Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson XIV)

Verse 14: Sin will not be your master because you are no longer under law. You now live under God’s grace.

What’s makes this possible, the believers in Rome might ask? Paul has the answer. The Law will no longer be able to declare you as sinful as a child of Adam. Any mistakes or disobedience will now be handled by the grace of God as a child of God.¹ This same sentiment was expressed in one of the Jewish Temple songs: “O Israel, hope in the LORD; for He is loving and kind and comes to us with armloads of salvation.”² And the Prophet Micah includes it in his praise for the LORD: “He will come back and comfort us again. He will throw all our sins into the deep sea.”³ So if God was merciful enough to do this under the Law, how much happier will He be to do the same thing under grace. This is available because those in Christ are now free from the condemnation of the Law. It happened because of the price paid by the Son of God. Jesus announced this freedom as follows: “If the Son sets you free, you are certainly free.”⁴ Not the Law, but the Son.

It is good at this point to offer some clarification concerning Grace’s relationship to the Law. First of all, do not be misled and think that grace replaced the Law making it null and void. It did not. Grace augmented the Law. When Moses received the Law it was intended to show why people are sinners. It was given the power to convict and condemn. But it could then do nothing about it. It could pronounce someone guilty but it could not forgive the guilt. Then God sent His Son to add what the Law was missing. Jesus made it very clear, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”⁵ Jesus did just that, He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law to cancel the death sentence for sin. Then He accomplished what the Law was unable to do, He added the element of Grace. Therefore, when someone is deemed to be a sinner because they have broken the Law, with this added component of Grace, the sinner can find forgiveness and have that sin removed. The Law is still attributed to what God gave Moses, but Grace is ascribed to Jesus Christ alone. It is His fulfillment of the Law; His sacrifice, blood, and death on the cross that covers sin. That is why, once you become a child of God and you disobey the Word and Will of God, then you are not condemned anymore by the Law, Christ took care of that. You are now convicted by the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit does not take you back to the Law to show you what you did wrong. Rather, He takes you to God’s throne room of grace and mercy,⁶ where you can confess your sins and He will be waiting there, ready to forgive you your sins and purify you from all your wrongdoing.⁷ That’s why we no longer live under the Law, but under Grace.

For the Jewish members of the church in Rome, this thought of being held prisoner by evil was not new. They received the same message by one of their own Rabbis. He taught: “There were three to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave a foretaste of the future world while they were still in this world. Namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham [we know] because it is written of him, [The Lord blessed Abraham] in all,⁸ Isaac, because it is written, [And I ate] of all; Jacob, because it is written, [For I have] all.⁹ Three were there over whom the evil inclination had no dominion.¹⁰ Namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, [as we know] because it is written in connection with them, in all, of all, and all. Some include also David, of whom it is written, My heart is wounded within me.¹¹ And the other authority? — He understands him to be referring here to his distress.”¹² So Paul was using a theme familiar to his Jewish brethren.

Paul shared this truth with Titus: “He gave Himself for us. He died to free us from all evil. He died to make us pure – people who belong only to Him and who always want to do good.”¹³ So, if we are now free from the Law, what will motivate us to follow the lead of the Spirit instead of the flesh. The writer of Hebrews quotes the prophet Jeremiah: “I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”¹⁴ The reason for this change is laid out by Paul to the Galatians: “Before this faith came, the law held us as prisoners. We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming.”¹⁵ Paul goes on to say: “But when the right time came, God sent His Son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. God did this so that He could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us His children.”¹⁶ Paul finishes making his point by then saying: “If you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under law.”¹⁷

In other words, don’t wait to be indicted for wrongdoing under the Law, let conviction by the Holy Spirit lead you to seek forgiveness from God through grace. The Apostle John articulated this in the opening of his Gospel: “The law was given to us through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”¹⁸ This is why Paul wrote the Corinthians: “He made us able to be servants of a new agreement from Himself to His people. It is not an agreement of written laws, but it is of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.”¹⁹

So many believers, after having the members of their body freed from the intrinsic control of sin, never follow through and then surrender those bodily members to God for His use. They feel that being cleansed from sin is the completed work. Not so! It is merely the beginning. Any tool, no matter how well made, clean or sharpened, when left on the shelf will ultimately return to its former state of rust and corrosion. We were not saved to be works of art, but workers in action. Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. He said the harvest was ripe but the workers were few. What would you think of a son whose father gave him a million dollars to invest in his own future, who then simply ran around telling everybody, “Look at what my dad gave me!” and showing off the money to everyone who would stop to look and listen, as he exclaimed, “Isn’t it pretty? Isn’t it nice?” You’d probably say the same thing about a Christian who goes around telling everyone they are possessors of God’s free salvation; describing how ensuring it is to know that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but never bother to translate that into any investment of helping other lost souls to hear about the kingdom of God so that it can bring them joy in the Lord.

The context of Paul’s theology here strikes a crippling blow to the roots of social gospel and universal salvation. Such phrases as, “dead to sin,” “buried with Christ,” “united with Him,” “crucified with Him,” and “died with Christ,” completely destroys the congenial and benevolent ministry of those who disdain any further involvement other than shaking a hand or signing a card. It frightens the weak-kneed modernist who faints at the idea of having to tell some heathen or sophisticate that they are sinners, lost, and without hope unless they accept Christ as their personal Savior. But Paul found that message to be the “power of God unto salvation.” It’s like a neighbor who hears the family next door is celebrating because they just won a big sweepstakes prize. But he’s afraid to disappoint them by showing them the fine print on the announcement: “You may be a winner!”

