Paul's Epistle to the Romans — page 23

The man of the world without faith does not understand this principle. He would tell us that we are only lying to ourselves because we really want these evil things, like anyone else. But this is not a mental trick that Paul is telling us to apply to ourselves; it is simply believing what God says about us and reasoning from that perspective.

Paul also says that we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus”. This shows that we are also privileged to consider ourselves alive with Christ in this new sphere of life where He lives to God. We have a new life of God that is suited to this sphere of life where Christ is in resurrection. Thus, we should live in that sphere in fellowship with God, and reason from the perspective of the new “I.” This is a privilege we have because of this great truth. Chap. 6:12 – Paul continues and says: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body”. We cannot prevent sin from reigning in the world where it is the lord of all, but because of what happened in Christ’s death, we do not need to let it “reign” in our lives. Note: he does not say: “Therefore do not let sin dwell in your mortal body”

• because we will not be delivered from the old sin nature until the Lord

comes at the Rapture. However, he says: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body”. This shows that, since God has provided a means of deliverance from sin through the principles Paul has given us, we are obligated to refuse sin any rights it may claim over us. The believer is the one holding the reins now; he can choose in which state or sphere he wishes to live, and thus he is responsible for not allowing sin to use his body for its lusts. Therefore, we have no excuse for letting sin have a place in our lives. Paul mentions that our bodies are “mortal”, which refers to their being subject to death, but there is a day coming (the Rapture) when “this mortal shall put on [will clothe itself with] immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). Then we will be free from the sin nature and from all the effects that sin has had on our bodies.

“Present” – By the Principle of Displacement

Chap. 6:13 – We might ask: “How can reasoning from the perspective of the new ‘I’ free us from temptation when it attacks?” It is quite true that knowing certain points of doctrine and having correct reasoning are not enough; there must be a presenting to God. Paul says: “Neither yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members to God as instruments of

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righteousness”. He introduces here the principle of displacement. He says that since we are “alive from the dead” and living to God in this new sphere of life that has been opened to us in Christ’s resurrection, in the power of that life, we can now refuse the flesh. We no longer need to present the “members” of our bodies (our ears, eyes, hands, feet, etc.) to the desires of the flesh. Living in that sphere of life with what we have in Christ in fellowship with God, there will be practical power to resist the flesh. In chapter 8, Paul will show us that this power is not the result of our personal efforts to keep the flesh under control, but through the Holy Spirit working in us to neutralize it.

Note: we should present ourselves “as alive from the dead” – that is, from the perspective of those who live in this new sphere of life with God. If we try to present ourselves to righteousness, but at the same time are living our lives in the old Adam state, we will fail miserably. We recall a brother who struggled with the lusts of the flesh that controlled his life, complaining that the deliverance from the flesh promised by Christianity did not work. Essentially, he blamed God for promising something that was not happening in his life as he thought it should. But when his life was examined, it was found that he surrounded himself with almost every worldly object and activity imaginable – books, magazines, videos, music, games, worldly company, etc. He lived in that environment every day from morning to night. It is evident that his problem was that he was still living in the old Adam state – (or sphere of life) to which the Christian is professedly dead and separated – and expecting to be free from the influence and dominion of sin! He was doing exactly what Paul insists in verses 1-2 that we should not do. He continued in sin (in the state), after being saved. No wonder the flesh was asserting itself in his life and he was experiencing a “lack of power.”

However, when we are occupied with the blessedness of what is ours in this new sphere of life in fellowship with God, we will not be controlled by sin. This new state in which Christ lives to God is characterized by “the things of the Spirit” (chap. 8:5). These are spiritual things related to Christ’s interests. They are things like: reading the Scriptures, praying, participating in Christian meetings for worship and ministry, singing hymns and spiritual songs, reading Christian literature, listening to recorded Christian ministry, teaching the truth, sharing the gospel, meditating on spiritual things while occupied with our daily responsibilities, serving the Lord with good works, visiting, etc. If we live in this sphere, the power of the Spirit will be evident in our lives keeping the flesh under control (chap. 8:2).

