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

 

Message #44 – 3-10-2002 – Synopsis and Outline

 

GOOD SENSE AND THE SIN NATURE

 

This message is titled Good Sense and the Sin Nature.  I started with a set of questions found in the introduction.  God has provided everything that is necessary for the saint to have victory over the lusts from the sin nature in one's position in Christ.  It just doesn't make any sense for believers to ignore those provisions and to persist in living in the flesh or the sin nature.  Why do saints permit the sin nature to rule over them to the degree that they actually become slaves to the sin nature?  Too often these very saints deny the value of Christ's work and the Father's imputing it to the believer over the sin nature.  They say, "Positional truth isn't important.  You are on a doctrinal sidetrack."  They look at that which makes good sense as though it made no sense at all.  The mind of a carnal believer is often perverted to the extent that it refuses to see the value of God's provision for the problem.  Victory over the sin nature involves mental action.  Paul expects the Christian to present his or her members to be implements, weapons or instruments of righteousness and not to the sin nature. 

 

I.  uses an imperative by which God strongly encourages the believer not to let the sin nature rule as a king in his or her life.  In the English text "therefore" begins verse 12.  This links the believer's thinking to the mental solution for dealing with the sin nature in verse 11 and the preceding context.  The idea of ruling as king is not new in the context.  It is found with different implications in 5:12, 14, 17 (2x) and provides a great set of illustrations for the idea ruling as a king.  Paul says to stop letting the sin nature reign using what is called a prohibitive imperative.  The sphere in which it reigns is in a believer's mortal or dying body.  The potential is there for the believer to obey it.  "Obey" has the idea of listening or hearing something and putting oneself under what is said.  It is the same word that is used of believing children and parents in Ephesians 6:1.  Obedience to the ruling sin nature involves a willing subservience to its lusts or strong desires.  The purpose of presenting oneself to the sin nature is to obey it. 

 

II. teaches that the believer has a choice to make concerning the direction in which one presents oneself:  to the sin nature or to the Spirit of God.  Every believer has been provided an option, a divinely provided option.  This is noted in verse 13.  It makes good sense for the believer to utilize this option.  The choice involves whether one yields (or submits, presents) himself or herself to the sin nature or to God.  The word "yield" or present is the same word found in Romans 12:1 and means to give to someone that which has been purchased.  One can present his or her members as implements of unrighteousness for the sin nature or as implements of righteousness to God.  Here God is referring to the Holy Spirit.  One presents himself or herself, i. e. person, to God as one living out from among dead ones.  This involves one's position as resurrected in Christ Jesus and having imputed resurrection life.

 

The removal of the authority of the sin nature to have the mastery over Christians is seen in verses 14, 15.  "For the sin nature will not lord it over you."  The AV "have dominion over" is a translation of the verb that is the derivative of "Lord" in the New Testament.  The verb only occurs seven times in the N.T.  It is found in Lu. 22:25; 2 Cor. 1:24 and 1 Tim. 6:15.  The other four times are in Romans 6:9, 14; 7:1 and 14:9.  One is not under law but under grace.  When a believer chooses to live in the sin nature as a carnal believer he or she lives in the sphere that which the law was designed to control.  Grace provides for spirituality and has no need for law.  Grace is positive.  God makes the whole provision for living under grace and having victory over its lusts that war against the soul.  Verse 15 asks two questions concerning the sensibility for the believer to be living under the lordship or kingship of the sin nature.  Essentially the core question is "What sense is there for the Christian to live in his or her sin nature?"  "What therefore?"  The answer to this rhetorical is, "It doesn't make any sense!"  The second question is "May we possibly sin at a point in time?"  Why live in the sin nature when we are not under the law?  God has provided everything in grace to handle the sin nature and for Him to be glorified through the saint.  Why live in need of law when one can be a Spirit filled believer by God's grace?  Paul says it in a very strong way.  May it never once be so that one would live in the sin nature.  It makes no sense to try to use law to overcome the sin nature.  It will fail every time.  It makes no sense to use anything else to oppose the lusts of the flesh.  Yet Christians continue to use every bootstrap to try to have victory over the lusts from the flesh often using the religious lusts of the flesh to attempt to gain the victory.  This is like trying to take enemy soldiers and have them attack their own troops.  It makes no sense.  God's grace is more than sufficient.  The provisions of the work of Christ for the sin nature is a very important part of one's position in Christ.  In Christ I died to the sin nature.  In Christ I was raised from the sin nature.  In Christ I am living at the Father's right hand and seen as victorious over that sin nature.  When I appropriate my position, I can then present my members to the Holy Spirit by setting my frame of mind on things in heaven (Col. 3:1-4) and present myself to the Spirit of God. 

 

Heaven's provisions for lusts on earth are accessed by my choice to the glory of God.

 

Dead but alive,

Complete in Him and risen,

DKS

 

 

#44 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth

Valley – March 10, 2002 p.m.

 

GOOD SENSE AND THE SIN NATURE

Romans 6:12-15

 

Proposition:   To focus attention on the good sense that exists in the provisions of the work of Christ for the sin nature and how that provides for the prevention of the sin nature to rule or to lord it over the Christian.

