6:12-14 What do we learn from what Paul says here?

Here sin is depicted as a ruler able to dominate and control a person's life, but it can only rule when it is obeyed. It has been destroyed - Christ has broken its power. But it is up to believers to continually resist its efforts to regain control over them.

They can do this by denying the lusts of the flesh (CP Ro 8:12-13; Jas 4:1-10; 1Jn 2:15-17); refusing to place any members of their body at the disposal of sin (CP Mt 5:29-30; Mk 9:43-44; Ro 12:12-13; Col 3:5-6); presenting their whole personalities as slaves to God and righteousness (CP Ro 6:13, 19 with 12:1-2; 1Th 4:3-5; 1Jn 2:15).

It is the believer's responsibility to obey these teachings - God has provided the empowering through Christ (CP Php 4:13). The same faculties that yield to sin and commit unholy acts can yield to God and commit holy acts (CP Ro 6:17-18, 22; 1Cor 7:22; Ga 5:1; 2Ti 1:13; 1Pe 2:15-16; 1Jn 1:7; 2:29). When believers resist sin's demands, no matter how strong the temptation is, no sin is possible.

No force at all can change our will if it is yielded to God (CP 2Cor 10:3-5; Eph 4:27; 6:11; Jas 4:7-10; 1Pe 5:6-9). In Ro 6:14 Paul stresses that we are not under the law that demands obedience but gives no power to obey. We are under grace which has empowered us, and indeed guarantees us the ultimate triumph (CP Jn 15:5; Ro 5:20-21; 8:35-39; 2Cor 9:8; Ga 5:16-18; Php 4:13; 1Jn 4:4).

We should note here that there is no sin in being tempted. The sin is in yielding to temptation (CP Jas 1:13-16). This teaches us that temptation is the arousal of man's own evil thoughts and desires which leads him to becoming trapped in sin when he succumbs to them (CP 2Sam 11:1-27).

Notice the sequence of events that led to David's sin here - it is the same as Jas 1:13-16 teaches: David became trapped in sin by succumbing to his own evil thoughts and desires. He was drawn away of his own lust and enticed, which led to adultery, murder, and then a cover-up. In our exposition of V1 of Ro 6 we said that whoever sees in grace a pretext for sinning is simply showing contempt for Christ, because that is how God sees it (CP 2Sam 12:9).

David was guilty of "despising the commandment of the Lord". By doing what he did David treated God with contempt, the same as New Testament Christians who sin treat Jesus with contempt. This does not apply only to adultery but to all forms of sin, although believers who have committed adultery are disqualified from any leadership position in the church (CP 1Ti 3:1-2, 10; 6:14; Tit 1:5-7).

The word blameless in those scriptures means one who has nothing which an adversary could seize upon with which to base a charge. It does not mean that one has to be perfect, but one against whom no evil charge could be proved.

Believers must manifest the highest example of perseverance in godliness, faithfulness and purity in the face of temptation, and loyalty and love toward Christ and the gospel (CP Php 3:17-18; 1Ti 4:12, 15; Tit 2:7-8). If we yield to sin it is because we have failed to resist our own sinful desires. God has adequately provided us with grace to overcome temptations and resist sinning, and we can overcome if we are resolute in our desire to obey God and depend on His faithfulness and enabling power through Christ (CP Ro 11:20-21; 1Cor 10:12-13; Jas 4:6-10; 1Pe 5:6-10; Rev 3:1-3, 17-18).

The way of escape from temptation which Paul refers to in 1Cor 10:13, is not a way out of temptation, but the way to overcome it, as Jesus did for our example (CP Mt 4:1-11). Knowing God's word and speaking it out over our circumstances is the key to overcoming temptation without succumbing to sin. God will honour that word (CP Psa 138:2; Jer 1:12; Jn 17:15-17; Eph 6:12-13; 2Th 3:3; He 4:12).

God's power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (CP 2Cor 3:18; 7:1; 1Pe 1:3-9; 2Pe 1:1-4): the grace of God (CP Ro 5:15; Eph 2:8-10; 2Ti 1:8-10; Tit 2:11-14); the blood of Jesus (CP Ro 3:24-26; 5:9; Eph 1:3-7; 2:13; Col 1:19-20; 1Pe 2:24; 1Jn 1:7; Rev 1:5; 5:9-10); the word of God (CP Eph 6:17; 2Ti 3:16-17; He 4:12); the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (CP 2Cor 10:3-5; Eph 6:10-13; 1Ti 1:18; Tit 3:5-6; 1Pe 1:5), and the heavenly intercession of Jesus (CP Ro 8:34; 1Ti 2:5; He 7:22-25; 9:24; 1Jn 2:1; Jude 24). These all bring sufficient power for believers to overcome sin and the spiritual forces of wickedness.

In the light of what we have learned so far we might ask at this point why is there any need for Paul to keep exhorting us not to yield again to sin if its power over us is broken.

The answer is that even though our will is now yielded to the things of God, it still has a certain bent at times to the doing of evil, which is the result of the inclination it had toward evil before grace did its work. The habits formed by years of sin must be overcome, and the only way to do this is to form new habits of the will by keeping the choices we make in line with God's word.

The divine nature imparted to us will keep our choices in line with God's word as we yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but we must ever be alert lest those habits formed by years of making the wrong choices lead us again to render obedience to our old master, the devil. As we establish new habits of choice, gradually our new wills are bent more and more in the direction of good, and it becomes increasingly easier to do right, and increasingly harder to do wrong (CP Ro 6:11-17; 7:4-6; Ga 5:16-18; Eph 2:1-7; Col 2:6-13; 3:1-11).

See comments on all Ro 6 questions, also Ro 3:9, 5:12-14, 7:4, 7:7-23, 8:1-2, 8:3-4; Ga 5:17; Jas 4:5 and 1 Jn 3:6-9 and author's studies Romans 6 - a Study on God's Empowering of Believers through Jesus Christ to Overcome Sin in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1),

The Power of God in Christians to Overcome the Devil, The Doctrine of Grace and Regeneration and Sanctification Defined in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2), and What being Born Again Means in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith.

"Romans"