View source for Romans Verse six

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)

We are dealing in Romans 6:6 with two entities:

Our old man.

The body of sin.

The old man is our original adamic personality.

The body of sin is the sin that dwells in our flesh and is the reason for our body being dead-cut off from the eternal Life of God. 

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:20)

There is nothing but evil in the body of sin that dwells in us. There is some good in our adamic personality, but then there is the horrible problem of self-will.

The Christian salvation, unlike all other religions and philosophies, does not attempt to reform our adamic personality. The Christian salvation assigns our entire adamic personality (our old man) to the cross with Christ. Our old personality is not salvageable.

The adamic personality cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (I Corinthians 15:50)

The Christian redemption assigns the old man (the entire old man, the good and the bad of it) to the cross with Christ. Then the Divine redemption, the new covenant, gives birth to a new man, a new inner nature, and immediately lifts the new nature to the right hand of God.

The new nature is the Seed of God and cannot sin. 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)

The adamic nature must accept its death and, while waiting for the inner nature to gain strength, must seek to obey the teachings of the Apostles. One cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless the old man is faithful in accepting its death and in striving to obey the commandments of the Apostles.

But the new covenant, the Kingdom of God, is not found in the reformation of the old personality. The Kingdom of God is Christ Himself who is formed in the believer. Christ, the Day Star, rises in the heart. However, Christ can be formed in us only as we (sometimes, as in a new believer, the "we" consists mostly of the first, adamic personality) obey the Apostles, faithfully waiting on the Lord in every aspect of life.

The only way we can escape slavery to sin is by assigning our first personality-the good and the bad of it-to the cross with Christ.

Spiritual deliverance is available to the Body of Christ in our day. People can be delivered from murder, hatred, lust, covetousness, jealousy, drunkenness, and every other demonic chain.

However, if the individual is not faithfully following Christ in death and resurrection, the deliverance may prove to be partial and temporary.

Spiritual deliverance, if it is to be an eternal judgment on Satan and a permanent deliverance for us, must be accompanied by the forming of Christ in us. The correct procedure is for the growth of Christ to expose an area of sin. After the unclean spirit has been cast out, Christ is to grow into that area and secure it from further encroachments by the enemy.

If deliverance is practiced as a quick, easy solution to moral bondage, apart from an accompanying growth of Christ, the deliverance will likely be partial, as we have said, and not permanent. God's goal is not the deliverance of human beings, it is sons in His image who are abiding in Christ.

The Lord is freeing us from sin by replacing our original flesh-and-blood personality with a new personality formed from the Life of God. The old Adam is being replaced with a new Adam. All things are being made new and all things are of God.

Some of the traits of the adamic personality, such as love, loyalty, honor, courage, friendliness, integrity, are not sinful. But each of these traits, until it is renewed in Christ, will fail under enough pressure or because of deception, or become warped. Love becomes lust. Loyalty becomes a party spirit and divisiveness. Honor becomes pride. Courage becomes recklessness, presumption, or unwarranted boldness. Friendliness becomes weakness and a desire to please people instead of God. Human integrity will fail eventually if it is not renewed by the Virtue of the Lord's Person.

The capacity for love and union may be the distinguishing characteristic of mankind. It is not stated concerning the angels that they are able to love or enter into union with another. But love can turn into the monster of lust.

Much is said today concerning love, especially in the churches. But it usually is human love and can be the most formidable enemy of the Gospel. When the truth is preached the listeners of today may accuse the preacher of a lack of love. They may be hearing what is needed to save them from destruction, and the preaching may be coming from the love of God ministering through the preacher. But today's congregations, having been corrupted by self-serving ministers who flatter their congregations, often perceive the stern warnings of the prophets as lacking in love. They do not know what love is! Neither do they understand the difference between condemnation and conviction. 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (a new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God,... ; (II Corinthians 5:17,18)


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