LOOKING TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP JESUS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. 18 No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Set free from the bondage of sin

Romans 6:6-23 (6)We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (7) For one who has died has been set free from sin. ……………………………………………………(14) For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. …………………………… (22) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When the redeemed are regenerated and baptized in Christ, they are baptized into his death. Just as Christ was crucified and died as an atonement for the sins of the redeemed, we know that our old self was crucified with him. Through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, redeemed sinners are no longer under the power of sin, and are no longer slaves to sin because we have been set free from the bondage of the sin nature. Through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, grace sets us free and brings us to willingly become slaves of God. With a new heart there is a new attitude, direction, and focus in life. Just as the attitude of the old sin nature produced fruit that led to death, the new Spirit led nature produces a fruit that leads to sanctification. Sanctification brings a progression toward godliness and holiness that results in eternal life. Verse 22 above does not state that it may happen, should happen, or could happen. No, it states that it will happen. Just as surely as attempted justification by law-keeping, void of the Holy Spirit, leads to death, a fruitless carnal “professing Christian” lifestyle without any influence of the Holy Spirit also leads to death. Just as a successful bowler must keep the ball from going into gutter on either side, a true Holy Spirit led Christian will not fall permanently into the gutter of self-righteousness on the one side or total fruitless carnality on the other side. Grace saves and grace carries the redeemed sinner all the way to glory.

Praise God that redeemed sinners are not only justified with divine power, but are sanctified by the same heavenly power. Divine power is fail safe. This free gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus or Lord and God provides EVERYTHING needed in receiving this gift and it comes with awesome POWER.

9 Comments:

Blogger jazzycat said...

There is power in the blood.
http://www.the-synergy.com/lyrics/power.html

September 18, 2007 9:46 PM

 
Blogger mark pierson said...

Wayne, this was your most powerful post yet, IMHO. Those that believe that the New Covenant was only for Israel, and not for the church also, leave the door open for the "carnal Christian" concept and the Keswick model of sanctification.

September 19, 2007 7:30 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jazzy, truly a wonderful post. I am most uplifted as I begin this Wed. morning. :)

September 19, 2007 9:28 AM

 
Blogger Matthew Celestine said...

"Those that believe that the New Covenant was only for Israel, and not for the church also, leave the door open for the "carnal Christian" concept and the Keswick model of sanctification."

Those things are cool.

As it happens, Joseph Dillow argues for his FG model of Christian living on the basis that the New Covenant is for Christians as well as for Israel.

Miles Stanford accused him of being insufficently Dispensational.

Every Blessing in Christ

Matthew

September 19, 2007 9:43 AM

 
Blogger Baptist Girl said...

Great Post jazz,
the power is in the blood, amen!

Cristina

September 19, 2007 9:55 AM

 
Blogger mark pierson said...

Blaising and Bock argue that the New Covenant is also for the church based on Eph. 2:11-13. Once strangers from the covenants of promise, now Gentiles have been brought near by the blood of Christ - the New Covenant being one of the covenants of promise they were once strangers to.

On Jodie's site she once considered Zane Hodges' view of the New Covenant as seen in Hebrews 8. His comments there, as Jodie listed them, seem very similar to those held by proponents of New Cov. Theology.

September 19, 2007 9:57 AM

 
Blogger mark pierson said...

A cool discussion of Reformed versus Keswick models of sanctification can be found here...




http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/11/not-yet-quite-perfect.html

September 19, 2007 10:30 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If only more Christians would see sin as bondage... It is so true. We should be singing and dancing every day for our being set free from it and reconciled to God. Hallelujah!

Great post, Jazzy.

September 19, 2007 12:14 PM

 
Blogger jazzycat said...

Thanks. My wife and I are currently working through a video series by R.C. Sproul on Romans. Between that and considering Daniel's view (which I am beginning to move closer to on Romans 7), I hope to reconcile some things. I want to thank Mark for getting me interested in the distinctives of New Covenant theology and where it differs from the covenant theology of my church. Susan has also been a great help with Chapter 11 and it looks like Nathan White's blog is really going to be helpful as well. I guess I am rambling a bit, but I think Romans and Hebrews hold a lot of keys to having a correct theology.
wayne

September 20, 2007 9:12 AM

 

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