Great Doctrines of Salvation

We are on question 10 of lesson 10. Question 10? Yes, question 10, lesson 10. Also, I wish Holly was here. A couple of those things we discussed on the long answer last time, we were talking about it at home afterwards. Some of those things, the freedom we have in grace, and we talked about all those different things. What is sin? what liberty we have in Christ now. One of the things I wanted to re-emphasize on some of these, these all have to be done with love, and I can't just pull up the Web Freedom, going about like if you're, we talked about if you wanted a lottery ticket or smoke or you drink or whatever, All those things have to be done in love, the freedom that you have.

If you go and you know somebody is not well, an alcoholic, and you go and you drink. That would be falling over what Paul said in the stumbling, where you could cause somebody to go back into a sinful behavior. So you have to mix your liberty with the other scriptures that are there that Paul said about stumbling. Now that is another thing about offending people that's different than stumbling. Paul specifically talks about stumbling, which is something that you do that brings somebody back into a sinful behavior. At the time it was eating meat which was associated with the temple and the temple prostitutes and bringing it back, having people go back to that lifestyle. So Paul is talking about that. So it's specific in stumbling that you bring somebody back into a sinful behavior.

It is not just if you offend somebody, if you do something that offends, but if you are somebody who, say, you smoke. That's not a sin in itself. But if you know somebody who really doesn't like smoking, and you're smoking right in front of them, and you know that they don't like smoking, you're blowing smoke in their face, and are you doing that out of love? No. So, in your liberty, there are qualifiers on that. You do have the freedom to do it, we have immense freedom.

I was looking at this again, in the one, it's Galatians 5.1, Therefore stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made you free. And be not conformed again. Yeah, but it's to stand fast in your liberty, in the freedom that we have. And we do have immense freedom.

That was the point of last week's discussion was a lot of things that we put on are laws, we put back on ourselves are laws, and we try and put ourselves under these things. And you look through Paul's epistles and a lot of it is just the freedom that we have. And especially when you look into Galatians, the difference between law and grace and just the immense freedoms that we have under grace and what that means. And a lot of times I think we put ourselves under these laws and these burdens that we don't have under the freedom that we have in Christ. But I did want to put those qualifiers on there that just because I have the freedom to do it doesn't mean that I can go out maliciously or with malice to somebody and flaunt my freedom in Christ.

You know, other things too, like with the lottery ticket, if you're financially, you know, there's just some wisdom in some of those things. In and of itself, when Monique brought up the lottery ticket, in and of himself. But there's wisdom. If you're financially in peril and you're out buying lottery tickets, is that a wise thing to do?

Is that being a wise steward? So again, I wanted to qualify some of those things we talked about last week. We have immense freedom and liberty in Christ. But you've got to pair that with other scripture and other reasonable acts. Like I said, if you're buying lottery tickets and you're on food stamps, is that a wise thing?

No. Oh, there she is. Trouble. Oh no, I was just going over a lot of things from last week based on your question about freedom. You're going to have to listen to the tape now. No, I'm just saying. A lot of those things we talked about last week, about the liberty we have in Christ, there are qualifiers that go on that.

Like I said, you can't do something in your freedom and be maliciously flaunting it in front of somebody. Or if you stumble somebody, as Paul says, which is bringing somebody back into a sinful behavior. You can have a drink if you want, but if you're in front of an alcoholic and you bring them back into a sinful behavior, that's where Paul says you're stumbling somebody. So even though you have that freedom to do it, you shouldn't do that activity if it leads somebody back into a sinful behavior.

That's what we talked about from last week, and you had great questions and Monique and all that, but there are some things in our freedom, but I really want to stress the freedom that we have. I just see so many believers that put themselves back under the law, and through that, that's only the flesh doing that, because only the flesh wants that. The new creature in Christ has nothing to do with that. So anyway, that's what I wanted to just qualify us on last week. I was expressing a lot of the liberty that we have.

