do what I will not to do, it is *no longer I who do it*, but *sin* that dwells in me.”

 

Now, there are two “I”‘s here:

 

1) “I do what I will not to do”

 

and

 

2) “it is no longer I who do it”

 

Go back to #1:

 

1) I (my flesh) do what I (“the one who wills to do good”) will not to do.

 

and

 

Go back to #2:

 

2) …it is no longer I (“the one who wills to do good”) who do it.

 

Then who, or what, “in the flesh” is doing the things I will not to do? (Rom.7:20)

 

Paul gives us the answer twice:

 

Romans 7:17 and 7:20 “…it is no longer I who do it, but *sin* that dwells in me.”

 

Paul then reveals to us some of the mystery behind this. He gives us the reason for this:

 

Romans 7:21, “I find then *a law*, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.”

 

And then Paul presents the conflict once again, of the “flesh warring against our mind”:

 

Romans 7:22, “For I delight in the law of God according to *the inward man*…”

 

Romans 7:23, “…BUT, I see *another law in my members*, warring against *the law of my mind*, and bringing me into captivity to *the law of sin which is in my members*.”

 

Paul then makes this conclusion in Romans 7:25:

 

“So then, *with the mind* I myself [my new regenerated self] serve the law of God, but *with the flesh* [still unchanged] the law of sin.”

 

So, as we see in Romans 7:23, there is a war between “the law of my mind” and “the law of sin which is in my members [my flesh]“.

 

There is a war between “I”, “the one who wills to do good” [the one whose spirit is regenerated], and “my flesh” [which is still as yet unchanged].

 

 

In Conclusion: The Law of Sin vs. The Law of God

 

1) The Law of Sin

 

Paul says in Rom.7:17,20 “sin…dwells in me”, and in Rom.7:18 “in my flesh, nothing good dwells”, and in Rom.7:21 “evil is present *with* me”.

 

Paul wraps it up by saying in Rom.7:25 “with the flesh [I serve] the law of sin.” (“I” in this verse does not refer to “the one who wills to do good” but to that part of me which is unchanged, unrenewed, unregenerated, that is, “my flesh”)

 

2) The Law of God

 

Paul says in Rom.7:12 “the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good”.

 

And he says in Rom.7:14 “the law [of God] is spiritual”.

 

In Rom.7:22, he says, “I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.” (“the inward man”, as opposed to “the [outward] flesh”)

 

And in Rom.7:23, Paul refers to “the law of my mind”.

 

Paul wraps it up in Rom.7:25 by saying, “with the mind I myself serve the law of God.”

 

As opposed to the flesh, which cannot be “renewed”, the Scriptures say that we can be “transformed by the renewing of our mind”. And it is with our mind that we “serve the law of God”.

 

It is with our flesh that we serve the law of sin. (Rom.7:25)

One Nation Under God

Happy 4th of July, American friends!

In America, today is Independence Day, the 4th of July, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776.

Since that day, God has blessed American in a unique way.

Millions have come to America to live, to worship, to work, to prosper, to thrive in the freedom that was wrought through the labors of our Founding Fathers.

America has been uniquely free.

Not because we are a “Great People”, but because we have been greatly blessed by the Sovereign God Who created us.

Not because we are “exceptional”, but because our Sovereign Creator has seen fit to give us an exceptional foundation in the Word of God, which tells of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

And this foundation of God and His Word was used to construct both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

No human document can even approach “perfection”. But these documents had two qualities that make them exceptional:

1. They acknowledge God our Creator, and

2. Instead of seeking a Utopia, based on the absurdity that men are basically “good”, they take into consideration the sinfulness which every person is born with, and seek to protect against that sinfulness by ensuring certain inalienable “rights” to its citizens.

By ensuring these rights, and by limiting the powers of Government, and through the “balance of powers” within the Government, the Founders sought to give the maximum opportunity for freedom — a freedom which, while not a Utopia, yet gave people the room to grow, and learn, and prosper, and preach the Gospel, and give to others, including other nations.

Far from perfect (remember the sinful nature that all are born with), yet through the influence of those principles of the Word of God, and by His Grace, we made changes for the better.