This section contains the first answer to the question of the role of grace in our salvation, and whether we should continue in sin so that grace may keep overcoming our sin to the glory of God. A similar question is asked about grace again in verse 15. Anyone sensitive enough to the power of the Gospel will plainly see that this genuine salvation of which Paul here speaks is sorely missing in parts of Christendom today. Many times sinners are made sorrowful through the preaching of the love of God and a few tears of remorse brings momentary relief, but this in no way corresponds with the new life which Paul declares here. Much of the sinner’s reaction and consequential behavior depends on how the Gospel they heard was presented. A light, compassionate offering of a motivational gospel will bring the same result and sense of feeling good. But a deep, powerful preaching of the Gospel slices all the way through to separating the marrow from the bone. A swift, strong blow of the God’s two-edged sword can sever in one stroke all ties to the Adamic nature and bring about the death of the old man and the birth of the new one.

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster shares his understanding of Paul’s message that if we are obedient to the commandments God gives, then sin will not rule over us, for it only rules over those who are disobedient. This is revealed by the fact that if we do not live according to God’s Word, then we are under the condemnation of the law. By obeying God’s Word and keeping ourselves from sin, we are no longer under the Law but under Grace. Each believer must be aware if they disobey they fall back under the Law. That’s when sin will being ruling over them once more because every sinner is a slave to sin. Ambrosiaster wrote that a person is required to remain under the arm of the law as long as he does not receive forgiveness through Christ. It is by the law’s authority that sin makes the sinner guilty. Then Ambrosiaster writes this: “Thus the person to whom forgiveness is given and remains free by not sinning anymore will neither be ruled by sin nor be under the law. For the authority of the law no longer applies to him; he has been delivered from sin. Those whom the law holds guilty have been turned over to it by sin. Therefore, the person who has departed from sin cannot be under the law.”²⁰

Everyone knows that concepts or theories do not succeed as acceptable ideas until they are proven to be valid. Let us consider that all the fruit of the spiritual oneness with Christ exist as characteristics of one element – transformed love. When we look at the Scriptures, we can see how this design plays out with love turning into the fruit of Joy.

Paul openly promotes rejoicing as the order of the day when he told the church in Philippi: “Always be full of joy in serving the Lord. I’ll say it again – rejoice!”¹ As a well educated Jewish scholar, Paul knew how this word was used in the Old Testament to describe people’s response to God’s goodness in singing, music, worship, festivals, when given victory, and in prayer. The prophet Nehemiah proclaimed that “Don’t be sad, because the joy of ADONAI is your strength”² The word for “strong” in Hebrew means, “To feel loved and protected.” Paul was also fluent in Greek and knew that from the writings of Homer and onward, joy meant being happy and content with someone or something you loved or held dear.

When we read the New Testament, we see that Jesus’ miracles and preaching brought great joy to the people affected. No wonder on the night of Jesus’ birth the angel said to the shepherds, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to people everywhere.”³ For those who longed and looked for God to send the Messiah, their hearts were made glad and filled with joy because of their love for the LORD Eternal. So instead of letting your love sit idle on the shelf, waiting for some magical moment to express itself, let it get excited over your love for God and those around you so it can be transformed into joy and blossom and bloom like a flower on a sunny day. After all, joy is love when it gets excited. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW CHRISTIAN TERRORIST CELLS UNCOVERED

Latest news reports find that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in particular churches. Church security identifies these as Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.

Their leader, Osama Bin Lucifer, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as a Christian and work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy their harmony, fellowship, and spirituality.

A tiny cell known by the name Bin Workin is actually the only effective counter-terrorism force in the church. This group appears to be very weak, however. It is easy to detect because it is the only group that is active in service to Christ. Unlike the real terrorist cells, the Bin Workin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along. Bin Workin visibly does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ.

We have noticed that the Bin Workin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Prayin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ, to return. Which cell group do you belong to?

The Apostle Paul had this to say: “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11)

Jesus wanted everyone to be alert and prepared for His return, so He said: “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:33)

These same groups have been detected in other denominations. The Office of Home Church Security is coordinating its efforts with the Bin Workin group to interdict the activities of the five terrorist cells now known to be active throughout many American churches. Report all sightings to proper authorities.

By Rev. Dennis Smart, alias Bin Readin
Edited by Carlton Earp, alias Bin Thinkin

TO MY STUDENTS AND FOLLOWERS OF MY “Sermon Planning and Preparation,” and “I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel” classes, for some reason Facebook will not allow me to post new lessons there. I will see what I can do about it.

In the meantime, please go to my FB Home Page or my blog at “rseyda38.net” for updates and new lessons. Thank you for your understanding.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson XIII)

John Calvin sees this as the beginning of Paul’s exhortation that the Roman believers adhere to the doctrine he just delivered respecting fellowship with Christ. Paul’s point is this: Although the possibility of sinning is still in us, it is not what God wants, and believers should be vigorous in their fight against it regaining power. The quality of our sanctification ought to be superior to it, so that our life may testify that we are truly part of the body of Christ. Calvin goes on to say, that once sin obtains dominion over our souls, all our faculties fall prey to its sinister service. That’s why Paul describes the reign of sin by what follows once it takes control of our lives. He then clearly shows what we must do to shake off its yoke. He borrows a similitude from the military by calling our bodily members, weapons. Says Calvin: “It’s as though Paul said, ‘As the soldier has his arms ever ready, that he may use them whenever he is ordered by his general, and as he never uses them but at his command; so Christians ought to regard all their faculties to be the weapons of the spiritual warfare.’”¹

John Bengel writes that in these verses the character of the Christian is first dealt with. Secondly, man’s actions and duties come into play. If our old-self is dead to sin, it would not be appropriate to suggest that it could yield itself, or offer itself to sin for service. However, the person who is alive in Christ may present themselves to God to be used as a vessel or instrument of love, grace, kindness, and mercy. Sin is considered here to be a dictator. Paul also talks about believers who are now living a Christian life. They were once spiritually dead in sin, but now they are alive in Christ.² Being alive does not mean sitting a round and waiting for something to happen. It means being alert and active in carrying out a mission and striving toward a goal.

