Gospel and Spiritual Growth Series by Pastor David K. Spurbeck, Sr.

 

Message #42 – 2-17-2002 – Synopsis and Outline

 

WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE RECKON IN REGARD TO THE SIN NATURE

 

We continue to work the Romans six material.  My translation makes it easier to preach the material since it is designed to clarify the material.  This message begins in Romans 6:6 and focuses on what the Christian needs to know in order to thwart the sin nature.  It is here that position counts and is counted.  I believe that an understanding of one's position in Christ can overbalance the possessions of the believer in Christ.  "In Christ" truth involves both position (which is imputed) and possessions (which are owned or held as well as imputed).  Position is most important in two areas:  thwarting the sin nature and the place where a spiritual believer's frame of mind is focused.  Romans six tells the believer what he or she needs to think about elements of position in order to repulse the sin nature's battling against the soul.  Positional truth is essential for having victory over the sin nature.  Those who deny the existence of the sin nature or the flesh have no need for positional truth because they either have only one nature [the sin nature] or only live in one nature though having two [& are perpetually carnal].  Our potential for overcoming the sin nature is as good as Christ's cross work. 

 

Because of this, it is important for the believer to know the facts.  "Know" is important in Romans six.  Ginosko (or experiential knowledge) is found here in verse 6 and in verse 3.  Oida or intuitive knowledge is found in verse 9.  Why does God expect us to experientially know rather than intuitively know that our old position in Adam was crucified together with Him?  I mentioned this last week but it is of great importance.  When a person is saved, God, by His grace, prevents him or her from approach by spiritual enemies until he or she knows enough to find a way of escape from the specific spiritual enemy.  1 Cor. 10:13 indicates that God only permits temptation that one can bear.  In the early days of salvation (present tense) a new believer gains experiential knowledge of the provisions of Christ's crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection in his or her own life.  This is the reason that many true believers look back to those early days as the "golden years" of their salvation.  When lust becomes a temptation and then sin, they become carnal.  Many remain there the rest of their lives.  The Gospel concerning Jesus Christ provides the basis for this.  When one believes that Christ died for his or her sins, was buried and was resurrected out from among dead ones, he or she is saved.  Those are the first facts that a new believer knows intuitively and experientially.  On the basis of this knowledge, one has victory over the sin nature, Satan and demons and the world system.  The sin nature is the greatest enemy of the Christian.  That sin nature functions best in one's existence (position and lifestyle) in fallen Adam.  This is identified as "the old man" in Scripture.

 

Our old man or position in Adam has been crucified together with Christ.  Some teach that the old man is only another way to describe the sin nature.  They teach that the old man is the sin nature and that the new man is the new nature.  Paul identifies the old man in Ephesians 4:22 by contrast with 4:24.  "That you put off with regards from your former manner of life the old man having been corrupted down from the lusts from deceit (my translation)."  This is contrasted to the new man in 24.  "And to put on the new man as a garment the new man created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth."  The new man was created out of nothing.  It is the new creation or creating (2 Cor. 5:17).  Colossians 3:9, 10 makes a similar statement.  Our old position in Adam and its accompanying condition was crucified together with Christ.  That is the environment or body in which the sin nature feels at home and functions.  It isn't necessary to live in that environment because it was put to death for the believer who appropriated the benefit in salvation.  The word "destroy" does not mean annihilation, as some (including the translators of the AV) believe.  It means to render ineffective or to make useless or inoperative.  The work of Christ removes the tyranny of the sin nature that ruled the person before salvation.  While the sin nature still exists, it no longer needs to be a tyrant.  The believer by the power of the Holy Spirit can live in the new man and the sin nature cannot operate or be effective when the believer is living as spiritual in his or her position in Christ.  One's existence in the old man involves slavery to the sin nature.  Because of the work of Christ and the believer's participation in that work in his or her position, the sin nature does not need to be the master keeping the believer as a slave.  This can continue on as indicated in the translation:  "no longer to be continually serving the sin nature as bondslaves."

