Romans Verse seven
For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:7)
Freedom from sin is accomplished in three steps:
Freedom from the guilt of sin.
Immediate deliverance from the force of sin.
Ultimate deliverance from the force of sin.
We already have discussed freedom from the guilt imposed by the Law of Moses. As long as we are abiding in Christ and walking according to the Spirit of God, guilt is not an issue. Our sins were forgiven through Christ's death on the cross and they continue to be forgiven as we walk in the light of God's will. We now, if we are abiding in Christ, are without condemnation in the sight of God. Our adamic personality, that over which the Law of Moses holds sway, is dead with Christ and therefore no longer under the authority of the Law.
The continuing problem is the force of sin, the lust, the enticement that resides in our flesh and deceives us into practicing behaviors of which we do not approve. Our body is not morally neutral. There are forces dwelling in it that crave satisfaction-satisfaction found in actions that may be contrary to God's moral Nature.
Christ, through the Holy Spirit, has provided an immediate deliverance from sin. As we confess our sins and repent of them, the Holy Spirit takes the fire and life out of them and we are able to keep our body under control. In this manner we are kept by our faith unto the day of redemption.
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)
Which is the earnest (pledge) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)
The ultimate deliverance from sin will take place at the coming of the Lord. The Lord will appear to those who faithfully are looking for him, who have kept His Word through the Apostles, who have patiently overcome sin through the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord will appear to them and redeem their mortal bodies. He will appear without sin bringing the ultimate release from the force of sin. He will redeem their mortal bodies from all of the energies of sin. He will fill their bodies with eternal, incorruptible resurrection life. This is the white garment that will be given to the Bride at Christ's appearing. The white garment is the righteous deeds that the victorious saints have sought to practice.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness (righteous deeds) of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
The promised redemption will not take place in the lukewarm but only in those persons who have proven their worthiness by faithfully, patiently keeping the words of the Lord.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)
The coming redemption is the final, ultimate solution to the problem of sin.
Let us keep in mind that only one of the various aspects of salvation comes to us legally through imputation. Only forgiveness of sin and the consequent righteousness in God's sight is imputed (ascribed) to us. All of the remaining elements of our inheritance, such as eternal life, being a member of the Body of Christ, a part of the Bride of the Lamb, a pillar of the Temple of God, and so forth are never imputed to us. They cannot be just ascribed to us. They are actual facts of personality, behavior, and role.
The enormous misunderstanding of the Christian Church is that all areas of redemption are ascribed to us because of our belief in Jesus, are ours by legal authority alone, and that this legal position of imputation is the Christian redemption. This misunderstanding makes the Kingdom of God a house of cards. There is little reality, little life. It is a kind of withdrawal from reality.
But the Kingdom of God is a real kingdom in which human beings are transformed into sons of God, not by mercy and forgiveness but by actual transformation through the impartation of the Divine Nature. The new creation is not imputed, it grows from the Divine Seed against every kind of obstacle. The greater part of the Seed that is sown today never brings forth lasting fruit. The lesser part that does bring forth lasting fruit does so in varying degrees.
It is time for the Church to wake up. The Kingdom of God is at hand and it is a genuine kingdom with a King, a nobility, an army, and all other aspects of a kingdom. None of this reality and Divine glory is ascribed to us when we do not possess it; rather, it is created in us as we patiently, faithfully follow Christ through the tribulations of life on earth.
God envisions things that are not in existence as though they were in existence. God already sees us glorified in Christ. But unless we press forward in the Holy Spirit until we actually are glorified, the Divine vision will never become reality. Let us not be mistaken about this or one day we will be weeping and gnashing our teeth in remorse because of opportunities forever lost.
Salvation and glorification always are an opportunity, not a fact ascribed to us when there is no reality.
Deliverance from both the guilt and the force of sin takes place in those who live each day in union with the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