Thus, the principle of displacement is the secret of moral power. This principle is found in several places in the Scriptures. For example, "He will eat curds and honey, until he knows to reject evil and choose good" (Isa. 7:15). Milk and honey were good things related to Israel's inheritance (Ex. 3:8; Deut. 11:9). They typify the rich spiritual things of our heavenly inheritance (1 Pet. 1:4). When these things are appreciated, evil can be avoided. Galatians 5:16 says: "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh". That is, when we live in our proper Christian sphere of life ("in Spirit"), the power of the Spirit will keep the flesh under control.

"Present" is mentioned twice in verse 11, but each occurrence has a different tense in Greek. One is in the present or continuous tense: "Nor present your members to sin as instruments of iniquity". This means that at no time should we think of presenting ourselves to sin. The other is the aorist tense, which refers to something to be done once and for all: "but present yourselves to God". This should be a completed act. ("yourselves" would include our spirits, souls and the members of our bodies, etc.) There is, therefore, something we should be doing daily – that is, not continuing "presenting" (NASB – New American Standard Bible) the members of our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness. And there is also something we should have done once and for all – which is "to present" ourselves and our members as instruments of righteousness.

Ch. 6:14 – Paul concludes by stating emphatically: "For sin shall not have dominion over you". That is, literally, "Sin shall not rule as lord over you". This is a promise. It is not what could be, or what we hope to have, but what we will have in our lives if we apply these principles of deliverance to ourselves. Paul adds something else: "for you are not under the Law, but under grace". The Law is a system of demand, but grace is a system of offer. God is not demanding from believers the power to walk rightly because He knows we do not have it. He therefore offers us power!

The claims of the Law assume that we have power to obey its commandments – and we may have thought (mistakenly) that we had that power – but grace assumes that we have absolutely nothing. This teaches us that, living in resurrected life in the power of the Holy Spirit – in that sphere of things where Christ lives to God – we obtain His victorious power in place of our own complete impotence.

Run, John, and live, the Law commands, Yet neither legs nor hands there are; Excellent news the gospel brings, You bid me fly and give me wings.

The basic lesson we must learn from this passage is that true holiness will not be brought about in our lives by our own efforts, but by the power of grace that works in us. H. Smith said: "Being under grace not only brings blessings to us, but sustains us and enables us to overcome... An unsubmissive person [who does not present himself] is always in danger of sinning, but a submissive person [who presents himself to God] will be strengthened with power by the grace of God". Deliverance, therefore, can only be worked by the principle of displacement. To summarize so far, we have had three things before us in the first half of chapter 6:

Learning from God (vv. 1-11).

• Considering with God (v. 12).

• Presenting ourselves to God (vv. 13-14).

Servants of Sin or Servants of Righteousness?

Ch. 6:15-23 – Sin took dominion over us in times past, but by the application of these principles, it need no longer be so. However, we need to understand that deliverance from sin is not something automatic. As Paul demonstrated in verses 11-13, God wants us to be responsibly exercised in the matter. Therefore, the great question for us is: "In what state or sphere of life am I choosing to live, now that I am a Christian?" If a new sphere of life has been opened for me to live in through the death and resurrection of Christ (v. 11), why then would I want to live in the old sphere, from which Christ saved me? Am I not free from all that order of life in the world that was judged by God? How can I find my pleasure in that unrighteous scene, for which Christ died to break my connections?

A Christian who chooses to live in that old state and seeks pleasure and satisfaction in it manifests an ignorance (or unbelief) regarding what the Word of God says about the flesh. In this passage, Paul teaches us that, although the flesh has been judged ("annulled" – Rom. 6:6 – JND), it is an enemy that has not yet been destroyed, and if possible, the devil will seek opportunity through it to control the believer's life and lead him into all manner of sins. It is a fact that, if we choose to live in that old state (sphere of life), the flesh will rise up in us and will show itself in our lives. Every Christian, therefore, needs to learn – and learn well – that "the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63), and to give up seeking something in that sphere to satisfy his heart. It is a dangerous sphere to live in spiritually, and it is certainly not where God wants us to live. It will lead to failure.