And like we're saying in Galatians 5.1, stand fast in the liberty or freedom that you have in Christ. And Paul was, through all of Galatians, law versus grace is on trial. And as I said one time, Galatians came to life for me when we helped on this catering. And when I went and we did a bar mitzvah or whatever it is.

I was amazed to see the very strict Jews, the laws and what they had put themselves under. And I realized what Paul is going through in Galatians, where he's trying to tell the Jews, you're not under the law anymore. You don't have to go under this anymore, this burden, this crushing burden of law. You're not under that anymore in Christ. And I saw it when I saw this bar mitzvah and the kosher thing. They just were so burdened by the law. You had to have the silverware that wasn't touched by human hands, and you had the plates, and you had to have certain preparations, and this and that, and just a whole bunch of things. a whole bunch of things we had to do on the catering side.

I can see Paul struggling, telling these people, you don't have to live under this law, this crushing law. But as believers, I think a lot of us put ourselves under these laws, or these burdens that are unnecessary. When you look at Paul, Paul many times talks about the freedom, the liberty that we have. in Christ, and so many times the reference, you're not under law, you're under grace. And he stresses that repeatedly in here. And that's why I think, you know, for us today, it's the same lesson. We have a lot of freedom. We live under principles now, and not under law.

And there's so many, you know, I did a, on my PC, I just did a, you know, Law and Grace. And how many times in Paul's epistles, you know, you're not under law, you're under grace. You're dead to the law. All those things. So why do we put ourselves back under that law? It's crazy.

It's going to be really tough to let go of that. You know, I bet if you're raised in that, unless your whole family's kind of doing that, you know, wow. You know what's tough about it though? Why is it tough? People. Why is it tough in you? Pleasing people. Why is it? Why?

You can talk while I turn off the mic. Because it's what I know, you know? What I grew up with. So is that... Think about her answer, because I'm going to ask you about that. Sorry, this is wrapped up. We got off on the last one. Har's answer was that it's just what she's been used to and what her surroundings, is that about, why does she want to go under law? Or stay in that mode? It sounds like it's only to make it easier to get along with people she wants to get along with. Okay, any other thoughts?

Because our flesh is born into that. That's why the identification truths are so important. It's the flesh that wants to do that. You're a new creature in Christ and you grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. You're growing in that. So it takes time, I think, to get out of that. But it's that severing, which is the reckoning that we've discussed here. The reckoning. Reckon yourselves dead. It's that separating from the flesh. It's the flesh that wants that. Nobody else. Your new creature has nothing to do with it. So as you realize that, all the things you're wanting to do and trying to do, you recognize that's the flesh and solely the flesh that wants to do that. And so, as you grow, you become aware of that.

As I say, you start realizing, we talked about it, you had that answer a few weeks ago, that, you know, I know I want to do it. Well, that recognizing now, I'm doing it wrong. That's not who I am. That's the growth where you're starting to see the flesh and understand who you are in Christ. So the identification truths, again, are critical to the understanding of it. A lot of people in the one nature go to that. It's my environment. It's the memories. It's all those things. That's why I sin. It's not because I have two natures.

And it's all about growth then, right? Because let's say you're Jewish. God would first call you and then give you the strength to grow. So it's not like you have to have the strength to accept Jesus. Under the law, it was a cause and effect. If I did this, I would get blessings.

So is that the way we work now under grace? We have to know where it's at now. How do we get to one of the questions? It's backwards. It's backwards. It's exactly it. I just want to clarify a couple of things. So, let's go on. Lesson 10, number 10, since Mike's putting me under law. If I am dead to sin, well, how can it still reign? We've just been going over that answer, basically. So, if I'm dead to sin, how does it still reign? How can it still reign?

Because you let it. You let it. And is that what you're supposed to do? Are you reckoning yourself dead? No. You know, and this is again where you look at the single nature, one nature people versus two. You know, when he's saying about letting sin reign in your mortal bodies, how do you get around that if you're a single nature person? It's awfully hard to get around these verses. So if you are still letting it rain, what are you not doing? Reckoning.