 

        Introduction

              A.  Why Do Christians Ignore the Provisions in Christ for the Sin Nature?

              B.   Why Do Christians Permit Their Sin Nature to Rule Over Them?

              C.  What Is the Role of the Believer's Mind in Overcoming the Sin Nature?

              D.  How Does the Believer Present One's Members as Weapons of Righteousness?

 

TRANS:   God doesn't want the believer to permit the sin nature to rule as a king over his or her life.  The strong desires will step to the front and attack the soul while the provisions of the work of Christ are a divinely provided defense against those lusts.  Because of the perfections of these provisions it makes good sense for the believer to apply these to overcome the sin nature.

 

  I.   A STRONG PROHIBITION OF LETTING THE SIN NATURE RULE AS A KING -- A RESPONSE TO THE TRUTHS OF POSITIONAL TRUTH AND THE SIN NATURE -- SUBMISSION TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE SIN NATURE PROHIBITED -- Romans 6:12

        A.  The Direct Link to the Solution in Verse 11 -- "therefore"

        B.   The Directed Limitation of the Sin Nature

              1.  The Prohibition of Permitting the Sin Nature to Be King

                  a.  The Idea of Ruling as a King

                  b.  The Importance of the Present Active Imperative

              2.  The Place of the Reign of the Sin Nature

                  a.  The Physical Body of the Believer

                  b.  The Present Body Susceptible to Death

        C.  The Direct Lusts from the Sin Nature

              1.  The Purpose of Obeying -- Present Active Infinitive

              2.  The Provision of the Lusts from the Sin Nature

 

TRANS:     The concept of presenting or yielding is introduced in verse 13.  The root is found in five places in this chapter.  "Know" involves two types of knowledge.  "Reckon" is a counting to be so that is the next step.  The third mental activity of the believer is that of yielding or presenting.

 

 II.  A CHOSEN PRESENTATION OF THE BELIEVER'S MEMBERS TO ONE OF TWO OPTIONS -- THE REALITY OF A CHOICE ON THE PART OF THE BELIEVER -- RECOGNITION OF THE RIGHT OF POSSESSION EXPECTED -- TWO CHOICES -- Romans 6:13

        A. Do Not Be Presenting -- Present Active Imperative

            1.   The Attitude That One Has an Obligation

            2.   The Assumption That the Sin Nature Has the Right by Purchase

            3.   The Appropriation of One's Physical Members as Weapons or Instruments of Unrighteousness

            4.   The Association with the Sin Nature

        B. But Present Once and For All Yourselves -- 1st Aorist Active Imperative

            1.   The Attitude That One Has an Obligation

            2.   The Assumption That God Has the Right by Purchase

            3.   The Actuality of Continually Living Out From Among Dead Ones

            4.   The Activity of the Holy Spirit as "the God"

            5.   The Appropriation of One's Physical Members as Weapons or Instruments of Righteousness to God

 

TRANS:     The believer doesn't need to live in his or her sin nature.  God has already provided for everything that makes it possible to defend against its lusts and to continue in spirituality.  Some Christians use faulty reasoning to justify their carnality and God sees that reasoning as insensible.

 

III.  THE DIVINE PROVISIONS OF GRACE FOR THE SIN NATURE IS THE OPTION -- THE REMOVAL OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE SIN NATURE OVER THE SIN NATURE -- THE RESOURCES OF GRACE MAKE LIVING RECKONED DEAD TO THE SIN NATURE -- Romans 6:14, 15

        A. The Sin Nature Will Not Lord It Over Saints -- Vs. 14

            1.   The Emphatic Position of the Sin Nature

            2.   The Mastery of the Sin Nature Is Not Necessary

                  a.  The Idea of Acting as Lord or Master

                  b.  The Continuous Action of the Verb -- Present Active Indicative

        B. The Divine Provisions to Limit the Sin Nature

            1.   Because You Continually Are Not Under a Law

            2.   But You Continually Are Under Grace

        C. The Insanity of Trying to Live Under the Law

            1.   The First Question:  "What Therefore?"

            2.   The Second Question:  May We Possibly Sin? -- 1st Aorist Active Subjunctive

                  a.  The Potential to Sin at a Point in Time

                  b.  The Explanation of the View

                       (1)   We Continually Are Not Under Law

                       (2)   But We Continually Are Under Grace?

            3.   The Strong Reaction:  May It Never Be Once So -- 2nd Aorist Middle Optative

        D. The Neutralization of Other Alternatives to God's Provisions for Dealing with the Sin Nature

            1.   It Makes No Sense to Try to Use Law to Overcome the Sin Nature

            2.   It Makes No Sense to Use Anything Else to Oppose the Lusts from the Flesh

 

TRANS:   The connection of one's sin nature with the members of the physical body is clear.  Only God's methods can overcome the sin nature.  Yielding or presenting is an important step in this matter.  One knows and then counts it to be so.  Then because of the mind-set, one presents oneself to God and his or her members to God.

 

      Conclusion

              A.

              B.

              C.

              D.

 

© by David K. Spurbeck

Valley Baptist Church

P. O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97119