Adam Clarke also makes a valid point by saying, being tempted is not a sin. Sin comes when we yield to temptation. Sin only exists as part of Satan‘s solicitation. It’s the devil‘s sin, not ours until we make it our own. That comes by willingly entering into temptation. We are to resist the devil, and he will flee from us.³ Satan cannot force you to sin until he takes control of your will. He does not have the power to bring you under his subjection. You may be tempted, but yield not to the temptation.”⁴ Clarke goes on to say, that one of the best ways to fight against the temptation of sin is to yield yourself more and more to God. In other words, turn your will over to God, let Him be the biggest influence on the choices you make. Remember, even though you know it’s God’s will, just like temptation you are the one who is free to choose.

Robert Haldane notes that the Apostle Paul was accused by some of his contemporaries of teaching a form of justification that allowed people to continue living in sin because once you are saved, you are always saved.⁵ Haldane sees Paul having proven just how unfounded such an objection would be to the doctrine of justification. Thereby, the Apostle exhorts those he addresses to live in a way that agrees with holiness as defined in the Gospel. This is what was really on Paul’s mind, so throughout the rest of this chapter, he asks them to consider various options. He also tries to induce them to walk in that newness of life which comes from being risen with Christ. Haldane says we should take notice that although the Apostle expressly taught that they who are justified are likewise sanctified, yet it pleased God to motivate His people to act in harmony with Him in their sanctification process. That way, they could both will and do what was right and pleasing Him. Says Haldane, “The earnest exhortations to obedience and the motives held forth at the conclusion of the chapter are entirely consistent with what had been declared as to the certainty of their sanctification resting on the power of God, and to be viewed as outward means which God employs to effect this purpose.”⁶

Albert Barnes offers specific instructions on how Christians can devote every member of their body to God and His service. He begins with their tongue being consecrated to His praise, as well as to the promotion of truth, kindness, and benevolence. Then their hands employed in useful labor for Him and His cause. Their feet being swift in His service, and not walking in the paths of iniquity. Their eyes contemplating His works to excite thanksgiving and praise. Their ears closed to words of deceit, or songs of immoral persuasion that would lead astray. As Barnes advises: “Be open to catch the voice of God as He utters His will in the Book of truth, or as He speaks in the gale, the gentle wind, the rolling thunder, the ocean, or in the great events of His providence. He speaks to us every day, and we should hear Him; He spreads His glories before us, and we should survey them to praise Him; He commands, and our hands, and heart, and feet should obey.”⁷

Henry Alford reacts to the absurd idea of believers allowing themselves to become subservient to wickedness. He says it is the same way a soldier renders his service to his commander or a servant to his master. He makes the point that our bodily members can become instruments (or, ‘weapons,’ as the [Latin] Vulgate and most of the Greek expositors, and Luther, Calvin, Beza, Tholuck see it. Tholuck defends this rendering by Paul’s fondness for military similitudes, and by the occurrence of Roman soldiers in his writings.⁸ On the other hand, as in Romans 12:1, such commitment denotes an act of self-devotion to God once and for all, not merely a perfunctory habit. We must consider that it involves not only certain members of our body, but our complete being; body, soul, and spirit, to God, since those members once dead are now alive and available for His use.⁹”¹⁰

Charles Hodge uses a theological approach in his commentary by saying that Paul does not teach that the body is the source of sin, nor does it serve as sin’s throne. Rather, the body and its members are the organs used in its manifestation. This is how the inward dominion of sin is outwardly manifested. If one’s body is under the influence of sin, the Apostle encourages them to resist giving in. This is important because a person’s immoral bodily appetite tends to enslave their soul. Hodge notes that body and soul are so united in common ways so that when the Bible says, “Let not sin reign in your mortal body,”¹¹ it’s the same as saying: “Let not sin reign in you.” Says Hodge: “When we speak of sin as dwelling in the soul, we do not deny its relation to the body; so neither does the Apostle when he speaks of sin dwelling in the body, mean to deny its relation to the soul.”¹²

Charles Spurgeon also preached that it is in the body that sin tries to reign. He exhorted: “These poor things, these mortal frames of ours, have so many passions, so many desires, so many weaknesses, all of which are apt to bring us under the dominion of sin unless we watch with great care.”¹³ He goes on to say that by yielding members of our bodies to sin’s influence we then make them instruments of unrighteousness. This includes our eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. Why not keep them sanctified and submit them only to God for His use? Spurgeon offers this: “He is not the God of the dead; He cannot use the dead, but He is the God of the living, and as you profess to have received a new life in Christ, yield up all the faculties of this new life unto the living God.”¹⁴

Karl Barth gives an excellent exegesis of these verses. He writes that the relationship between his body and who he is must make clear that he is not always what his body makes him out to be. He contends that he and his body do not work together to provide an unchallenged domain in which sin rules. Rather, Barth makes the point that we are the battlefield in which sin has to fight for every victory. Says Barth, “I am the warrior under grace, the new man, who can neither admit nor submit to the tyranny which sin exercises over me and over my mortal body.”¹⁵ Barth goes on to explain that by “tyranny over the body” he is speaking of how sin reigns over the circumstances in which the body lives. It is not something we should make peace with but should be in full revolt against. Believers are not to be passive observers of the conflict between grace and sin in their being. Sinful temptations should be considered as an invasion by foreign forces. Unfortunately, too many believers accept their sinful weaknesses and hope to God that He will have mercy and save their souls from judgment and punishment.