Yeah, do we really believe in our positional co-crucifixion with Christ? You know, if you're letting it rain in your body, you're going right back and you keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it. Are you understanding that you're not bound to it? You're not a slave to it? If you're letting it rain, you're not doing that. You're letting it bind you. Okay?

If we know or reckon that we're new creatures in Christ, that our old man is positionally dead, and we're no longer slaves to sin, can't we use this to begin to have our walk or our condition move more in line with our position? Is that a valid statement? Say the first part of it again. If we know or reckon that we are new creatures in Christ, co-crucifixion, that our old man is positionally dead, and we are no longer slaves to sin, can't we use this to begin to have our walk or our condition move more in line with our position?

My old man didn't die, I died. There you go. That's one of the things in this. The old man died, not that I died. Well, it's really gone to the reckoning part and what that means for us today. I guess people say when you read Romans 6, we are co-crucified. I'm still here. What did that mean? So what did that mean when it said our co-crucifixion and reckoning? Our position changed. And that's what I want to get at between position and condition. Positionally, we changed. The old man was co-crucified, so we are dead to that.

And now we have what? New creature. We're a new creature in Christ. So we have how many natures now? Two in us. Before you believed, how many natures did you have? So, what Romans 6 is saying is we are positionally severed from the old man and we are now positionally put in as a new creature. We have a new nature in us. We have two natures in us now.

The reckoning part says you don't have to listen to this other half now. You are not under bondage to it like you were before. We are now positionally in Christ and we don't have to listen to that. The growing, I think of the growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ is that kind of minimizing of the old nature and maximizing of the new nature. That's the way I put growing in the grace and knowledge, well in the knowledge of Christ in particular, which then we can grow in the grace.

Hey Mike, did you say I died and not my old man? Yeah, that's what I said. And Courtney, did you say? I think what Mike's getting at is that we physically, we, this guy right here. I think you have to define death. Yeah. Death means separation. So I, Courtney, Mike, Holly, via the cross was separated positionally from my old man, from my sin nature.

He's still alive and living in me. I just have been separated positionally from him and I don't have to respond to him anymore. The point of this statement was positional and conditional. What does positional mean? You know, our co-crucifixion. That changes our position. Okay? And then what the end of this part of it was that if you recognize that positionally, begin to use that as a way to move conditionally to match.

I'm thinking about what you said a minute ago that the old man gets minimized and I think the Word of God focuses on the fact that there isn't a minimal that there is this absolute line of demarcation where I'm dead. It's like if I was sitting down in Bollinger's mortuary, I wouldn't be slowly dying, I'd be done. And so I think that's the view I need to take, is that where my faith needs to focus on, the accomplished fact of my being dead, buried and resurrected in Christ. But what that means, That's exactly my point, as you focus more on that, what is maximized and what is minimized.

Because you're not, and that's where I say the growth is, is that you still have that old man, and as you grow in the grace and knowledge, you realize those things that you did before, they're not even a temptation anymore. Why is that? I'm just saying in the conditional sense, I think growth is understanding more of who you are in Christ and maybe understanding more of who you are in the flesh.

But by doing that, you minimize the desires, the temptations, the control of the flesh. As your condition moves more in line with your position, The old man becomes less and less of a burden, so to speak. But the problem with that is that I still have this body, and this body isn't redeemed yet, and it has its own desires, and I still have a sin nature, and they line up perfectly. Yeah, the flesh and the sin nature. And my body in and of itself has desires to do things that won't ever go away. That's what I'm saying, you minimize it.

You struggle with something initially, but as you come to know who you are in Christ, those things begin to fade away, that control of the old man. When you're a new believer, I think you have this out, but then you start falling back into the old things. You get to the Romans 7, and that's where Paul, I think, is going. Paul is struggling and saying, I want to do these things, I have to do it, and why am I doing? you know, to God. I think the growth side is again where you know more of who you are and less, I don't want to say that, you know more of who you are in the flesh as well as who you are in Christ. And as you understand that, less and less of the control by the flesh, you have more reckoning of that co-crucifixion.

