The Tale of Two Gardens | Romans 6:20–23

The Tale of Two Gardens

Two Gardens have been represented so far in the book of Romans.

Adam’s Garden of Eden

Jesus’ Garden of Gathsemene

Both have born fruit. Adam’s garden was a garden of rebellion. It was the Garden of Adam rejecting God’s best and seeking his own glory. It’s result is the fruit of Sin

The Fruit of Sin

Paul notes that before they began to live out the abundant living of Christ, that their lives were bearing the fruit of their unrighteousness. He asks:

“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

Paul understood keenly that the fruit of sin was destructive to abundant living. Here’s the thing about sin: It often masquerades itself as good things. Sin never begins with those things we see as sinful.

All sin begins small.

In Galatians 5, Paul speaks of the fruit of sin.

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Here we find a list of sins ranging from drunkeness and orgies, to bitterness and envy. When we read this list we all can say, “Yeah, those things are sin”, but the problem is sin doesn’t often wear a sign that says, “Hey, I’m sin!”

Let me give you an example:

Many of us would never commit adultery, but how many of us have ever seen images of the opposite sex and had lustful thoughts about them?

Most of us wouldn’t call ourselves jealous, but how many of us strive to have the vacations, automobiles, houses, and positions that others in our family, or work have?

Few of us would say we cause dissension and division, but how many of us are quick to point out the faults in our leaders, other members of the church, our Sunday School teachers, or our bosses.

We would never be idolatrous, but how many of us worship our titles and wouldn’t serve in the same way if we didn’t have them; wouldn’t proclaim ourselves guilty of wrath, but make excuses when we lose our temper at family, or friends; would be offended if we were called immoral but proclaim “well God would want me to be happy wouldn’t he?” when we divorce our spouses or sleep with our significant others outside of marriage.

The thing is, we’re all guilty of allowing sin to insidiously creep into our hearts and makes excuses why is different for me. That’s the fruit of sin. It makes us in to enablers who excuse our rebellion against God.

And Paul notes in this chapter that we must fight against these because the ultimate fruit of sin is death. For the unbeliever it is the second death, but there is a spiritual deadness that comes upon believers, a loss of sensitivity to God and his leading.

Paul makes one thing abundantly clear in this verse:

Sin is the Ultimate Enemy of Abundant Living

But there’s another garden. It’s the garden of Gathsemene.

It’s the garden represented in John 10:10

John 10:10–11 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

So what do we do? We seek to bear the fruit of abundant living by avoiding sin and embracing grace. We seek to embrace the fruit of Jesus’ sacrifice.

The Fruit of Abundant Living

So what is the fruit of abundant living? Well, Pau notes that the fruit of abundant living are those things that lead to sanctification.

Sanctification is a process of heart and life and everyday active transformation. God has declared us holy, but as Paul David Tripp notes my wife wouldn't think of me as holy, and my kids wouldn’t think of me as holy, and my fellow workers wouldn’t think of me as holy, and the guy I'm yelling at because he pulled into my parking space, wouldn't think of me as holy.

The Bible presents the theology of sanctifying grace, that although the power of sin has been broken, the presence of sin still remains and is being progressively eradicated; that God's not satisfied for me to live in the actual condition of sin, even though my legal standing has changed with God.

So the fruit of sin is further death. It’s further devolving into these sinful and self-destructive fruits; but the fruit of abundant living is…well abundance.

So, what are these things that lead to Abundant living?

Well, first we must understand a principle. One of the ways that sin damages us is that it convinces us that our freedom from sin is our work. That we have to do something. But if you look at the argument of abundant lviing that Paul has painted in chapter 6, there is no I. It’s not the story of how I made a daring escape from the bondage of sin, but rather how Christ has freed me.

Even the disciplines of abundant living that we talked about last week, the disciplines of faith, prayer, scripture memory, and bible intake, if we see them as the MEANS of our rescue can become sin to us.

A friend and I were talking about this this past week, how we often make our disciplines, meant to increase our dependence on God, to be our golden calfs that we vainly proclaim are the “God who led us out of Egypt.” That’s a fruit of sin. It leads to death. It leads to destruction.

So we must recognize that I cannot produce these fruits in my life any more than a farmer makes apples or corn or peas. We may tend to the plants and make the conditions by which we remove the clutter that hinders their grown, but I don’t make the grow.

And so abundant living happens when I joyfully make room in my life for the Holy Spirit to produce these fruits in my life.

Paul once again talks about these things in Galatians 5.

Galatians 5:22–26 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Notice: The fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. But it is the Spirit of God that produces them.

Paul is saying in Romans 6 and Galatians 5 that we as believers are to press into God allowing him to work the freedom from sin he promises.

This is why one of my favorite verses is

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Paul encourages them to work out their salvation, but reminds them that it is God who ultimately saves them.

So what about you today? Which garden are you tending? You can only tend one, you can either tend the garden of the fruit of sin, or the fruit of righteousness. In this life, we are either clearing the way for more sin, or more of God. Which will you do?