Even the Constitution itself included a mechanism to improve by “amendment”. So, for example, the evil of slavery which was a “blind spot” at best, and an evil regardless, was permanently eliminated by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

This foundation of the Word of God and the Savior Jesus Christ has historically been woven into the fabric of our nation, even among those who have not come to personally know Jesus Christ. The Lord, His Word, and His righteousness have been at least to some extent honored by the vast majority of Americans…

…until recent years or decades.

Our problems are not primarily political.

They SEEM that way, but they’re not.

Many of you reading this believe our nation is in decline. I agree. Rapid decline. Dangerous decline.

But if we think this decline is merely dependent on the next election, we are wrong. If America does not radically revert back to the FOUNDATION, the decline will continue. Rapidly.

Full disclosure: I am a political animal. I love politics and the economics that intertwine it. I am an opinionated Libertarian-ish “thinker”.

But even political and economic Liberty cannot save our nation from its decline. Only the Creator Himself can. But He is a Jealous God, and our nation is no longer leaning on Him nor giving Him the honor that He so justly deserves.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to commune with Him first, above every other priority in your life.

Seek His face, seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, bask in the Grace of His Life within you and the work He has already accomplished on the Cross. “Draw near” to Him and He will draw near to you.

Then in your politics, you can love, not hate — persuade winsomely, not bicker and beat over the head — be at peace in your heart, not bitter and anxious.

And out of that the Sovereign Lord may choose to reverse the decline.

And He may not.

Be involved in politics. Vote. Run for office. But don’t “lean” on that as the ultimate solution. It is NOT the ultimate solution.

And as you vote, vote “righteously”.

While the world says, “It’s the economy, stupid”, for example, don’t be shamed into thinking the Holocaust Of The Unborn should take a back seat. Over 50 million unborn children have been killed…so far.

No candidate is perfect, nor ever will be. But I have declared that I will NEVER vote for any candidate that favors the right to kill the unborn. I am saddened to see brothers and sisters in Christ who have abandoned this issue, or even promoted the “right to choose”!

Yet we expect the continued blessing of God on our nation?

“Lord, I pray you WILL bless America. But I pray that we will understand the principle from your Word when you said, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’.”

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Enjoy this very beautiful musical piece, in honor of the Lord Who gave us America.

Moralism, Morality and Grace

Sometimes when Christians really get ahold of the grace of God, and their release from the bondage of legalism gives them a new joy, they become a little confused between “moralism” and “morality”.

“Moralism”, for our purposes here, is that awful, even nauseating, idea that if we’re good enough, if we follow enough “rules” of what’s right and wrong, then we can earn the love and favor of God.  Indeed (so says “moralism”) we DESERVE the love and favor of God, even heaven itself.

Such “moralism” is rightly criticized, because:

1) No one is “good enough”.

We instinctively know this of other people.  Their faults are often glaring, and their blindness to them is just another chink in their armor of “goodness”, evident to all but them.

2) When we think WE are “good enough”, we are merely adding pride to our long list of sins, any one of which would be enough to bring condemnation from the Perfect and Holy Lord God.

However, when people of grace rightly criticize the concept of “moralism”, they often throw out the baby of “morality” with the bathwater of “moralism”.

Here’s what I mean.

“Morality”, for our purposes here, is the thinking and doing of what’s right.  It’s knowing the difference between right and wrong, and doing the right, even if imperfectly.

And “morality” is good!  It’s right for people not to steal.  It’s right for people to have sex only within the bonds of marriage.  It’s right for people not to bear false witness against others. And it’s right to refrain from killing one’s unborn child.

Conversely, it’s wrong to steal, to have sex outside of marriage, to bear false witness, and to kill the unborn children.

True, no level of “morality” will gain us heaven.  We are born with a sinful nature, and we’ve committed many sins as a result, and our acting “moral” will not erase that condemnable record.

That’s why we needed a Savior, Jesus Christ, and when we believed in Him, He forgave us all those sins, having paid for them on the cross, and He declared us righteous by grace through faith in Him.  A free gift.  GRACE!

But that doesn’t mean we are to be so foolish as to join the world in blurring the difference between right and wrong.

“But who are YOU to judge ME?”, one asks.  “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Judge not?’”

People acting immorally love to quote that verse. But it doesn’t mean don’t “judge” what’s right and wrong.  God has already determined that, and put it in His Word, and in our heart and conscience.