I really am separated. See, and I also think back to what we were talking about a few minutes ago, That's where the liberty is. It isn't so much that I have the liberty to act any way I want. What I do have the liberty is that I'm free from my old man and I am at liberty to function in Christ. And who I am in Christ. Exactly. And that's why I say we live by principles now. And what are those principles? All the things that Christ spelled out in Christ's life.

It seems like it's not an issue of minimizing the old man as much as it is letting God bring you to Him. Either way. It seems like you're trying to minimize. Not trying to minimize. It's a function of knowing who you are in Christ. Maybe that's a better way to say it. Knowing who you are in Christ, that becomes more of the walk that you lead. It's because I know who I am in Christ. I know I'm not supposed to do those things anymore. You know, it's like the example I said. It's not supposed to, it's that I don't have to. Well, OK. Don't have to.

But we're mixing. Yeah, but we're mixing. You know, I think you mix position and condition. And that's where I'm trying to separate that. Here's the issue. It's supposed to means that I can. I can accomplish this myself. No, that's the Roman Sabbath, you can't. And so, supposed to, as I say, I don't have to, means that I really don't have to by resting in the truth of who I am in Christ. Right, in who you are. But again, mixing position and condition. Your position is you don't have to. Reality is condition.

And that's where, growing up knowing who I am in Christ, and that's why I said move in a lot more in line with our position. That's the growth that I see, is that we're moving, we know who we are in Christ. As you know who you are in Christ, you aren't going to do that.

And maybe supposed to, you know, maybe that's that. I just know that I'm not supposed to do that as somebody in Christ. It doesn't fit me. This supposition, I guess, is what I'm saying. If I'm in Christ, I shouldn't be doing that. Because that's not who I am. Like I said, it's kind of mixing position and condition. You know your position, which is you're not in bondage anymore at all. But when you talk about your condition, that's why I say, I think as you know more of who you are in Christ, that's the growth. That's conformed to the image. That's the growth.

Is that you that's trying or is that the Holy Spirit? No, that's the Roman 7. The more you try, it's not you. It's not you. But there is working in you that conviction of the Holy Spirit of who you are in Christ. And who you're not in the flesh. The supposed to is more like a cat doesn't bark. Right. It's not part of that.

Yeah. to the Holy Spirit. And it's through you and through the desires that it has. What convicts you of who you are in Christ? That's what the Holy Spirit's job is. Is to convict you of who you are. Show you who you are in Christ. You know, yeah, okay, they're supposed to, yeah. A cat's not supposed to bark. You realize that. Did you have something like? What I had will jump ahead and I don't want to do it. Okay, question 11.

What does verse 12 say about our bodies? Somebody want to read 612, Romans 612? Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. So what does it say about our bodies? So, our present body is mortal, subject to physical death. What else? It lusts. It lusts. And that's the thing.

It is when natural desires are yielded to in self-will or self-indulgence that sin uses the desires of the body to assert sin's power and establish its reign. The believer is directed to reject the reigning of sin which would involve our obeying the desires of the body. So, to reject the reigning of sin. Again, that's our reckoning, I think, that we have been co-crucified, our position is in Christ, we now don't have to respond to the flesh.

Whereas prior to, we had to, that's the only thing we could do, is respond to the flesh. Okay? So we're mortal bodies subject to physical death. We're waiting for the redemption of the body at Christ's coming. And then we do not have to yield to those desires.

12. In verse 13, what does the word yield or present mean, depending on your translation? I'll read it. 6.13. And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. So what is present or yield, depending on your translation? What does that mean? Well, I have a small dictionary I take with me. So I looked up yield. So she can understand you guys. Is this Webster's or? Yeah, Webster's. And I looked it up and to me, I think it would be better, it says surrender.

