What results from putting to death our adamic personality?...

Part Two What results from putting to death our adamic personality?...

We are set free from slavery to sin and therefore are eligible to become the servant of another. What an awesome, far-reaching concept is presented in Romans 6:6,7!

In order to appreciate what God has provided here we have to consider the condition of mankind upon the earth. Each person born on the earth has been convicted of sin already and is awaiting the sentencing of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Every individual was born with two counts against him or her. The first problem is, we are guilty of disobedience to God’s will because of the disobedience of our father, Adam, and because of our own behaviour. The second problem is, we have inherited in our flesh a disposition toward sin and rebellion against God.

We were born convicted of sin and full of sinful, rebellious tendencies. We did not have a chance to be a righteous person in God’s sight. We were born in a thoroughly unrighteous condition.

More than that, we were born to await the Day of Judgment, the day of sentencing. The maximum sentence handed down from the Judgment Seat of Christ is eternal banishment from the Presence of our Creator in an area of tormenting fire.

The Day of God’s vengeance has not come as yet. However, the date of sentencing was set when the angels of Heaven fell in pride and disobedience.

And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29).

"Before the time"! The time appears to have been set.

The moment Adam and Eve were infected with the evil virus of spiritual wickedness they too, along with the rebellious angels, were convicted of sin against God. They were cut off from His Presence as they had known it in the garden and now must await the day of sentencing.

Adam and Eve became the slaves of sin, for whoever sins is the slave of that sin. No human being ever can become the master of sin. He is the slave of the sin he commits.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whoever committeth sin is the servant [slave] of sin (John 8:34).

Has the God of Heaven actually stated we are sinners from the moment of birth?

Were we born guilty?

Are we compelled to behave unrighteously?

Are we all sinners by virtue of being human beings?

Yes, it is true. Because our ancestors, Adam and Eve, consented to join the ranks of the spirits in rebellion against God, they and every one of their descendants were convicted of iniquity and brought under slavery to the compulsion of sin.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).

We are not of those who teach that babies are cast into the fire when they die because they were born in sin. Jesus saves whomever He chooses to save, apart from our formulas.

If a human being is to be restored to favour with God, two aspects of sin must be dealt with: (1) the guilt must be removed; and (2) the bondage of slavery must be removed.

Most Christians probably understand quite well the extraordinary lengths to which God went upon Calvary in order to remove our guilt.

We have stated that we were born convicted of lawlessness and we all are awaiting the day of sentencing, the Day of Judgment. This is true.

But when we believe in Christ, placing our trust in Him for salvation, the Judge hands down the sentence: "Not guilty!"

We are not guilty now. We shall be found not guilty in the Day of Judgment. Such is the love of God toward us. God found a way to remove condemnation from us. He suffered the penalty Himself.

What has not been as clearly understood by most Christians, it appears, is the provision God has made for the second problem, that is, the bondage of slavery to sin—the compelling power in our flesh that urges us to keep on repeating the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

The Lord God requires righteousness of us, not only the righteousness He has imputed (ascribed) to us but also righteous behaviour—for the Kingdom of God is in righteous behaviour, not in ascribed righteousness.

We find an actual "law," as Paul describes it, dwelling in our body, striving to dictate to us that we, whether or not we approve, must keep on breaking God’s laws. We inherited this law, this compulsion. It is resident in our flesh. The law of sin in our flesh hates God and resists righteous behaviour at every opportunity.

We may not consent to the dwelling of the law of sin in our flesh or agree with the deeds it invites us to do. But the sinful tendencies often find expression in spite of our desire to be righteous. We are in slavery to an alien force that took dominion over us through means of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Therefore we cry out with Paul:

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24).

We have said we are not guilty now (Romans 8:1) and we shall be found not guilty in the Day of Judgment (John 5:29) provided we walk each day in the light of God’s will.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

The guilt of Adam’s sin and of our own sinning has been removed from us through the atonement made for us by Christ on the cross (II Corinthians 5:19).

But now we come to a different issue. What provision has God made for the corrupting appetites in our flesh, the alien force, the law of sin that keeps our mortal body in a condition of rebellion and death?

