A case against a cold treatment of sin

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Rom. 6:6).

The old man, why does Paul sound so hard-hearted concerning victory over our self, the flesh?

 “Rom 7:1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Rom 7:2  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

Rom 7:3  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Rom 7:4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Rom 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Rom 7:6  But now we are delivered from the Law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

I guess my contention really is, Where is sorrow for all the abuse the old man has caused? Where is the mercy of God upon the one who has suffered under sin? Paul used the similitude of a bad marriage as an object lesson for a bad condition in the soul because of sin. But, the solution to the bad marriage is to wait for the abusive spouse to die, rather than to try to win the spouse to Christ.

I know that spiritually speaking, self is non-redeemable. Self is fully tainted with sin and Satan, weakened after 6,000 years of exercising self-indulgence, self-exaltation, and unbelief in God. Even when we receive redemption through a new spirit, our sinful flesh remains contaminated, corruptible, and our continuous battleground until Jesus returns. “Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23).

But, thankfully we can have the Spirit for a power to beat back the fallen nature from poisoning the world around us. Thus, the Spirit acts as an effective cloak that neutralizes the tainted tissue of every organ, including the organ of our epidermis. The Spirit of Christ works within us as well as on our surface to hold back every evil tendency urged upon us by sin and the tempter.

Nevertheless, even though the old man must go, even though there can be no self-pity on self, even though Jesus says to our flesh nature, “Get thee behind Me, Satan!”, there must be God’s commutation of love involved in the process of watching the old man die. He has mercy on the soul while it engages its self. Death to self must take place, yes; nevertheless, that death is a terrible ordeal. It means cutting off a hand or arm or foot like a family member.

“Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

“The sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place.” 2SM 380. Death to self must involve hatred of sin, but also sorrow—sorrow for what it has done to the Father and Son. But that sorrow is a joint sorrow with the Father and the Son as we know that They have felt every bit of the pain. They know our pain because the way They went about rescuing us from sin’s dominion was death to Them both.

In the big scheme of things, what I mean is that from reading Romans 7:2,3 we mustn’t have a lingering sense that a cold treatment of our old man is the way it dies. I hear Paul coolly, matter-of-factly, explainig his science of salvation. He calmly goes for the jugular when he needs to slay the enemy of souls. Paul had a type-A personality and he was excited to tell his secret of success in sanctification. But Jesus didn’t have a type-A personality. Our perfectly balanced High Priest, the Prince of peace and mercy, under His Father’s full authority says of His children, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41). Isn’t Jesus less cold and matter-of-fact about the old man dying than we often are with ourselves and with others? Wouldn’t He have been more understanding and patient with our sin problem than we? We must love ourselves as having the precious image of God.

“Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.” (Ps. 22:20).

“Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.” (Ps. 35:17).

The wife in the allegory was not permitted to heartlessly murder her old man. But that may be what many Christians try to do spiritually to their flesh natures because they didn’t have, didn’t catch, or lost sight of, the love that Jesus has for our fallen race. Wasn’t the crucified Christ the picture Paul had previously painted for the Roman church? “Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” (Rom. 6:17). It’s by the love of our Wonderful Counselor whose word and whose heavenly agencies empower our spirit in the battle with self so that we can end up with “bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12). Like a wife weeping for her barbarian old man to soften his mannerisms and curb his mouth, we must look upon Jesus who our sins have pierced through and through with many sorrows. Our tears of repentance must be mingled with His.

“Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him:

Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.

Rom 6:10  For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

“Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Eph 4:19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Eph 4:20  But ye have not so learned Christ;

Eph 4:21  If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Eph 4:25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”

“Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him:

Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

On occasion the deliverance from sin will leave the child of God feeling half dead, as in the case of the devil-possessed boy (Mark 9:26). But this will only be God’s strange work instead of His norm and His preferred. Rather peace will be the norm; by the light of God’s love will the mighty and humbled people conquer self. “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1Thess. 5:23,24).

“If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?” (2Cor. 3:7,8). Not by a constant, internal clash of arms will sin leave, but by the silent, still, small word of God that liveth and abideth forever.

“Heb 2:11  For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee.

Heb 2:13  And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Heb 2:16  For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.

Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Heb 2:18  For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.”

Although decidedly firm, the battle for victory over sin can be a gracious work. That’s what we see with Jesus, who inherited His Father’s sinless nature and His mother’s fallen nature.