Sin is the PRINCIPLE result of the power of death working in a human life, yet:
"…the spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 concordant
Think of what freedom from the laws of death means. We know the LAW OF GRAVITY as a principle that has an operative power on earth. The power of gravity’s law makes a coin fall to the ground when I drop it. That law of gravity is effective if I drop the coin somewhere else on the earth. No matter where I drop the coin, gravity operates the same, producing the same result. The principle conditions of gravity prevail effectively, thus, it is a law that exists for us.
So what is the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH? Like the law of gravity, sin is something constant, a principle common to all which has a controlling power. The law of sin works within humans very naturally without any premeditative help. It expresses dispositions that are constantly in opposition, with enmity and hostility compared to God’s disposition. The law of sin and death continually works to hold people in carnal mindsets with earthly concerns that are ignorant of the thought life of God.
Sin — missing the mark — primarily works in the false viewpoints of our personal judgments. When we are in a mind that holds grudges, festers hatreds, and holds to wicked ideas so effectively, our mental and physical beings are yoked to powerful bondages of carnal minded death. Even when we would be godly, it is difficult to recognize how our own nature of sin is working within our members. It is relentless, ever demanding, always exerting its powerful influence to control.
The scripture bears immutable testimony that Jesus shall save his people from sin. Yet the awesome truth is that the LAW OF SIN still works IN OUR MEMBERS, as the apostle Paul clearly explained:
"For I am aware that good is not making its home in me (that is, in my body), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be effecting the ideal is not. For it is not the good that I will that I am doing, but the evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice. Now if what I am not willing, this I am doing, it is not longer I who am affecting it, but Sin which is making its home in me.
Consequently, I am finding the law that, at my willing to be doing the ideal, the evil is lying beside me. For I am gratified with the law of God as to the man within, yet I am observing a different law in my members, warring with the law of my mind, and leading me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. A wretched man am I! What will rescue me out of this body of death? Grace!" Romans 7:18-25 concordant
The PRINCIPLE OF SIN IN OUR MEMBERS should not be confused with the scriptures about the "old man," to be thinking they are one and the same. They are not. Christians should know their "old man," their former unregenerate state, is forever passed, dead, gone. Christians are taught to "RECKON themselves to be dead indeed to sin”. Other voices in church heavens say, "My old man is dead because the Bible says he is, but he keeps raising his ugly head." We Christians can't seem to close the lid on the coffin, yet the scripture emphatically declares:
"Our old man is crucified with Him…" Romans 6:6
Our spirit was touched by His Spirit, quickened, “born again” to awareness of God’s Spirit. Before that happened, our “old man” delighted in many hurtful and wrong attitudes, speaking lies without shame. The OLD MAN was dominated by sin in our pre-conversion state. We now are birthed and grown to be REGENERATED IN OUR INNER MAN, WITH OUR SPIRIT FORMED INTO A SPIRITUAL BODY THAT IS LIKE JESUS.
Please notice SIN is the nature in man which DELIGHTS in doing wrong. The law of sin is a power and principle of death, which can STILL WORK IN OUR MEMBERS. It is found rooted in the soul’s mind, affecting the physical body. Only through a regenerated inner man can our spirit now see beyond the controlling mind and sin nature in every human being. Sin in man is really rooted in his CARNAL MIND, being a man of death and at enmity with God.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6 KJV
Now the spirit of God has truly quickened our spirit. Our thinking and behavior are exposed to light, and we find we no longer DELIGHT to go along paths conditioned by death. Righteousness is now working to control in our inner person and is evident in our soul and spirit. Our soul is being challenged to identify the difference between earthly carnal thoughts and the mind of Christ. Our inner person is connected to His spiritual thoughts. His thoughts form a knowledge of God WITHIN, enabling us to cast down every thought exalting itself against the KNOWLEDGE GOD HAS REVEALED to our inner spiritual being.
Men are intelligent, thinking persons who should understand that once our spirit has been quickened by His spirit, something new has replaced that old unregenerate person who did not know about God. The old condition of ignorance of God DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE. That “old” life is over and now has disappeared to be gone. “The old man” really is dead as scripture declares. Delighting in wrongdoing will not come back to dominate our life, although we may do wrong.