Don't surrender. Yield equals surrender. Okay. Mine says yield once and for all. Okay. So like it makes it more permanent. A permanent. Okay. Any others? I think here it means that we're to present ourselves as risen ones in Christ because that's who we are. Excellent. Excellent. Can you say that again? I thought it meant that we should present ourselves as risen ones in Christ, because that's who we are. Yes. And I think it's interesting that in verse 13, present your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word there is weapons of righteousness. What's that? What's your translation? That's under the Greek word, weapons. I should look it up. I have it up here. The New American is instruments. I think that's a little stronger. Yeah. Weapons of righteousness. Yeah.

I think the interesting issue in this verse is that you have, when we did Romans 6, 1 through 10, it was all positional truth. start being informed as to what you do based on the truth. And I think that the really cool thing about this verse is that you and your will and your effort cannot overcome sin. What this is really telling us is that we are to present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and that He, the Spirit of God, will handle the sin issue in our lives.

We're not going to handle it, He will. And that's why I think that military view is a good one, because the battle is not ours. The battle is the Spirit's. And so therefore, we operate by faith, and we present because we can, as those that are alive from the dead.

So to overcome sin in your life, how do you do it? You don't. The answer is you don't, but you are commanded to believe and to reckon and to present so that someone else outside of you can deal with it. Well, that's what we said last week too. When you're dealing with a sin issue and you realize you can't do it, you can't fight it, that's exactly where God wants you. You know, as I use the example of being a husband, when you read who you're supposed to be as a husband, there's no way you can do that in and of yourself, the flesh. There's no way. And the sooner you realize that, the better off you are. And that's why, you know, when you look at how this is structured too, think about what he's saying here, but then I always go to Romans 7.

Paul, here's the pillar, who spent time with, you know, intimate time with the Lord, and he's saying, I want to do this, but I can't. And what is his final conclusion? Oh, wretched man. Oh, wretched man that I am. Thanks be to God. That's the position he wants us all in, is, you know, presenting yourself to God as those alive from the dead. as Joanna was saying, you know, and your members as instruments or weapons of righteousness to God. That's kind of an interesting one. I was thinking about what you said, that members as instruments or weapons.

You know, is that, is that, I'm now thinking, I'm sorry, I'm on the fly, I think because I haven't heard, I didn't look up the King James one, as weapons. You know, it seems like that, that's almost in, conflict with what Paul has said, the helmet of salvation, all the other... It's usually not an offensive weapon. That isn't the King James Version.

That's the Greek translation. But I'm thinking about that. All those ones Paul said, it's a defensive stance. It's not an offensive stance. Because the work has already been done. Stand fast. stand fast. I'm thinking about the members of weapons. We're supposed to go out and do something. I want to clarify that. When you say weapons... The present issue is, because it's an heiress rule, it's a one-time deal. It really is a mindset and a decision to let someone else do it and you stay in your defensive mode. Yeah. Actually based on the fact that it's already been done.

Yeah, it's the difference between the first which is the present tense when you're presenting yourself versus on the second present is the aorist tense. So it's aerist active, it's a one time presenting of ourselves to the risen God. So there is a difference, which I was going to get to, that there are differences between presenting yourself as instruments of unrighteousness, that's a continual present. But the present yourself to God as those alive from dead and your members as instruments of righteousness, that's in the Aorist tense. So it's done with continuing results, the Aorist tense.

I think that fits with Ephesians and the defensive posture. Well, that's what I wanted to say. When you say a weapon, I'm going as weapons of righteousness. To me that seems like an offensive weapons of righteousness. Well you know what that saying is, guns don't kill people, people kill people. I just want to clarify that because in most of it, when you go out and fight the good fight, what do most people think?

Go fight the good fight. Do the best you can. I'm going to go out and who, slay who. I'm going to go after Satan. I'm going to go, you know, I'm going to take care of this myself. Go fight the good fight. What does the end of that verse say? Fight the good fight of faith. It's not go out and slay the dragon. You know, it is, again, and that's why I just, you know, drowned with the weapon I just want to make.