John Stott emphasizes the fact that if we have all died to sin, it is unthinkable that we should allow sin once again to direct our thoughts and actions. Also, since those who are dead to sin are now alive to God in Christ, it is only befitting that we offer our heart, mind, soul, and body to Him, which is our reasonable service.¹⁶ Says Stott: “This theme of life and death, or rather death and life, runs right through this section. Christ died and rose. We have died and risen with Him. We must, therefore, regard ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God. And, as those who are alive from death, we must offer ourselves to His service.”¹⁷

One Jewish writer offers his insights on how believers can remain unyielding to sin. He notes that the Apostle Paul repeats the message again and again throughout these ten verses, describing the “walk in the newness of life,¹⁸” as the opposite of following sin. The writer remarks that the only place this “walk” is outlined for the Roman believers to learn and follow, is in the Old Testament. This was given by God so that they would know what sin is and flee from it. Then in Chapter 8, Paul makes it very clear that those who are still “of the flesh” are not ruled by God’s Torah. This is because they still live under condemnation. He makes the point that this repetitive message would be old news to a Jewish audience. They already knew about sin and its consequences because of Torah.¹⁹ That’s why we must see this message as being directed toward new Gentile believers who had little knowledge of what the Torah called “sin,” and the command to obey God’s Word.²⁰”²¹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson XII)

Paul spells out to the Galatians what he means about maintaining the freedom they have by living in Christ: “I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful-self wants.”¹ He also cautioned the Ephesians: “You were taught to leave your old-self. This means that you must stop living the sinful way you lived before. That old-self gets worse and worse because people are fooled into doing what is wrong.”² The Apostle also addresses the same problem among the Thessalonians: “God wants each one of you to learn to control your own body. Use your body in a way that is holy and that gives honor to God.”³ And to his young protégé Timothy he writes: “Stay away from the evil things a young person like you typically wants to do. Do your best to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with others who trust in the Lord with pure hearts.“⁴ Then to Titus, whom he appointed as Bishop, he writes: “That is the way we should live because God’s grace has come. That grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way – a way that shows true devotion to God.”⁵

Then Paul wants these believers in Rome to know that it was an exercise of their will that determined whether or not they yielded to their spiritual nature or to their sinful nature. Paul made this clear to the Corinthians: “Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ Himself. So I must never take what is part of Christ and join it to a prostitute!”⁶ It must be understood at this point that back in Paul’s day the heathen temples were staffed with sacred prostitutes who served as priestesses to honor and do the service of the goddesses they represented. Many of these gods and goddesses were thought to make the land and its people fertile. So they had these fertility rites to urge their gods to make the land and animals abundant. In Canaan, there were pairs of such gods: Baal and Asherah, and later, Osiris and Isis.

The prophet Hosea seems to be warning the people of Israel against having sex with temple prostitutes in rituals honoring these Canaanite fertility gods.⁷ Sometime later, Judah’s King Josiah (639–609 B.C.) tore down buildings that housed “male prostitutes” who may have served in the worship of Canaanite gods.⁸ In Jewish Scriptures, Israel’s unfaithfulness is often compared with being a prostitute or chasing after prostitutes.⁹ In the New Testament, the writer of Revelation calls Babylon, meaning the Roman Empire, a shameless prostitute who tempts people and nations into relations with her.¹⁰ However, this principle also applied to prostitutes who provided their pleasure trade for money.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he gives this warning: “So put everything evil out of your life: sexual sin, doing anything immoral, letting sinful thoughts control you, and wanting things that are wrong. And don’t keep wanting more and more for yourself, which is the same as worshiping a false god.”¹¹ But the Apostle James was thinking of a person’s unbridled tongue as being one of the most hurtful and dangerous members of the body that can wreck havoc among believers.¹² That’s why Paul calls them “tools of wickedness.”

And Paul’s warning is clear and precise: “Don’t you know that those doing such things have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals – will have no share in His Kingdom. Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, or robbers.”¹³ Paul tells the Thessalonians that this evil is twofold: “They will all be condemned not only because they did not believe the truth, but also because they enjoyed doing what was wrong.”¹⁴ The Apostle Peter felt the same way: “They think it is fun to do evil where everyone can see them. They enjoy the evil things that please them. So they are like dirty spots and stains among you – they bring shame to you in the meals you eat together.”¹⁵

Any yielding of ourselves to powers stronger and higher than we are should be that of God. This call went out centuries ago: “Don’t be stubborn as your ancestors were. But obey the Lord with a willing heart. Come to the Temple that He has made to be holy forever. Serve the Lord your God.”¹⁶ Such loyalty to God was praised even by the heathen potentate Nebuchadnezzar: “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…These three men trusted their God and refused to obey my command. They were willing to die instead of serving or worshiping any other god.”¹⁷

That’s why Paul was not hesitant to say: “You should know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don’t own yourselves. God paid a very high price to make you His. So honor God with your body.”¹⁸ He reminded the Corinthians of this again when he wrote: “He died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from death so that they would live for Him.”¹⁹ And that’s why Paul also informed the Ephesians: “God gave us back our lives when He raised Christ from the dead—only by His undeserved favor will we ever be saved.”²⁰

Paul spoke earlier about the danger of believer’s allowing themselves to become tools of wickedness. Now he encourages them to become instruments of righteousness. We see this comparison in the wisdom of King Solomon: “Speak without thinking, and your words can cut like a knife. Be wise, and your words can heal.”²¹ We must understand that God will not forcefully take over a person’s body and make them do and say things like robots or puppets. He gives the inspiration and motivation, but the person by their own will must yield to that stirring by the Holy Spirit. In that way, the spiritual nature will take charge of all bodily members.

Origen has an interesting question to ask, and that is: Why does Paul add that the body is “mortal,” when this seems so obvious? Origen believes that the reason for this is the fact that Paul wants to show how impossible it should be for sin to reign in our bodies. Origen points out that once we realize that our body’s desires can be put to death, making it dead to sin, we can shorten sin’s reign. But it can only be declared dead once we are justified through Christ. After all, does a dead man lust or get angry or have passions or steal what is not his? Says Origen: “Therefore, if we suppress all these desires in our bodies they may be said to be dead to sin. This is what the Apostle appears to be telling us by adding the adjective ‘mortal’ in this context.”²²

In his sermon on this topic, Chrysostom thinks it is absurd for those who are part of the Kingdom of God to allow sin to rule over them. Furthermore, it is ridiculous for those who are the called and plan to reign with Christ, to choose to be captives of sin instead. Chrysostom puts it this way: “It’s as if one would throw down the crown from off your head and choose to be the slave of a hysterical woman who comes begging and covered in rags… How is it that sin can reign in you? It is not from any power of its own but only from your laziness.”²³