In context, “Judge not” merely means not to judge the heart of another, especially in a self-righteous hypocritical way.  But to judge right and wrong actions is not only legitimate biblically, but necessary to a society.

Here’s the bottom line.

“Moralism” stinks.

But there is, and always will be, right and wrong, morality and immorality.

To deny that, or ignore it, is to use “Grace” to chip away at some of the “Truth” — whereas Jesus is “full of Grace AND Truth”.

Speaking The Truth In Love In Politics

We Christians need to ask ourselves, seriously, if we are going to love people or not. Even people we disagree with. Even people whom we consider enemies.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, says if we don’t have love, we’re just sounding brass and clanging cymbals.

“Oh, I believe that.”  Really?  Let’s get real with that.

Ready?  Here we go…

If you don’t love President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Eric Holder, and leftist activist SCOTUS Justices, you are just sounding brass and clanging cymbals.

And if you don’t love me, because I just said that…well, you get the point.

Of course, love is a Fruit of the Spirit. And we’re not always going to be walking by the Spirit, are we?  But that’s our goal and the desire of our heart, isn’t it?

On the other hand, we ought to always speak the truth.

We don’t have to cower in our defense of God’s institution of marriage, or ending the murder of the unborn, or any other true and good thing.

But God told us to “speak the truth in love”.

Not just speak the truth.

Not just love.

I know, some of these issues touch our emotions deeply. And evil is real.  But when that results in bitterness and hateful language, we’ve left the realm of our Savior and gone into another realm.

And the irony is, it doesn’t even work in persuading.  No one ever says, “Oh, since you’re yelling at me with shrill anger in your voice and calling me names in ‘ALL CAPS’, then okay, I’ll agree with your view!”

Now there’s no guarantee that speaking the truth in love will persuade either, but at least we will be doing the bidding of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — and leaving the results to Him.

“The Perfect Father” – A Father’s Day Message by Pastor Bill Sasser

A Father’s Day Message delivered by Pastor Bill Sasser

on June 17, 2012, at Grace Church at Franklin, Franklin, TN

Starving Under Expository Preaching

I am a big fan of expository preaching and teaching. To preach the Word of God verse by verse and “give the meaning” is one of the highest forms of honor to God’s Word, and the most fulfilling food to the sheep…unless…it is devoid of Christ and His Grace.

“The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17). Jesus is the true Bread of life, and even the most accurate and well-delivered exposition will leave malnourished sheep hobbling along the path with their ribs sticking out, if that Bread is not a part of every meal.

Preachers and teachers, please don’t let a sermon or lesson leave your lips, without our precious Savior and Lord, and His wonderful Grace, being an integral part of it.

Hear Mr. Spurgeon’s little story:

A young man had been preaching in the presence of a venerable divine, and after he had done he went to the old minister, and said, “What do you think of my sermon?”

“A very poor sermon indeed,” said he.

“A poor sermon?” said the young man, “it took me a long time to study it.”

“Ay, no doubt of it.”

“Why, did you not think my explanation of the text a very good one?”

“Oh, yes,” said the old preacher, “very good indeed.”

“Well, then, why do you say it is a poor sermon? Didn’t you think the metaphors were appropriate and the arguments conclusive?”

“Yes, they were very good as far as that goes, but still it was a very poor sermon.”

“Will you tell me why you think it a poor sermon?”

“Because,” said he, “there was no Christ in it.”

“Well,” said the young man, “Christ was not in the text; we are not to be preaching Christ always, we must preach what is in the text.”

So the old man said, “Don’t you know young man that from every town, and every village, and every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London?”

“Yes,” said the young man.

“Ah!” said the old divine “and so from every text in Scripture, there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And my dear brother, your business is when you get to a text, to say, ‘Now what is the road to Christ?’ and then preach a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis—Christ.

“And,” said he, “I have never yet found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it, and if I ever do find one that has not a road to Christ in it, I will make one; I will go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savour of Christ in it.”
(From “Christ Precious To Believers”, preached March 13th, 1859)

Honor Thy Mother

A Mother’s Day Message delivered by Pastor Bill Sasser on May 13, 2012, at Grace Church at Franklin, Franklin, TN.