Our inner man, soul and spirit, has now been quickened by God, changed in nature to be subject to Christ. He makes us become something new, “new creatures” in Christ Jesus. The scriptures have one clear thing to say about our old man...HE IS DEAD! There is no hint that a Christian’s “old man” might, in some way, still be around, that you could still be having some problem with that old fellow, or even that you ought to work at killing him. Here is precisely what Paul states:
"Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of Sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for Sin, for one who dies has been justified from Sin. Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, being roused from among the dead, is not longer dying. Death is lording over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to Sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.
Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Let not Sin, then, be reigning in your mortal body, for you to be obeying its lusts. Nor yet be presenting your members (mind), as implements of injustice to Sin, but present yourselves to God as if alive from among the dead, and your members as implements of righteousness to God. For Sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:6-14 concordant
"I want you to know that your old man is dead, nullified. It is crucified together with Jesus Christ” says Paul. We are saved when we are seeing His victory work to free our inner spiritual person. Not just to hope we are, or wish we were, but we RECKON — count — our old man to be dead and gone, because now our inner man, our spirit is alive and connecting to God.
WE KNOW HE IS ALIVE, WE CAN SEE IT! It is important for us to see the facts as God sees them. It's not a stretch of the truth, nor any injustice to the scripture, nor a false front when we declare that our "old man" really is dead. Paul reiterates this same plain truth when he declares:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20
Unenlightened people like to do unjustly. Now that we are saved, that is gone forever from our inner man. Our inner man has formed Christ within, learned of God’s spiritual quickening, of being completed to constantly be born of the spirit. The Word of truth has taken root to grow and change the thoughts of our heart. We can make considerable conformity to loving God's will and ways. Enlightened thinking deserves sincere attention from us, as Christ is the source of correct directives.
Christ is the source of wisdom that leads us to be conquering the SIN PRINCIPLE. God’s enthronement within our inner man cleanses our soul (thinking) to save it. Christ definitely leads us through disciplines to examine our own inner thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors because our spirit, our inner man, is now alive to Him. We are risen from earthly mindedness, earthly viewpoints and judgments, to confront and conquer the law of sin with a higher power, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Our inner thought life is the present battleground for supplies of truth from Christ to be arrayed and displayed by revelation of a full, seven-fold measure of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. We are not getting uprooted with all the lies people tell themselves. The spirit of truth is sweeping out every part of our heart. It clears our mind and cleanses our tongue to be faithful witnesses and followers of God’s Christ. The Spirit of life liberates us to rightfully discern the thoughts and intents of our own heart, giving us eyes within to see and discern the mind of Christ.
The way of sonship has grown right within our inner spiritual man to soar into higher callings that recognize God as our Father. God dwelling within our inner man makes us alive to the law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS. He supersedes death every time and is greater than the power of sin working in human minds and bodies:
"Likewise reckon also yourself to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof." Romans 6:11-12
Drawing from the words LIKEWISE, ALSO and SIN, now we know sin will not reign (dominate as to be most important) in our mortal body. Our inner man now has to test the power to reign over and free our mind and mortal body from every sin—”missing the mark” of perfection. Paul establishes great truth when saying our old man is crucified...dead. Then he adds, "LIKEWISE (in the same manner), ALSO..." You cannot do something LIKEWISE or ALSO unless you have established the first— already done something beforehand.
Paul is saying that since you now KNOW that your old man, old life, IS DEAD, you are to LIKEWISE—ALSO—RECKON yourselves to be DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN. Our quickened inner man is capable of doing the will of God (our rewarded deeds) as Jesus did. Many godly brethren are now doing the will of God by that same Spirit. The Father’s truths are etched into our hearts. Truth rescues us from the adversary's many accusations and condemnations. True believers are continually being snatched away from the grip of dark lies.
Our Father’s dwelling place in our spirit is revealed in new dispositions and attitudes springing up from within, so we love truth, righteousness, and life. Yes, this is revealed now in our new inner nature. Now it has grown to be the biggest thing about US. Thank God, our soul can clearly identify Him as we are seeing Him make changes that empower our inner person to resist every evil, defy every lie, calm every storm, overturn every refuge of lies. Vain thoughts of men are exposed and dark earthly concerns are definitely being washed away from our consciousness so we may have an unhindered understanding of His wisdom.