Augustine offers this advice: We must engage in a constant, daily struggle to keep those desires which are forbidden or improper to conqueror us. This can happen if the believer’s eyes are turned in the wrong direction, looking where they should not look. If this fault is not corrected, the situation can grow worse, and once temptations take over, even adultery becomes a possibility. If adultery is already committed in the heart, and thought is much quicker than action, then little can hinder or delay it from taking place. Says Augustine: “The body, like a military weapon, is not in itself inclined to either vice or virtue. It can go either way, depending on the user… The flesh becomes either good or evil according to the mind’s decision, not because of its own nature.”²⁴ To this, we add the words of Caesarius of Arles: “Paul did not say: ‘Let sin not exist,’ but ‘Let it not reign.’ Sin is within you if you take delight in it; it reigns if you consent to it.”²⁵

Early church commentator Ambrosiaster sees Paul wanting us to know that the devil fights against our holiness by using the desires of the body. We often give him this opportunity when we entertain sin. So when God seems to abandon us, this gives the devil the advantage he needs to deceive and destroy us. That’s why we must guard our bodies against the intrusion of sinful thoughts and actions. This will ensure that our enemy is left defenseless and subdued. Ambrosiaster points out that Paul did not say here: “Present your bodies,” but “Present your members.” A person can go wrong when his members and not his whole body lead him to wherever sin is beckoning.²⁶ Ambrosiaster believes that when we maintain modesty in our conduct, our behavior will lead to what is good, not what is bad. When we make the members of our body available for doing good, then God is ready to aid us in our efforts. The reason is that God’s assistance is not accessible to those who have not proven themselves worthy. Says Ambrosiaster: “Where God’s righteousness is, there the Holy Spirit dwells and helps our infirmity. Just as we yield our members to sin when we act wrongly, so we yield them to righteousness when we behave rightly, protecting them from all wickedness.”²⁷ Therefore, We should all agree with Ambrosiaster. Some Christians want God to do all the work. So they pray for His Holy Spirit to take over without their having to lift a finger. And since the Spirit of Christ lives within them, that tell our Lord to help them act the way they should but give Him no helping hand. As Jesus told His disciples: “Keep watch and pray so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”²⁸

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson XI)

Albert Barnes follows the same vein of thought as Hodge by saying that the design of Christ’s death was to destroy sin; to make atonement for it, and thereby put it away. Just as His death was designed to bring this about, so it follows that by believers being baptized into His death, with the intent of destroying sin in their lives should no longer have anything to do with it. The whole force of the motive, therefore, drawn from the death of Christ is to induce Christians to forsake sin and take hold of the holy life Christ died to make them free to live for Him.¹ Says Barnes: “The argument of Paul is this: Christians by their profession are united to Him. They are bound to imitate Him. As He now lives only to advance the glory of God; as all His mighty power, now that He is raised from the dead, and elevated to His throne in heaven, is exerted to promote God’s glory; so should their powers, being raised from the death of sin, be exerted to promote the glory of God.”²

Frédéric Godet advises us that after showing believers how they are to regard themselves in light of their union with Christ. Paul tells them not to let this new position be in theory only, but let it work out in reality by making their aim moment by moment to be all He can help them to be for His glory. As Friedrich Philippi says, “Christians ought to begin with discerning what they are, and then labor to manifest it.³”⁴ John Stott gives us an illustration to make this clear: “Can a married woman live as though she were still single? Well, yes, I suppose she could. It is not impossible. But let her remember who she is. Let her feel her wedding ring, the symbol of her new life of union with her husband, and she will want to live accordingly. Can born-again Christians live as though they were still in their sins? Well, yes, I suppose they could, at least for a while. It is not impossible. But let them remember who they are. Let them recall their baptism, the symbol of their new life of union-with Christ, and they will want to live accordingly.”⁵

Douglas Moo also draws on history the make this same point by saying: “[To] be constantly looking at ourselves as people who really have died to sin and been made alive in Christ will we be able to live out the new status God has given us.”⁶ Paul often used the imagery of a slave, and, as we know, in America the slaves were freed through the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Some of those who were liberated took some time before this truth sunk in. But once it did, they changed their behavior. So it is with those freed from the slavery of sin by Christ Jesus. At first, some old habits are hard to break, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word, it becomes more and more possible each and every day. Sticking to it, that’s the key. What if Christ had given up halfway through His trial, or His beatings, or on His way to Calvary, or while hanging on the cross? All of us would be lost forever. If He could do that for us, how can we do any less for Him?

Verses 12-13: But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful-self makes you want to do. Don’t let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God – every part of you – you for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes.

Now Paul goes from the delight of being alive in Christ to the danger of letting the old slave master, sin, return to and reign once again in one’s life. However, sin will no longer be defined by the Law, but by the grace of God. There is an interesting story in the Old Testament that illustrates this concept. When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to take possession of the Promised Land, they were told that they would encounter heathen tribes that had moved in while they were down in Egypt. Here is the warning they were given: “You must force these other people to leave the country. If you let them stay in your country, they will bring many troubles to you. They will be like a needle in your eye and a thorn in your side. They will bring many troubles to the country where you will be living.”⁷ So it is when the Spirit takes up residence in a believer’s life. The old ungodly inhabitants must be expelled in order to live in peace with God.

Later on, God again had to warn the Israelites: “The Lord your God will put these nations under your power. And you will defeat them. You must destroy them completely. Don’t make an agreement with them or show them mercy. Don’t marry any of them, and don’t let your sons or daughters marry any of the people from those other nations. If you do, they will turn your children away from following me. Then your children will serve other gods.”⁸ Even though God was talking about the Canaanites, Hittites, etc., in the spiritual sense we can call them bad habits, tendencies, inclinations, abuses, and so on. If they are allowed to take over our hearts, minds, mouths, and limbs, we will begin to obey them rather than the Spirit.