It's not offensive. I think it's stay your position. You don't need to do it. It's already been done. And I think on the condition side, I think, is where this weapons of righteousness or instruments of righteousness. I think that is, you know, it's been done. Rest in that fact. Stand in that fact. Let's clarify what they are then.

If you yield your members, what are your members? What are your members? What are they? If I'm to yield my members, what am I yielding? I think the members are who you, I mean, you. And they're the instruments that are, if I'm yielding them to unrighteousness, they're being used for purposes of sin. Yeah. But I'm to yield myself unto God as one alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness unto God. So what are my members?

It's you. I mean, I think it's Your faculties. Yeah, who you are. Mind, emotion, will. I think it's your will. I think it's all. You could be using it to do simple acts. Your physical body does it as well as, I think it's saying, stay out of that. The discussions we've had for decades is, what do you use your will for? You use your will to implement the Christian life. As Charles Trumbull said, you use your will to believe. Exactly. Not to implement.

And I think that's what this verse is saying. Use your will to believe and hand your members over to the Spirit of God to do the... But the members, I think, are, like he says, everything about you. Because that's why I say this fits with 7. Paul, I try to do it, but the very thing, I can't do it. And that's, I think, everything. His thoughts, his actions, all those fall into this members. He's either presenting him to sin or he's presenting him to righteousness. So I think the members means all of you. Your thoughts, your actions, everything, physical.

That's good. So again, just remember, the point being, again on the first part, when you're presenting yourselves to sin, that is in the present tense, that's a continual action. Whereas the present your bodies is the aorist tense, which is you present it with continuing results. Okay, is the aorist tense. All right. That would be the perfect tense, wouldn't it? It's the...

AERIST has completed action in the past one time, done. Yeah, but it has, it's done. The results are perfect, though, aren't they? Yeah, but, well, I guess what I did, maybe, yeah, the definition, AERIST is done once, but you don't have to continually go back to it. It has, once you've done it, it's over, and you should, those results should be Final. Done. All right.

Who are the ones commanded to present themselves unto God? Question 13. Who are the ones commanded in that? The redeemed. What's it say in the verse? Again, the exemplification, I think. Those who have died with Christ. Yes. Those alive from among the dead. Okay?

It's alive from the dead. Your command is to present yourselves unto God. If you, in 13, do not go on presenting members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as what? Those alive from the dead. Okay? And your members as instruments of righteousness of God. So, alive from the dead. Pure identification. Okay?

You're identified. with Christ now. You're alive. Why are you alive? You've been placed into Christ. Okay? Any other questions? I think the Alive from the Dead is really important because it shows which side of the cross you live on. Are you really struggling and fighting with sin and hoping that you'll die, it dies, something dies, so I won't have to do it anymore? Or do I see myself as resurrected with Christ and all of that is past? And now I live resurrectedly, if that's a word. Resurrectedly.

You know, and again, I just go back to what is coming up in verse 7. This is really, you know, I can see Paul, you know, as he's writing this, and then he's like, you know, telling it, these are all the truths, the positional truths, 6, 1 through 10, and then he starts in 11 where it's the conditional side. with Paul, goes in and he says what he says in 7. Because I look at Paul, here's a guy who intimately was with the Lord, and yet he struggles and he says, I can't do those things. I want to, I know it. How many times have you done that? I mean, I do that all the time.

Twice. Twice? Good. I saw Mike walk on water the other day. He's frozen. I do that all the time. I don't know. I see it refreshing, like I said with Paul, he struggles. I want to do the things that I want to do and yet I can't and I don't and why is that? Oh wretched man that I am. Thanks be to God. And that's where I say, when he brings you into a position where you realize you can't do it, that's exactly where he wants you to be, is where you can't. And that's where Paul is at the end. I want to, I want to, I want to, I want to, but I can't. What's the positive side? The positive side is growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. When you bring to that point where you can't, guess what? Who do you have to rely on at that point?

Exactly. And that's what I say, I think a lot of times, and then I see that growth, is he brings you to that spot many times until the point where you don't go to that point anymore. I just realized I don't need to. I can't do that. I'm not even going there.