God’s truth becomes clear without mixture or falsehood. He touches our inner being to form a relationship with Him. All Christians should be free to worship God in spirit and truth. The problem with church worship is that it has only received an earnest of the Spirit, a down payment of His Spirit. The entire church age was built on just an earnest supply, a down payment supply of the spirit.
The spirit of life in Christ Jesus has a full portion that was reserved until later, kept for later in a heavenly realm . This portion can be opened now for those of us who are caught up to a type of the third heaven, feasting on a full complement of the resurrection power in Jesus Christ:
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…" John 3:6
"It is no more 'I' that do it, but sin that dwells in me." Romans 7:20
Paul states that YOU and SIN are two different items. YOU are YOU, SIN is SIN. YOU are a quickened inner person who grew to be a Son or Daughter of God who is a NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS. Something new is alive within the truth that “old things are passing away”, and, “behold, all things are becoming NEW!” These things are becoming true to YOU who are now seated together with Christ in heavenly places.
Our homeland is the New Jerusalem order and concern is about the Mount of His throne. Yet, shall SIN still control the corruptible members of our earthly bodies? That corruptible body is NOT YOU. It is but the earthly tabernacle you live in. You also have a spiritual body:
"It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body." I Corinthians 15:44 NRS
"Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man…" Romans 7:18-22
"I delight in the law of God after MY INWARD MAN”, Paul says. Our inner parts are the soul and spirit that can be born of God's Word and Spirit, able to be made to see our old man is dead. Now we have an INWARD MAN that is a spiritual body, anointed by Christ to know GOD. We now have hope for gaining more than lost glory—hope to proceed into new power that reigns over our own earthly conditions.
Our SPIRIT is quickened by God’s Spirit so that our soul (mind) might receive truth from within our inward man. Our inner man IS our spiritual body that has had a real identity from the beginning. The truth of God is established by Christ who quickens our mind to bring an end to its warring and confusion. Yes, God’s Word has properly circumcised our heart to remove any existing natural-mindedness:
"I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members…" Romans 7:23
What members in ME? There are but three members in every man — body, soul, or spirit. Our MIND could sin, and our bodily MEMBERS could sin having been influenced by the death in life. Our regenerated spirit may need washing but does not delight in participating in mankind’s tremendous tragedy of being subject to death.
Being dead, our own sinful transgressions cause us to lose the bright glory of God’s life. Sin has been a powerful law that keeps the human condition in agreement with death, being filled with disgusting values, chasing empty vanities, having loathsome disease and corrupting defilement of beastly dispositions. Yet for us;
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness." Romans 8:10
OUR BODY (soma) IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN, BUT OUR SPIRIT IS NOW ALIVE because God is righteous! We might paraphrase that text as: "And because Christ is in us, in spite of the fact that our body is still in death because of the sin principle, our spirit is alive because of God's righteousness being quickened to our inner spiritual man." Alas! We too do join Paul in saying:
"We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump. For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality. Now, whenever this corruptible should be putting on incorruption and this mortal should be putting on immortality, then shall come to pass the word which is written,
‘Swallowed up was Death by Victory.
Where, O Death, is your victory?
Where, O Death, is your sting?’
Now the sting of Death is sin, yet the power of sin is the law. Now thanks be to God, Who is giving us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:51-57 concordant
Scripture teaches our mortal can put on immortality, a truth that we should come face to face with now. Light exposes areas of sin in all of us and we do acknowledge them, yet, by faith we will proceed on to the triumphs promised those brethren following Jesus. Yes, this mortal body is flesh and has sin embedded deeply in its members. Yes, this body is dying of corruption and weakness. Yes, it IS A BODY OF DEATH!
Yet our new inner man has a spiritual body that is ALIVE to God’s awesomely great promises. Yes, our heart has been stretched, tried in finding the reality of spiritual matters such that we cry out like Paul betimes:
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24
Ferrar Fenton has translated these words:
"I am a wretched man! What can deliver me from this deadly carcass?"