That’s why, as they were settling in the Promise Land Joshua gave them this challenge: “Maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve… You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”⁹ That’s why later on David would send this request to God: “Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin.”¹⁰ No wonder Paul wrote the Corinthians: “Don’t be fooled: ‘Bad friends will ruin good habits.’ Come back to your right way of thinking and stop sinning.”¹¹

Paul’s question is drawn from the fact believers must recognize and take seriously that although they feel secure in God’s grace, they cannot go on contentedly living just as they lived before conversion. Rather, they must now fight, they must not let sin go on reigning unopposed over their daily life. They must revolt against sin usurping rule from their rightful ruler – Almighty God. We must not limit these references to the physical body, but apply them to the whole man in his fallen state (v. 6). It is not only the physical body that is mortal: the whole man, as the fallen human being that he is, is subject to death. It is over our whole fallen nature that sin has established its rule.¹² That’s why we must let the Holy Spirit take control of our lives by releasing the reins into His hands.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson X)

Scottish theologian Robert Haldane makes some interesting points here on these two verses. First, he says, now that believers have become one with Christ by virtue of His death, their prospects of living forever with Him have greatly improved. In other words, it is as of yet not totally guaranteed. He reasons that the term “life” here is post-resurrection living, the same as it appears in verse 5. Since the Apostle speaks of it as a future life, it would be a mistake to interpret it as signifying the believer’s spiritual life here and now, or as a reference to the believer’s life from now to the end of his road. Haldane sees no need to strain at developing such an interpretation.

Then Haldane writes: “The Apostle states the assumption that, as Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again, so neither will those die again who have died and risen with Him. This obviously refers to the resurrection life, and not to the present spiritual life. It is a fact of inconceivable consolation that after the resurrection the believer will never again die. All the glory of heaven could not make us happy without this truth.”¹ In other words, if all that Christ suffered was only to benefit us during our short lifetime here on earth, it would have been a costly mistake on God’s part, and would not have given those who believe in Him any hope for in the future.

Swiss scholar Frédéric Godet makes the point that when Paul says, “To live with Christ,” it means to share His life as one risen and glorified. For Godet, from Christ’s heavenly position He transmits Himself to the person who has appropriated salvation through His death by faith. In that way, He fills up with His holy life, the void left by those who renounce their life for His sake. Says Godet: “This is our Pentecost, the result of His resurrection.”² Charles Ellicott gives us this to think about when he says that the eternal nourishment that a believer receives through living in Christ and Christ living in them is a guarantee for a permanent relationship with Him, as long as they are dependent on His. Writes Ellicott: “If it were possible that the life of Christ should fail, the whole fabric that the believer’s faith builds upon would fall to the ground.”³

Douglas Moo gives a good summary of these two verses: “In verse 8, Paul shows that living with Christ automatically follows dying with Him. The one always includes the other. As in verse 5, many interpreters think that living with Christ is something a believer has already experienced. But the future tense again more likely refers to that coming Day when believers will be bodily raised with Christ. But while our bodily resurrection lies in the future, we enjoy even now the benefits of Christ’s resurrection. In verse 9, Paul explains just what Christ’s own resurrection means: He now lives in a state in which death is no longer possible and has no power over Him. He has conquered death. And, Paul implies, we who belong to Him also have the assurance of conquering death.”⁴

Verses 10-11: Yes, when Christ died He died to defeat the power of sin one time – enough for all time. He now has a new life, and His new life is with God. In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

What a powerful message Paul delivers to the believers in Rome who were being pressured to think more of orchestrating their own freedom through their good works instead of through the work of Christ. This is what Paul also preached to the Corinthians: “Christ had no sin, but God made Him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.”⁵ But unlike the sacrifices under the Law that had to be offered with each sin, Jesus died one time for all sin. This is how the writer of Hebrews put it: “He came to offer Himself only once. And that once is good enough for all time.”⁶ And the Apostle Peter agreed with this: “For the Messiah Himself died for sins, once and for all, a righteous person on behalf of unrighteous people, so that He might bring you to God.”⁷ That’s why Paul had no doubt, when he wrote the Corinthians, that because Christ died, we should know how to live for His glory: “He died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from death so that they would live for Him.”⁸

Because of this fact, Paul did not mince words with those who claimed to be followers of Christ. He told the Corinthians: “God paid a very high price to make you His. So use your bodies to glorify God.”⁹ This was the same thing Paul told the Galatians: “I died to the law so that I could live for God. So I am not the one living now – it is Christ living in me.”¹⁰ And echoed the same message in his letter to the Colossians: “Your old-self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Yes, Christ is now your life.”¹¹ But believers do not live for God by their own strength. Jesus made that clear when He said: “Because I live, you too will live.”¹² This is a theme that Paul will repeat in Chapter 8, verse 10.

In one of his sermons, Chrysostom offers some advice after he asks, “What does ‘died to sin’ mean?” For this early church preacher it meant that although Christ was not subject to sin, He came in order to destroy and remove its power. Thus, He died for our sin. And since Christ did not die twice, there is no second washing. Chrysostom said that Paul frightened the Romans because this was his way of saying, “You had better stay away from any tendency to sin!” He then goes on to say: “Look out for yourselves… because complete freedom from sin is not a reality as yet… We are told to live for God in Jesus Christ our Lord and to lay hold of every virtue, having Jesus as our ally in the struggle.”¹³ That is why after the resurrection we will be removed from the presence of sin completely. There will be no more condemnation, temptation, pain or sorrow. It is then that we all will be totally free. As the old negro spiritual song goes: “Free at last, free at last. I thank God I’m free at last.”¹⁴

Martin Luther took what Paul says here and remarks that because Christ is eternal, so also is our spiritual life. Christ is our life, and through faith, He shines into our hearts the rays of grace which abide forever.¹⁵ And John Calvin looks at the suitability of saying that Christ died that He might destroy sin and concludes: “We must observe what is suitable to Christ in this form of expression; for He is not said to die to sin, so as to cease from it, since the words must be taken as applying to us, but that He underwent death on account of sin, that having made Himself a ransom, He might annihilate the power and dominion of sin.”¹⁶

