Chapter Four: We Died to Sin
In this chapter, Bridges explores what Paul means when he says in Romans that we have died to sin. He goes into a lot of detail and it's hard to pick and choose what passages to quote. He explains that we died to sin through our union with Christ.
The question arises, however, "If we died to sin's dominion, why do we still struggle with sin in our daily lives?" When Paul wrote, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" he was referring not to the activity of committing sins, but to continuing to live under the dominion of sin. The word live means to continue in or abide in. It connotes a settled course of life. To use Paul's words from Romans 8:7, "The sinful mind [one under sin's dominion] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." But the believer who has died to sin's reign and dominion delights in God's law. The believer approves of it as holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12), even though he or she may struggle to obey it.
We must distinguish between the activity of sin, which is true in all believers, and the dominion of sin, which is true of all unbelievers. Sinclair Ferguson has written, "...while the presence of sin can never be abolished in this life, nor the influence of sin altered (its tendency is always the same), its dominion can, indeed, must be destroyed if a man is to be a Christian."
Therefore a believer cannot continue in sin. We no longer live in the realm of sin, under its reign and practical dominion. We have, to use Paul's words, died to sin. We indeed do sin and even our best deeds are stained with sin, but our attitude toward it is essentially different from that of an unbeliever. We succomb to temptations...but this is different from a settled disposition...our sin is a burden that afflicts us rather than a pleasure that delights us.
...it is this decisive deliverance from the dominion of sin through union with Christ in His death that ensures that a true believer will not have the cavalier attitude, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" If a person does have such an attitude, it is a likely indication that the person is not a true believer, however much he or she professes to have trusted in Christ for salvation.
...We must by faith in God's Word lay hold on the fact that we have died to the reign of sin and are now alive to God, under His reign of grace. Unless we do this we will find ourselves seeking to pursue holiness by the strength of our own wills, not by the grace of God.
So the imperative to pursue holiness--to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies--is based on the fact of grace. That is, through our union with Christ in His death to sin and life to God, God has given us all the resources we need to pursue holiness.
Therefore, we can say the truth that "where sin increased, grace increased all the more" (Romans 5:20), far from being an occasion to sin all the more, is actually the only provision from God whereby we can deal with sin and make any progress in the pursuit of holiness. That is why I said early in chapter 1 that the pursuit of holiness, while requiring all-out effort on our part, must be firmly anchored in the grace of God.
I really identified with this quote, "...our sin is a burden that afflicts us rather than a pleasure that delights us."
I know I have a sinful, selfish nature. I do indeed struggle to obey at times, but I have a deep longing to obey. I can honestly say that I do not delight in my sin or feel cavalier about my selfish motives. I am more acutely aware of the condition of my heart than ever before in my life. Being acutely aware of my own sinfulness helps me to feel more compassion for others -- even those I have been deeply hurt and disappointed by.
A friend of mine has told me on several occasions that she is not always able to relate to me when it comes to my ability to feel compassion in certain situations. But it isn't that I don't share a desire for justice and for God to right wrongs. I do. I don't think one can follow Christ and remain apathetic toward injustice by any means; I think the two are incompatible. I don't believe God is pleased with indifference. But at the same time, I am haunted by the words of a Tim Keller sermon I once listened to where he said, "If you pray for justice to come tomorrow, don't make any plans for 12:01."
Humility is so essential to our receiving and appropriating God's grace in our lives.
I know that if I were to get the justice I deserve, I would be dust. I cannot justify or feel good about myself by comparing myself to others who have committed more heinous offenses than I. My neighbor is not the standard. Absolute perfection is the standard. Jesus fulfilled that perfect standard for me and I stand before God in Christ, clothed in His righteousness and not my own. I must never lose sight of that for even a moment. I believe this is also a part of preaching the gospel to myself daily. My continual prayer is for God's will accompanied by His mercy for all of us who would sincerely seek Him and repent.
The question arises, however, "If we died to sin's dominion, why do we still struggle with sin in our daily lives?" When Paul wrote, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" he was referring not to the activity of committing sins, but to continuing to live under the dominion of sin. The word live means to continue in or abide in. It connotes a settled course of life. To use Paul's words from Romans 8:7, "The sinful mind [one under sin's dominion] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." But the believer who has died to sin's reign and dominion delights in God's law. The believer approves of it as holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12), even though he or she may struggle to obey it.
We must distinguish between the activity of sin, which is true in all believers, and the dominion of sin, which is true of all unbelievers. Sinclair Ferguson has written, "...while the presence of sin can never be abolished in this life, nor the influence of sin altered (its tendency is always the same), its dominion can, indeed, must be destroyed if a man is to be a Christian."
Therefore a believer cannot continue in sin. We no longer live in the realm of sin, under its reign and practical dominion. We have, to use Paul's words, died to sin. We indeed do sin and even our best deeds are stained with sin, but our attitude toward it is essentially different from that of an unbeliever. We succomb to temptations...but this is different from a settled disposition...our sin is a burden that afflicts us rather than a pleasure that delights us.
...it is this decisive deliverance from the dominion of sin through union with Christ in His death that ensures that a true believer will not have the cavalier attitude, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" If a person does have such an attitude, it is a likely indication that the person is not a true believer, however much he or she professes to have trusted in Christ for salvation.
...We must by faith in God's Word lay hold on the fact that we have died to the reign of sin and are now alive to God, under His reign of grace. Unless we do this we will find ourselves seeking to pursue holiness by the strength of our own wills, not by the grace of God.
So the imperative to pursue holiness--to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies--is based on the fact of grace. That is, through our union with Christ in His death to sin and life to God, God has given us all the resources we need to pursue holiness.
Therefore, we can say the truth that "where sin increased, grace increased all the more" (Romans 5:20), far from being an occasion to sin all the more, is actually the only provision from God whereby we can deal with sin and make any progress in the pursuit of holiness. That is why I said early in chapter 1 that the pursuit of holiness, while requiring all-out effort on our part, must be firmly anchored in the grace of God.
I really identified with this quote, "...our sin is a burden that afflicts us rather than a pleasure that delights us."
I know I have a sinful, selfish nature. I do indeed struggle to obey at times, but I have a deep longing to obey. I can honestly say that I do not delight in my sin or feel cavalier about my selfish motives. I am more acutely aware of the condition of my heart than ever before in my life. Being acutely aware of my own sinfulness helps me to feel more compassion for others -- even those I have been deeply hurt and disappointed by.
A friend of mine has told me on several occasions that she is not always able to relate to me when it comes to my ability to feel compassion in certain situations. But it isn't that I don't share a desire for justice and for God to right wrongs. I do. I don't think one can follow Christ and remain apathetic toward injustice by any means; I think the two are incompatible. I don't believe God is pleased with indifference. But at the same time, I am haunted by the words of a Tim Keller sermon I once listened to where he said, "If you pray for justice to come tomorrow, don't make any plans for 12:01."
Humility is so essential to our receiving and appropriating God's grace in our lives.
I know that if I were to get the justice I deserve, I would be dust. I cannot justify or feel good about myself by comparing myself to others who have committed more heinous offenses than I. My neighbor is not the standard. Absolute perfection is the standard. Jesus fulfilled that perfect standard for me and I stand before God in Christ, clothed in His righteousness and not my own. I must never lose sight of that for even a moment. I believe this is also a part of preaching the gospel to myself daily. My continual prayer is for God's will accompanied by His mercy for all of us who would sincerely seek Him and repent.
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