Crucifying The Flesh

Romans 0-10

I read an interesting article from today's edition of the Portland Oregonian newspaper. It featured a former Pentecostal pastor who now says that everyone is saved and going to heaven. That doctrine, called "universal salvation" is perfect for today's society. It says that no matter what you do, God will take you to heaven. \r
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In it, Jesus came only to reform Judaism, not create Christianity. If everyone is going to heaven, then Jesus didn't have to die for sin, right? As far as righteousness: "To create a heavenly consciousness or reality or experience here. Being good or kind or receptive or tolerant gives rise to some happier experience on Earth." \r
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The idea is really intriguing. Wouldn't it be great if it were true? There's only one problem: sin. Sin is such a churchy word. The Greek word for "sin" means "to miss the mark." Paul in Romans 3:23 says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." \r
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That's what sin is: missing mark of being like the glory (or "reality") of who God is. The Greek doxa from Vines "what he essentially is and does." We are not like him. So what? The problem is that without being like him we cannot see him.\r
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Exodus 33:20 "man shall not see me and live." \r
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Isaiah 59:1-2 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. NIV\r
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Why do we have sin? We were born with a sin nature. Turn to Romans 5:\r
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Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinnedâ?¦ ESV\r
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We aren't sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. We are all born with a nature that the Word calls "the sin nature" or the "old self" or the "old man." Left to itself it is diametrically opposed to God and everything that he is-that is everything good. \r
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We are not all on a happy boat to heaven, we are on a slave ship going to hell-which is essentially the separation of everything that is not good from God. It isn't punishment so much as it is reality. \r
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In Judges we see that sin nature, apart from the guidance of God towards salvation through him, run amuck. In our study we are looking at how to destroy the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. And what better place to see this in action than in Romans 6. \r
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1. Verses 1 - 4: \r
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It's not that we just joined a movement, we died\r
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We are dead to sin\r
We have been baptized into the death and burial of Jesus Christ\r
The goal is to walk in "newness of life"\r
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2. Verses 5 - 11 \r
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It's not that we just died, but we died to sin and live Jesus' life\r
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We are destined to have the same resurrected life as Jesus (indestructible, sinless, never ending, human life)\r
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Our old self was crucified with Him on the cross (gk: "planted together")\r
The end is that our old self would be brought to nothing (gk: "entirely useless")\r
We are not slaves of sin, but are free to not sin\r
Sin is dead to us, we are alive to God ("being raised" means "to waken")\r
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3. Verses 12 - 14\r
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Just because we live in a mortal ("subject to death")body doesn't mean we have to live like it.\r
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The flesh has passions ("a longing for something forbidden")\r
Don't let sin be the king (gk: "to rule" from the root "king" gk: basis)\r
You don't have to obey sin (gk "to hear under" as a subordinate)\r
You don't have to respect sin ("dominion" comes from gk kurios "Mr.")\r
Don't be an instrument (gk: utensil - instrument in ESV) of "not" right of just (meaning of righteousness)\r
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Law said "do this (or don't do this) and die". Grace says "live." \r
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4. Verses 15 - 19 \r
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Don't be sin's assistant (gk "yield" for "present yourselves" means "to assist or stand by")\r
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Without Jesus we can't help being a slave of sin (gk: "to miss the mark")\r
Jesus set us free from sin (gk; "to liberate or make exempt")\r
With Jesus ("standard of teaching") you "have become" a slave to what is right\r
We once went from impurity (gk: "anti-catharsis") and "no law" \r
To: slaves of what is right and pure ("sanctification")\r
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5. Verses 20 - 23\r
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Sin fooled us into thinking we got something useful from it, but we were wrong.\r
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Sin leads to death (same root as "mortal")\r
Christ leads to "perpetual aliveness"\r
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So what are our conclusions?\r
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1. We are dead to sin\r
2. We are alive to Christ\r
3. We can make a choice to live a life free from sin through Jesus\r