The following inspired truths are most wonderful keys:
"Now if Christ is in you, the body, indeed, is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is life because of righteousness. Now if the spirit of Him Who rouses Jesus from among the dead is making its home in you, He Who rouses Christ Jesus from among the dead will also be vivifying your mortal bodies because of His spirit making its home in you.” Romans 8:10-12 concordant
"For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now. Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves, also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body." Romans 8:23 concordant
God intends provision for the Lord's people to be freed from the death of sin, even that working in our bodily members. That is the proof of His manifestation: to be freed from all the negative influences coming from the sin principle’s work in our mind and body. Carnal thinking in our soul is death and we also need to be freed from corruption working in our bodily members. God’s Word has watered to strengthen our inner spiritual man and exercised us in being taught by His Spirit. We who bear His image know what a real cleansing from sin and death can be:
"Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2 concordant
What makes us free from the law of death is God’s Spirit making us free to be strong believers of His truths. We have correct understanding as we are strongly grasping His truth. The law of His life swallows up our death as light dispels darkness. His spirit is sent to teach, guide, and lead our spirit to accomplish this.
Christians will soon make ever valiant efforts at conquering the death principle working in their bodily members. We have heard teachings and witnessed many sincere Christians having struggles with eradicating the darkness of certain sins in their lives. Many are rebuking death’s darkness while marching their mortal corpse to the grave. Yet, death shall only leave our bodily members when the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus is FULLY turned on in our inner man.
There is no practice or program, no “vacuum machine” that can suck up the darkness of death’s dispositions. There is no chemical that disintegrates it, no earthly force that can change it — but the life in Christ Jesus can. God has called many people to move on, to love light, to face the focus His Spirit brings, to embrace His teaching and receive direct light in our inner man.
The law of life ALWAYS dispels our darkness. It never fails. The LAW OF LIFE in Christ Jesus likewise will always conquer death. We are to be rid of the darkness of the carnal mind and the motions of sin working in our bodily members. This deliverance will not come by religious efforts of fighting over the message, rebuking the devil, praying to be delivered, or being found doing good works, when evil is still present within! The solution is not in religiously working at making ourselves better, but coming to TRUST in something greater, putting our quickened inner person, our spirit, more powerfully in control.
Complete deliverance from bodily death and its defilements to corruption is promised by God. His two witnesses, the WORD and the SPIRIT, are sent to us flowing like spiritual streams of life, flowing powerfully to free us from the laws of sin and death. Wonderful rivers of the WATER OF LIFE are flowing from the throne realm.
This water of life will continue to flow out until the nations keep the Feast of Tabernacles and are healed by it. The river of God’s Word and Spirit will heal all the families of every generation, ALL OF US. The truth of Jesus is making us free and clean. We are fearless to open up the glories of the third heaven where the potential of paradise is found. We are open to the Kingdom of God; yes, open where GOD LIFE saves us to the UTTERMOST.
The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus now works fully in the “up hither realm” of New Jerusalem. The overcoming saints who are leaving the candlestick churches enter into the spirit of the New Jerusalem order. As natural law does not fail, so the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is definitely producing Godly fruit within His followers — and that without our struggling to produce it!
This law is a resting in HIS SPIRITUAL POWER that supersedes the power of sin and death. This law works super excessively enough to lift us up to spiritual recognition of the Lord. Within our thoughts we soar with eagles’ wings above all external pressures. We are drawn to awareness of His Spirit in the center of our spirit in all situations and circumstances. It keeps us delivered from the negative influences of this world, yet it tests every word for lies, resisting sin that is working death in our members.
A great spacecraft is held on the launching pad by the force of gravity until their mighty rocket engines fire to be lifted up and propelled into space where the law of earth’s gravity is defied. This task is accomplished by a more powerful LAW put in operation - the law of rocket propulsion overcoming gravity. The power of resurrection should be working within every Christian because the law of life in Christ Jesus is destined to destroy the law of sin and death in them.
People in every nation are involved with stressful pressures in their everyday living. Yet they spend endless hours in idle chatter about worldly things, watching television, busy tinkering with hobbies, and have had so many multiplied other social activities that hardly any peaceful quiet time is spent in just loving relationships. Americans are certainly now looking with fear at the things going on in the EARTH. Yet so few spend time, comparatively, in godly devotions, in intimate prayerful communion with our Father to get daily bread in the secret place of prayer.