 

Verses 7 and 8 tell us that a believer must avail himself or herself of Christ's death in order to live in His resurrection.  In other words, a Christian must live to die.  "For he that is dead is freed from sin (AV).  This translation conceals a wonderful truth.  A better translation is:  "For the one having died is in the state of having been declared righteous from the sin nature."   There is quite a difference between the idea of being freed and being declared righteous.  God the Father sees the believer as having acted rightly concerning the sin nature in the Person of his or her Perfect Substitute.  Christ's cross work made this possible.  During the three hours of darkness on Calvary, He was separated from the Father.  As the hours came to a conclusion, He said:  "My God, My God, what have you forsaken (or abandoned) Me (Matt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34 cf. Psa. 22:1)!"  During the three hours of darkness he was separated from the Father before His physical death.  After His questioning of the Father concerning His abandonment, He said:  "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit  (Lu. 23:46)." And then He died physically. It was during the three hours of the separation of His human nature from the Father that He dealt with the problem of man's sin nature.  He paid the price and in Him we are counted to have acted as righteously as He did for our sin nature.

 

Verse eight begins with a first class condition and so the "if" should be translated "since."  "Since it is considered to be a fact that we died together with Christ, we are believing that we will also live together with Him."  Frequently I use human relationships to identify the difference between the prepositions meta and sun.  I can go out to dinner with you and be in your company "with" you.  People will see that we are acquainted and friends (meta).  When I go to my favorite Mongolian grill with my wife, folks see us as an identifiable togetherness (sun) -- we are a married couple.  We are seen as one because of the way that we relate together.  We died with Christ in that identifiable togetherness.  I am so much a part of the death of Christ that the Father counts me as having died for my own sin nature!  In like manner, we will live in an identifiable togetherness with Him in the future.

 

We base our faith on our intuitive knowledge that Christ has been raised out from among dead ones and that He cannot die again.  Because we are in Him, we will not die spiritually.  His work has already handled the issue.  No quality of death acts as His master.  It does not need to act as the master or lord of the believer.  If one has died to the sin nature in Christ, death is done.  The victory is won.  Leave the sin nature alone.  Hang up the phone.  We have the promise, the hope and the faith available.  We need to live in light of that truth!

 

The outline covers verses 9-11 but I didn't get that far.  I'll save that for 3/3/02.  Next Sunday I will be staying at Schools Community Church after the morning service to answer questions concerning the will of God material.  I will send the Scholls outline without a synopsis.  This is my last Sunday there on the will of God. 

 

In Christ so near that it makes life never better,

 

DKS

 

#42 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth

Valley – February 17, 2002 p.m.

 

WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE RECKON IN REGARD TO THE SIN NATURE

Romans 6:6-11

 

Proposition:   To focus attention on what a Christian should know and appropriate by reckoning in relation to the sin nature.  This evaluates how elements of positional truth can give the spiritual victory over the lusts that comes from the flesh.

 

        Introduction

              A.  Here Is Where Position Counts and Is Counted

              B.   Position Produces Biblical Use of Possessions in Christ

              C.  Position Relates to Dealing with the Sin Nature

              D.  Deprecation of Position Prevents Victory Over the Sin Nature

 

TRANS:   Romans six is built upon four facets of positional truth that directly relates to the work of Christ presented in the facts of the gospel.  The believer has participated in Christ's death, burial and resurrection and has resurrection life in order to be living life in ones present tense salvation.

 

  I.   THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE BELIEVER'S OLD POSITION IN FALLEN ADAM -- THE MECHANISM FOR RENDERING THE BODY OF THE SIN NATURE INEFFECTIVE -- THE REMOVAL OF THE NECESSITY FOR A PERSON TO BE A SLAVE TO THE SIN NATURE -- Romans 6:6

        A.  The Contents of the Experiential Knowledge of the Believer

        B.   The Condition of the Unbeliever in Adam

              1.  The Old Man -- Identified by Contrast

                  a.  Ephesians 4:22

                  b.  Colossians 3:9

              2.  The Condition of the Unbeliever

        C.  The Consequence in Rendering the Body of the Sin Nature Ineffective

              1.  The Concept of the Word

              2.  The Character of the Verb -- 1st aorist passive subjunctive

        D.  The Certainty of the Purpose in the Text

              1.  No Longer We

              2.  To Be Serving as Slaves -- Present active infinitive

              3.  The Sin Nature

 

TRANS:     Because we participate in Christ's death in relation to the sin nature, we can appropriate it when we know it and count it to be true.   The believer must know that he must die in order to live resurrection life.