John Calvin also remarks on this verse, the way this is applied to Christ is different than the way it applies to us. Christ did not, like us, die to sin for the purpose of ceasing to commit it. Calvin says that there are two misinterpretations often given. First, the way verse 2 is explained, and then, as a natural consequence, how it is understood here in verse 10. If commentators mistake the meaning of the one, they are compelled to adjust it in the other. Calvin notes that some introduce the idea of death to the power of sin in verse 2, but in this 10th verse that is impossible. Our Lord never felt the power of sin, and, therefore, could not die to it. However, He died to cover the guilt of sin, that is, the guilt of His people’s sins which He took upon Himself. As a consequence, those dying to sin as declared in verse 2, do so precisely the same way He died to it – once.¹⁷

I like what Puritan scholar Charles Simeon said about this subject. He wrote that Paul took for granted that the believer was “dead with Christ.” By virtue of his union with Christ, the believer can partake of all that Christ either did or suffered for him. Was Christ crucified, dead, and buried? Of course! So the believer then is also crucified, dead, and buried. Christ underwent all of this in His body, but the believer experiences all of this in his soul. Simeon says that every believer has what is called “the old man,” or “the body of sin.” This old man undergoes a change equivalent to that which Christ experienced in His mortal body. This old man is “crucified.” Says Simeon, since crucifixion can be slow and gradual, so sometimes a believer’s “body of sin” dies slowly until it is destroyed. The believer, at his baptism, considers this as a solemn oath on his part, just as what God pledged to him is solemn.¹⁸

Robert Haldane agrees with Calvin and makes the observation that here in this 10th verse we have the same declaration concerning our Lord and Savior as in the 2nd verse concerning believers, especially when it comes to their being dead to sin. That’s why what is true in one case must also be true in the other. However, if someone offers the wrong interpretation to verse 2, then they must, by necessity, say the same thing about verse 10 here.¹⁹

Charles Hodge summarizes the contents of Paul’s teaching in this 6th chapter up to verse eleven. 1) The most prominent doctrine in this passage is that Christ’s death secures the destruction of sin whenever it secures its pardon. 2) When a professing Christian continues to live in sin, they provide sure evidence that they are not real Christians. In so doing they misrepresent and slander the gospel of the grace of God. 3) Holiness does not lead to a pardon, a pardon leads to holiness. 4) The most effective way to gain victory over sin is to bond with Jesus Christ. This requires seeing His death as securing the pardon for sin and restoring us to the Divine favor. That then will procure for us the influence of the Holy Spirit. It will take pardon and holiness in order to successfully subdue sin. 5) It is comforting to every believer to know that having the evidence of being a true Christian, makes sure they will one day live with Christ. As long as the Head of the body lives, surely must all the members of the body live. 6) Says Hodge: “To be in Christ is the source of the Christian’s life; to be like Christ is the sum of His excellence; to be with Christ is the fullness of His joy.”²⁰

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson IX)

British Bible scholar F. F. Bruce has an excellent exegesis on this subject. He points out that the person we used to be has been crucified with Christ. That this “crucifixion” refers to a past event and expressed by Paul this way: “Those who are united by faith to Christ are reckoned as having been crucified with Him when He was crucified.”¹ Paul uses it in the same sense when he said: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”² Bruce writes: “In this latter passage there may be a side-glance at an alternative meaning of the verb ‘crucify’ (stauroō), namely ‘fence off.’ The person I now am (‘in Christ’) has been fenced off by the cross from the person I formerly was (‘in Adam’), when I belonged to the current world-order.”³ That certainly suggests that our old nature should have nothing to do with our new spiritual nature.

John Stott makes the point that as far as we are concerned, we all deserved to die for our own sins. And, in fact, he says we did die, although not in person, but in the person of Jesus Christ our substitute. He died in our place. Therefore, we have been united with Him by faith as demonstrated through baptism. Not only that but being in union with Him we have risen again. Says Stott: “So the old life of sin is finished because we died to it, and the new life of justified sinners has begun. Our death and resurrection with Christ render it inconceivable that we should go back. It is in this sense that our sinful-self has been deprived of power and we have been set free.”⁴

And Douglas Moo comments on what he sees as Paul’s concerned that we understand what follows from this action. As he explains it, the result is: “The body of sin [i.e., our bodies as dominated by sin] might be done away with.” In his mind, Paul is saying that being under the Lordship of Christ means we no longer allow sin to dominate us. Says Moo: “The purpose is that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”⁵ How true that is! Since sin’s power over us has been vetoed, we are now free to reflect that living holy in our new freedom. We should no longer exhibit any of sin’s characteristics. We see that verse 7 backs up what Paul claims in verse 6 by reminding his readers of an ancient proverb that death severs sin’s hold on a person.⁶

Jewish writer David Stern points out that Yeshua raised people from the dead, as did Elijah and Elisha. However, all those they raised died again. That’s why we must see Yeshua’s resurrection as the firstfruits of a new creation,⁷ in which believers have a share.⁸ This new creation lives on because the curse of death has been eliminated.⁹ Stern tells us that in the Mekhilta¹⁰ on Exodus it reads: “If it were possible to remove the angel of death, I would do so – but the decree has already gone forth. Rabbi Yossi says, ‘On this condition did they [Israel] stand on Mount Sinai, that the angel of death [would] not prevail over them, as it is written, ‘I said (when I gave you the Torah): You are angels and all heavenly creatures. But as Adam you will die (having perfected your ways as he did), and as one of the (first) princes will you fall.’¹¹”¹² From Stern’s perspective, Yeshua went way beyond this. He conquered death, so that death has no authority over Him or over those united with Him.¹³

Verses 8-9: If we died with Christ, we know that we will also live with Him. Christ was raised from death. And we know that He cannot die again. Death has no power over Him now.