How do we gain release from slavery to sin so we can serve the Lord Jesus in righteous behaviour?

Let us speak first of the grace available to us in this life, and then of the liberation, the redemption, the salvation coming to us with the return of Christ from Heaven.

We Christians are in the pursuit of eternal, incorruptible life, meaning we are in the pursuit of righteous behaviour. Eternal life and righteous behaviour always go together. But how can we obtain righteous behaviour in our present life?

In order to achieve righteous, holy, and obedient behaviour we must, first of all, cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He slays the sinful tendencies in us. Second, we must follow the Spirit as He creates Christ in us. Righteous behaviour on our part comes from the Person and Life of Christ abiding in every part of our personality.

All righteousness, including both the removal of condemnation and the release into righteous behaviour, proceeds from Christ. The only righteousness God ultimately accepts is that which comes from Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He slays the sinful tendencies in us?

For if ye live in the appetites of the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Romans 8:13).

Although the Holy Spirit uses a variety of techniques, including suffering, to free the believer from the works of the flesh, we have found the following five steps of faith to be helpful in gaining release from sinful imaginations, motives, speech, and actions.

Confess the thoughts, words, or deeds as sin (I John 1:9).

Resolve never to practice it or them again (I Corinthians 15:34).

Receive wholeheartedly God’s forgiveness and cleansing (I John 1:9).

Draw near to God in order to gain His Presence and help (James 4:8).

Resist the devil the next time you are tempted by that which has been confessed (James 4:7).

Confess your sinful word or deed to the Lord and on some occasions to an experienced saint of the same sex as yourself or to your husband or wife. Confession and sincere repentance lead directly into release from slavery to the particular sin, whether it be adultery, fornication, filthy speaking, murderous rage, gluttony, sorcery, gossiping, harsh criticism, impatience, lack of self-control, or any other sin.

As in all areas of the Christian life, wisdom must be used in the practice of confession. In many instances it is sufficient to name the sin before God. On other occasions it is helpful—sometimes necessary—to get help from members of the Body of Christ. Do not confess your sin to someone who is spiritually immature, or of the opposite sex (except your wife or husband), or who will stumble, or who will repeat to someone else what you have confessed. Do not confess immorality to your wife or husband unless absolutely necessary because your confession may place a terrible and unnecessary load on your partner.

Often the results of these five steps are dramatic. Sometimes, however, we do not obtain relief immediately because the Spirit is working on other aspects of our personality or on circumstances having to do with the behaviours under scrutiny. But deliverance shall come. Sin shall not have dominion over us because the grace of God in Christ is sufficient to deliver us (Romans 6:14).

Some sins can be overcome merely by ceasing to practice them, as in the following admonition: Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (I Corinthians 15:34).

Other sins are removed from us by chastening and suffering:

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby (Hebrews 12:11).

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (I Peter 4:1,2).

The Divine Life of Christ comes to us through the Holy Spirit, subduing and replacing by superior virtue, wisdom, and force the sinful tendencies of our body. Freedom from condemnation and release from the slavery imposed by sin restore us to the state of innocence in which Adam and Eve began.

Now we are ready for a strong, conquering love of righteous behaviour and a strong, conquering hatred of sin and disobedience to be developed in us—for Christ loves righteousness and hates wickedness.

Where can we obtain a strong love of righteousness and a strong hatred of sin?

Only from the Divine Virtue of Christ Himself. We must eat of Him and drink of Him and live by Him if we are to develop the kind of character the Father in Heaven regards as righteous.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6:57).

As Christ is formed in us and dwells in us His righteous Nature begins to affect every part of our personality: our speech, our actions, our motives, our imaginations, our emotions, our reasoning's, our physical health, our ability to distinguish between good and evil and to choose the good, our understanding, our attitudes—in short, all we are, do, say, and perceive.

True righteousness is Christ in us. Christ is our life, our wisdom, our sanctification, our release into freedom from sin and disobedience. Christ is All in all to us and we are being created the fullness of Him, the shining forth of His Divine glory.

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Part Two What results from putting to death our adamic personality?...