 

 II. THE CONFIRMATION THAT THE CHRISTIAN MUST DIE TO LIVE -- THE MATTER OF PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST'S DEATH FOR PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST'S RESURRECTION LIFE -- THE REALITY OF THE PROVISION IN LIFE BY CHRIST'S DEATH FOR THE SIN NATURE -- Romans 6:7, 8

        A. The Act of Dying with Christ -- Vs. 7

        B. The Appropriation of Righteousness (perfect passive indicative)

        C. The Association with the Sin Nature No Longer Necessary

        D. The Assumption That We Actively Died Together with Christ -- Vs. 8

            1.  The Condition -- assumed to be so for the sake of argument

            2.  The Concentration on the Fact of a Point in Time of Participating in His Death

        E. The Assurance of Living Together with Christ

            1.  The Projection of One's Faith -- present active indicative

             2.  The Prospect of Living Together with Him -- future active indicative

 

TRANS:     Paul now moves to intuitive knowledge which involves information that a believer should have in mind.  Once again there is a focus on our participation in the work of our Substitute as we share in His death, burial and resurrection. 

 

III.  THE CONTENTS OF OUR INFORMATION CONCERNING CHRIST'S RESURRECTION, REATH AND LIFE -- THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE WORK OF CHRIST CONFIRMED IN HIS PRESENT LIFE AT THE RIGHT HAND -- THE RECOGNITION OF CHRIST'S AUTHORITY OVER DEATH EVIDENCED IN HIS LIFE -- Romans 6:9, 10

        A.  Knowing the Facts Concerning Christ's Work -- Vs. 9

              1.  He Has Been Raised Out from Among Dead Ones

              2.  He Is Not Dying Any More

              3.  Death Is Not Lording It Over Christ Any More

        B.   Explaining the Facts Concerning Christ's Work -- Vs. 10

              1.  He Died

              2.  He Died to the Sin Nature Once

              3.  He Lives

              4.  He Lives to God

 

TRANS:   One of the most important concepts for the Christian life is that of reckoning.  Reckoning is essential for having victory over the sin nature and the lusts that war against the soul of the believer.  This is a basic teaching in the ABC's of the Christian life.

 

 IV. THE CONCEPT OF RECKONING AS EXPECTED OF THE SPIRITUAL BELIEVER -- THE MANNER IN WHICH A SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN USES EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE -- THE RECKONING OF THE TRUTHS OF POSITION TO BE TRUE OR IMPUTING THEM TO BE SO -- Romans 6:11

        A.  The Identification of How to Appropriate One's Position in Christ Against the Sin Nature

        B.   The Isolation to Grace believers -- "you" = emphatic

        C.  The Idea of "Reckon" in the Text

              1.  In the Verb Form -- present middle imperative

              2.  In the Meaning of the Word

                  a.  An Activity of the Mind

                  b.  Count It to Be True or Impute It to Be So

                  c.  Definition of the Term in Romans 4:17

        D.  The Imputation n Two Areas

              1.  To Presently and Continually Be Dead Indeed to the Sin Nature

              2.  To Be Living with Reference to God

              3.  In Jesus Christ Out Lord = "in Christ" truth

              4.  Dead But Alive Not Dead or Alive

 

TRANS:   Romans six is clear about what a believer should experientially know and intuitively know that provides the basis for reckoning.  Christ's work is super efficient to make provision for a believer to maintain spirituality in spite of the presence of one's sin nature.

 

      Conclusion

              A.

              B.

              C.

              D.

 

© by David K. Spurbeck

Valley Baptist Church

P. O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97119