As you grow in the grace and knowledge, you're being conformed to his image, all those things of the flesh begin to be minimized, I think. I'm just doing that to poke you. You know, I think you just become more aware of who you are and you realize, and I think it's a great position to be in when you realize you can't do it. You know, like I said, as a husband, I go there a lot of times. I fail a hundred times, you know, but there's a time when I realize I just can't do this in and of myself.

Thanks be to God. Actually, question set 11, Romans 6, 14 through 23. I'll go ahead and read it just so we get through it quickly. So, lesson 11, Romans 6, 14 through 23. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. You know, again, I think of that one right there.

Are you under law? Are you under law? No! You're under grace. What then? Shall we say because we're not under law but under grace? May it never be. Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience? Mike was the one who delayed us a lot. I'll go back to 15. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be.

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed. And having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Therefore, what benefit were you deriving from these things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derived your benefit, resulting in sanctification and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Alright, question number one. In verse 14, from an identification point of view, why would we not be under law and therefore sin would not have dominion over us? First of all, who does the law pertain to? Jews. Jews? I don't think the definite article is there. I think it's the law principle. It's the law principle? It's not the law? Unbelievers.

Adam, the flesh, okay? Yeah, it's the flesh, it's Adam, it's the law principle pertains to the flesh. As believers, are we positionally in the flesh? Yeah, what does 2 Corinthians 5, 17 say? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old thing passed away, behold, new things have come. Okay? Is Christ under the law? Oh, I want to see a vote on this one. I'm not getting the chickens out here, are we? Is Christ under the law? No. Nose, raise your hand. Oh, you guys, yeah, I can see you. Right. Now, what did he do? He fulfilled the law, okay? We're not under any law or principle because what? Our federal head is not under a law or principle.

Christ is not under a law or principle, so are we. We're not because we're in Him, okay? So we're not under the legal principle. And again, and who, that's why I try to, who does the law or principle affect or who is it under its control? the flesh. We're in Christ. Our federal head is Christ now, not Adam. So we're not under the legal principle. It's deeply significant here that even to us, new creatures in Christ and recipients of the Holy Spirit, it is definitely announced to us that we are not under law, else bondage or helplessness would still be our lot. All our responsibilities ended at the cross and now grace has dominion over us. What is the reigning principle we are under now?

Grace. I'll also read Romans 7, 4-6. Therefore, my brethren, you were also made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in the members of our body, to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." Again, identification. Are we under law anymore? No! Don't put yourself under the law. All right, well gee, we'll decide that later. He says you have become death.

It kind of takes it away from me. It's more of a result of that. A result of our death? A result of my being in Christ and what He performed. So I become rather than I'm doing to be dead. And see that's where I think a lot of it and the point being is I tried to go over that I think last time.

When Christ woke up every day, did he say, I've got to do this today, I've got to please the Lord, I've got to please God, and I've got to do all this stuff. He had a checklist of things he had to do that day. No, it's who he was. He was God's son. He knew. That's who he was. It wasn't that he had to think of and work at and do these things because it was a checklist. He was the Son of God. Now we're placed in Him. If you know who you are in Christ, as you begin to realize that, you see who you are. And what you realize, when you do something in the flesh, that's not who I am. I'm in Christ. That's not who I am. I shouldn't be doing that.

First John 1.9. Confess, I'm not acting as who I am. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for this time as in every time.

Again, Father, we just thank you for the identification truths. We thank you that through that, that places us in that reigning principle of grace, the unmerited and unlimited blessings from you based on not our works, but on what Christ accomplished at the cross. Father, we rest in those. We derive our strength from those. And Father, we just Thank you for what that means in each and every one of our lives. We thank you again that you're intimately involved with each and every one of us, and that you're sovereignly in control, and we just rest in that fact. So Father, we just pray for the upcoming meetings with Vern, and again, prepare our hearts to receive your word. We do all these things in Christ's name. Amen.