Made Free From Sin

Preliminary

Appreciating the messages and services.

You know we could have a lot to worry about

Saw a church sign recently that attempted to address the issue

“Don't let worry kill you, let the church help"

Introduction

We are exploring Romans 5-8 in our sessions together in a mini series I titled Fruit Unto Holiness

Rom 6:22 “22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

We attempted yesterday to talk about the doctrine of sin and the power of the Gospel

God's answer to sin is as some theologians put it threefold in nature

Justification

Sanctification

Glorification

Now that is a little simplistic and leaves out a huge portion of what Paul is going to talk about.

We started to talk about Justification yesterday, but I attempted to cram too much information into too little time

If it's OK I'd like to go back and talk about it just a bit more in order to set the groundwork for today.

Rom 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Justified by faith...what is that?

Someone has made these clarifying insights about faith and justification

Faith is the condition of justification, not the cause of justification:

The moving cause of our justification is God’s love

The efficient cause of our justification is the Holy Spirit – who takes the things of Jesus, and shows them unto us

The meritorious cause of our justification is the death of Jesus Christ

The instrumental cause of our justification on God’s part, is the word of god

The conditional cause of our justification, on our part, is faith.

JUSTIFICATION DEFINED: John Wesley, in his sermon on Justification by Faith, asks the question, "What is justification?" He answers it by saying, "it is not the being made actually just and righteous. This is sanctification; which is indeed in some degree the immediate fruit of justification, but nevertheless is a distinct gift of God, and of a totally different nature. The one [justification] implies what God does for us through his Son; the other what he works in us by his Spirit. " (Vol. 1, 187).

His definition of justification is "pardon, the forgiveness of sins." From the moment of faith, we are accepted through the Beloved, reconciled to God through his blood. (Ibid. 189, 190)

On the question of imputation, Wesley wrote, "Least of all does justification imply that God is deceived in those whom he justified; that he thinks them to be what in fact they are not, that he accounts them to be otherwise than they are. ... The judgment of the all-wise God is always according to truth. Neither can it ever consists with his unerring wisdom to think that I am innocent, to judge that I am righteous or holy, because another is so. He can no more in this manner confound me with Christ than with David or Abraham." (Ibid., 188). He illustrates with 2 Corinthians 5:21 which says, "he made Christ to be sin for us." Wesley understand this phrase to mean, "treated him as a sinner, punished him for our sins." When God imputes faith to us for righteousness, he "counteth us righteous from the time we believe in him (that is, he doth not punish us for our sins, yea, treats us as though we were guiltless and righteous)." (Ibid., 196)

Theological Definition: that gracious and judicial act of God by which he grants full PARDON of all guilt and complete release from the PENALTY of sins committed, and ACCEPTANCE as RIGHTEOUS, to all who BY FAITH receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

BHC Articles of Faith (Read from book page 11 section 10

We are now moving in Paul’s doctrinal and theological arguments from justification in Rom 3:21-5 into his discussion on Sanctification.

Now here is where it gets tricky. We have defined justification as only a judicial act of God declaring a person righteous

If we stopped at justification alone we are only saved sinners. This is what you will hear on the radio and in many churches - forgiveness, not guilty, some where their broken sinfulness as a badge.

I loved Pastor Joey Ratcliffe’s illustration of the broken leg. A boy is told by his mother to not climb trees. Little Junior climbs the tree anyway and falls and breaks his leg. Mother comes running when she hears him crying. The boy is remorseful and sorry and asks mothers forgiveness for disobeying. Mom looks down at her son and says of course I forgive you and walks back into the house.

If we stop at justification - if we stop at only being declared righteous we are in trouble. Paul says there is something that accompanies justification lets look at that in our next section on sanctification.

We are actually given four aspects of salvation or four simultaneous events that happen the moment we are born gain in Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Justification

Regeneration

Adoption

Sanctification (initial/positional) - Some Wesleyan scholars with whom I agree see regeneration and initial sanctifiation as synonomous (I'm talking in a Biblical and theological sense of the word Sanctification)

John Wesley in his Plain Account of Christian Perfection which I believe every holiness preacher ought to read at least once a year writes this

What do we allow them? “We grant, (1.) That many of those who have died in the faith, yea, the greater part of those we have known, were not perfected in love till a little before their death. (2.) That the term sanctified is continually applied by St. Paul to all that were justified. (3.) That by this term alone, he rarely, if ever, means ‘saved from all sin.’ (4.) That, consequently, it is not proper to use it in that sense, without adding the word wholly, entirely, or the like. (5.) That the inspired writers almost continually speak of or to those who were justified, but very rarely of or to those who were wholly sanctified. (6.) That, consequently, it beloves us to speak almost continually of the state of justification; but more rarely, ‘at least in full and explicit terms, concerning entire sanctification.’

Illustrate with a dollar bill

Sanctification: The Believer & Victory Over Sin (Romans 6)

Identification With Christ (Rom 6:1-10)

Metaphors of our Union with Christ

Buried with him by baptism (Rom. 6:3-4)

Planted together (Rom. 6:5)

Crucified Together (Rom. 6:6-10)

If you are united with Christ in his death burial and resurrection then you are dead to sin!!! Rom 6:6 “The old man” phrase is only used 3 times by Paul here and the following indicate the difference between before saved and after salvation contrasting the two lives. Col 3:9-10 “9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” Eph. 4:22-24 “22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Introduction to A Further Work (Rom. 6:11-19)

Romans 6:11-19 (contrast the indicative mood in 6:1-10 with the imperative mood in 6:11-19). This is addressed to believers and speaks of making a full surrender and exercising faith to appropriate all God has provided for our cleansing and life of victory over willful sin. Romans 6:6 indicates that at the moment of their union with Christ in the new birth, they died with Christ and the “old man” was crucified with Christ, yet Paul commands them to surrender themselves fully to God as instruments of righteousness and by faith to personally appropriate what is true of them positionally since they are in Christ. (Dr. Allan Brown - Thirteen Key Passages That Teach the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification

The Imperative To Full Surrender (Rom. 6:11-14)

New Found Liberty (Rom. 6:15-18)

Paul’s limitations (Rom 6:19)

Indications (proofs) of Yielding to God (Rom 6:20-23)

Mutual exclusivity of righteousness and sin (Rom. 6:20)

Freedom to Experience (Rom 6:22a)

A Fetter to Embrace (Rom. 6:22b)

Fruit to Exhibit (Rom. 6:22c)

A Future to Enjoy (Rom. 6:22d-23)

1.

2. )

Sanctification: The Hindrance of the Sin Principle (Romans 7)

Sanctification: Life in the Spirit (Romans 8)

Prophecy (Rom 9-11) - The Nation of Israel (hope)

Past Election (Rom 9)

Present Rejection (Rom 10)

Future Restoration (Rom 11)

Love (Rom. 12-15) - Practical Application of Holiness and Ethical behavior