How constantly we Americans give ourselves to going, going, going, and doing, doing, doing! No wonder there is so little real peace and quiet being experienced in our lives. Yes, the cares of this world have turned American lives into a pressure cooker. The strain of everyday living is steadily growing worse with disturbing world situations, increasing responsibilities, sickness, bills, taxes, race revolts, rebellions, and divorce breaking up homes, etc, etc. The divisions and distractions of life are far too numerous to mention, yet we are faced with some of them every day.
There are needful involvements of daily living but they should not OVERWHELM the spirit of Christ within our inner person. YOU are marked by the Father in your spirit to be free from anxiety, stress, and fatigue. YOU are free from what distracts your focus into fragmentations of our real spiritual purpose. Christ has not become divided. We must have a SINGLE EYE, understanding Him, so we are able to serve the Lord with all of our heart and all of our strength. We must be recognizing and applying cleansing truth, as Jesus said:
"In the world you shall have tribulation," John 16:33
Tribulation simply means “pressure”. And pressure, in medical terms, is sometimes called EXTERNAL STRESS FACTORS. Modern physicians now recognize the great importance of internal stress (from reaction to external stress factors) in causing and aggravating a host of physical illnesses and diseases. In this world all of us are subjected to a host of stresses - just as Jesus stated. Examination of the blood of a person experiencing internal stress over a long time or intense trauma will reveal the production of abnormal chemical compounds formed as a result of his mental and emotional frustration — resentment, angers, hate, anxiety, worry and fear - all of which contribute over a number of years to diseased physical conditions.
American people are burdened with stress, lack of care, often feeling pressured, tense, and irritable. They are divided and enticed by evil desires to let “downward looking” mindsets control daily life with carnal agitation. Christians everywhere must be cleansed by the water of His Word to rise above earth’s pollution to enter into meeting with the spirit of truth within. Christ magnifies the truth of the Lord in our midst.
Then, with no special ado, without religious works, by just being EXPOSED to HIS presence, tenderly and graciously, light sweeps through our spirit to quicken our mind. It cleanses our emotional inner state by washing away tensions and frustrations as we recognize truth. For us, the relentless demands of the earth can easily be removed. Our heavenly experience must include opening to a New Jerusalem Camp where God tabernacles within the inhabitants of Mount Zion, His throne that brings abiding unity.
“Up Hither!” It’s the law of life working to remove the power of death, annul it, neutralizing all its negative influences. Therefore we follow on, trusting that God will abide within our inner being daily, speaking to us so we may be turned to face the light in the face of Christ Jesus. Glorious light shines unto us if we can maintain a state of overcoming victory for TEN MINUTES...for TWO HOURS...or for THREE DAYS...
Then that same anointing of HIS LIFE will keep us fit for age-lasting victories, for as long as we yield to walk in His cleansing river of life. Do not hesitate when believing for a lasting flow that maintains the precious law of life in Christ working within our inner spiritual being. We CAN have less and less troubling stress with our thinking in worldly manners and not entertaining the many devilish thoughts in it.
The instruction of God frees us from soulish negative viewpoints and their tormenting emotions. The old frustrations and bitter wrongs, they all begin to fade away, becoming dimmer and dimmer and dimmer as Christ shines from within. The sin in our members is passing away. We’re now resting, no longer working at "getting rid of," or "trying to quit doing this or that," or trying to "kill," or "die," to do anything except to be alive, led and connected by Spirit.
Peace and rest within is a place where His spirit has WASHED us by the WATER OF HIS WORD to present us cleansed, able to see how to live in peace. We are able to find enjoyment in loving even small things, loving all things found in great righteousness. The prophet described His coming as:
"…a fountain opened in the house of David for sin and uncleanness…" Zechariah 13:1
The power of the seven-fold Spirit of God will clean up a man who dares "COME UP HITHER." With mercy He reigns over our earthly thoughts to subdue our earthly fears and free us to rest in His cleansing, sanctifying, transforming power. God is intensely passionate about fully developing the spirit of life within each of our lives.