The Apostle Paul now carries this concept of Christ being crucified and resurrected to life with the old sinful nature being crucified and the new spiritual nature being raised to explain that this new life is not only meant for this life but is actually intended life everlasting. If it was only for this life, seeing that mankind’s stay here on earth is limited to being like a short breath, then Christ certainly paid an awful price for believers to benefit for only a short time. That’s why the term “everlasting life” is so important in John 3:16.

Many scholars believe that before the distribution of Paul’s writings among the churches, the original Apostles had already established creeds or articles of faith. We see this in Paul’s instructions to young Timothy: “Here is a true statement: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we remain faithful even in suffering, we will also rule with Him.”¹⁴ Paul had previously spoken of this in his letter to the Corinthians: “God raised the Lord Jesus from death, and we know that He will also raise us with Jesus. God will bring us all together, and we will stand before Him.”¹⁵ And to the Thessalonians Paul wrote: “We believe that Jesus died, but we also believe that He rose again. So we believe that God will raise to life through Jesus any who have died and bring us all together when He comes.”¹⁶

This message about being raised to everlasting life was already in Jewish writings. Most Rabbis believed that David’s words: “My heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety because you will not leave me in the place of death,”¹⁷ supported that doctrine. In most cases, Rabbis assign these words to the coming Messiah. So if Christ is raised from death, then it follows that those who die with faith in Him will also be raised on resurrection day. The Apostle Peter certainly understood it this way.¹⁸ And the writer of Hebrews declares that Christ’s, death in order to win the victory over death, was all part of God’s plan.¹⁹ In fact, among the Jews, in a document titled “Tikkunei Zohar,” we find this phrase: “Who is the mystery of the name Jehovah, and in Him, there is no sin, neither shall death have the dominion over Him?”²⁰

How incomplete would this entire analogy be without the resurrection? Yes, it is a relief to be freed from sin, even if it took Jesus’ death. But there is no appeal to follow a doctrine of dormant existence; to bypass the experiences of life in the flesh just to escape sin’s curse without any ensuing benefits. Christ’s resurrection, however, provides for a life more abundant than ever before. For once we have died to sin, we are resurrected in righteousness to newness of life. We no longer serve our Master as unwilling slaves to the Law, but as obedient children of God in a spirit of love. And when this temporal existence ceases, our life continues on, only in a new body and in a wonderful, joyous place. Oh yes! It is wonderful to finally be dead to sin, but even more joyous to be raised to life again in Christ Jesus.

Several early church scholars make interesting points here about Christ needing to die only once. For instance, Origen says that if Christ had to die more than once, it would then require that those who died with Him the first time would need to die again. Since baptism symbolized this death with Christ, then each time a person sinned they would need to be rebaptized. This would create a revolving door, and no one would have time to walk the highway of holiness. But Origen states that Paul makes this clear, Christ never needed to die again. Not then, not now. Says Origen: “Those who will live with Him may now be sure of having eternal life.”²¹

And early church writer Pelagius adds that we should not fear having to die each time we sin if we died willingly the first time that’s all God’ requires.²² This would then also mean, there is no reason to be baptized a second time if we sin. Pelagius says that the reason is clear: “You cannot be baptized a second time because Christ cannot be crucified for you a second time.” The writer of Hebrews makes this very clear.²³ That doesn’t mean we should not repent, but there is no requirement to repeat their baptism.²⁴ The gist of all this suggests that after a person has become a new creation in Christ Jesus and is baptized to show their transformation from the old nature to the new nature, should they once again fall into sinful practices, Christ need not die again for their salvation, and they need not be baptized again since they cannot be born again twice.

Early church scholar Diodore explains that Paul was saying that if Christ could die for a sinner two or three times, there were be no risk in going back to their old sinful ways. However, since He died only once, then those who have participated in His death through baptism and raised to newness of life need not die to sin again either. Says Diodore: “There will be no second baptism, no second death of Christ. Therefore, we must be careful to stay alive.”²⁵

The Apostle John put this in the simplest terms when he said: “If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done… If anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so He is able to defend us before God the Father. Jesus is the way our sins are taken away.”²⁶

Reformer Martin Luther points out that the carnal nature has the seed of the Devil and endeavors to bring forth sin and bear sinful fruit. The spiritual nature has the seed of God and seeks to bring forth obedience and the fruit of righteousness. So as the old saying goes, “One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel.”²⁷ That’s why it is so important that the Works of the Flesh are not allowed to grow to such a volume that it begins to spoil the Fruit of the Spirit. That is also why the purging power of sanctification is so needed.

We all know that love continues to be the central theme of so many novels, films, songs, theater plays, and poems, they are practically innumerable. Greek dramatist Sophocles (496-406 BC) in his Oedipus Trilogy made this statement: “Have ye to bear your long, long ministry; a heavy load, I know, and yet one word wipes out all score of tribulations – love.”¹ Perhaps by Paul’s day, this was a common proverb since it is repeated by James (5:20) and Peter (1Peter 4:8).

Methodist founder John Wesley preached and taught about entire sanctification which is described as follows: “Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love. It is righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving one’s neighbor as one’s self. Through faith in Jesus Christ, this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously and should be sought earnestly by every child of God.”²

However, to understand love as Paul uses it, we must look to the Scriptures. A search will reveal that nowhere do we find the phrase “God is joy” or “God is peace” or “God is patience;” and on those occasions where the characteristics of God include kindness, goodness, or faithfulness, these are either adjectives or verbs. In order for the Holy Spirit to channel these elements into fruition in our personality, He does so by planting the same essence the Bible reveals as the primary attribute of God – Love.

This love is deposited in our hearts at the moment we are born again; when our salvation from certain damnation is justified because we accepted Christ’s work on the cross. As that love matures in our hearts and minds, we exhibit the results of that growing love as evidence of our sanctification – called the Fruit of the Spirit.³ Maybe we should all begin to pray for sanctification instead of all the things of this world that we want. – Dr. Robert R Seyda