Dying to Live, Part 1

As he moves into chapter 6, he necessarily and permanently links a holy life with true salvation. In other words, you don't need externally to control people who are redeemed because there is credit within them a controlled principle by virtue of the new nature which is under the control of John's beginning the first of several broadcast from the book of Romans on what it means to have freedom from sin. That's the title of our series and John throughout all of your years of teaching through the New Testament.

I think your messages from Romans really do stand out you began your verse by verse study Romans. In the early 1980s, and you spent five years taking your congregation through the riches of that book and in fact you are in the middle of Romans. I think Romans chapter 5 when I first came to Grace Community Church. So for me in your congregation.

The first go around, and Romans really was significant, wasn't it yet. I think it was a significant time in my own life as well and particularly the part of Romans that were going to be featuring in this new series, Romans six and seven and the series is going to be titled freedom from sin. There is nice. It was significant for me was coming into Grace church.

In fact, even before I became the pastor. I think it was the summer before I actually became pastor of Grace Church. I was deeply burdened by my inability to get a grasp on Romans six and seven. So remember spending that entire summer reading everything I could find that would explain to me the significance of Romans six and seven which is the whole issue of sanctification than the believers battle with sin and and where the victory lies in all of that's where we live and move and have our being. Obviously, and I remember coming out of that summer with such an overwhelming understanding of Romans six and seven that the first sermon I ever preached the Grace Church when I was just candid dating was on Romans six yeah I would and we had a tape of that and I was the one where you went for like three hours or somehow I brought up but I went an hour and 15 or 20 minutes.

Was I was I was just basically unloading everything that I had been absorbing for about three months so Romans six and seven has a special place in my life and even to this day for the life of the believer. It's the heart of the book of Romans. The wonderful reality of sovereign salvation lies in the hands of God and obviously we have to hear and believe. But it is God who moves on the heart to transform it when you get to sanctification between our justification, which is completely an act of God, by which he perfects us spiritually and our glorification, which is the next act of God, by which he perfects us totally in the middle is where we live in the struggle for sanctification so this is really the heart of the book of Romans. As far as the believer goes send so I'm I'm excited about this. The series is titled freedom from sin and you going to hear the sermons from that five-year stretch that Phil mentioned way way back in the early years of ministry. What does it mean to break free from sin and how do you do that and how do you enjoy the victory stay with us for the series on freedom from sin.

Don't miss the day. That's right, friend. You might be discouraged and think you are too weak to overcome certain sins but God not only can empower you to overcome those sins. He wants you to overcome them. So to start looking at the freedom from sin. Our Lord graciously offers years, John sold our Bibles together the six chapter of Romans. Paul has been stressing the dire situation of man. The inevitable doom that man faces because it is soon has been describing for us the rebellion of man against holy God. Man's love of his own sinfulness man's willful refusal to understand the God who is been clearly revealed to him inwardly and outwardly, and then in response to that, Paul is presented to us the wonderful, forgiving mercy and grace of God which reaches down to this unworthy man and offers to him full pardon full acquittal through the perfect and finished work of Jesus Christ and the work of Christ in regard to man is so full and so thorough and so complete and so merciful and so gracious, so comprehensive, so abundant, so magnanimous that it can best be summed up in chapter 5 verses 20 and 21 moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded.

Grace did super abound that as soon at the rain on that death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now the magnanimity of God's grace is shown there in verse 20, and that the greater the sin was the greater the grace was the cover that sin. That's how he sums up that first five chapters really great is man's sinfulness and infinitely greater is God's forgiving grace, not this point, we come to a new development in Paul's thinking. We talked about man's sin. We talked about God's salvation. And now we move into 1/3 major discussion in the epistle to the Romans and it has to do with the believer's holiness.

Now that you have been taken out of sin into salvation.

What is the inevitable result of that were going to see that in chapter 6, seven and eight. Another way Paul introduces it is by dealing with a question that would inevitably come up at this point.

If you are presenting this to a group which included those who might object in the inevitable question appears in verse one of chapter 6.

Now Paul was very good. It anticipating the argument of his adversary. He preached the gospel enough times to know what responses it generated and presented it in hostile groups well enough and long enough to know how they reacted to it. He knew the inevitable antagonists viewpoint.

He knew what he needed to counter. He knew the gaps that he needed to fill to continue his argument effectively and so he anticipates this statement in verse one, what shall we say that, in other words, if sin is abounding, but the greater the sin, the greater the grace shall we continue in sin that grace may abound find if I made of more soon generates more grace then should we just continue on.

Now that were redeemed and sin more so God can be more gracious if he gets such a thrill out of grace that let them have a lot of it.

In other words, somebody would say to Paul, Paul, your doctrine is antinomian, your doctrine is that which gives tremendous liberty. This idea that salvation is simply and only by grace through faith without works and that the greater the sin, the greater the grace leads to an antinomian viewpoint that isn't against the law. Viewpoint of freedom gotten many maniacal freedom gone berserk. It leads to a person say while I thought the more sin the more grace that man I want to sing like mad so God can just get all kinds of glory by dispensing grace. The antagonistic Jew would have a very difficult time handling Paul's argument about salvation by grace without works because he would assume that it led to this kind of thing. One writer put it this way. It is at this point that the apostle moves perilously close to the edge of an abyss. One step to the side and all he is gained by what is preceded could be lost." Mia salvation is all God and all grace and God is glorified in the dispensing of grace, then man and his desire for sin might reason, the more sin the more grace and that's basically how he moves into the section on sanctification or the believer's holiness, by the way this has been taught through the years. The evil genius of the Romanov family by the name of Rasputin taught and exemplified the doctrine of salvation through repeated experience of sin and repentance is that the more you sin the more God gives you grace and so the more you sin, and sin with abandon and the more you allow God to exercise his grace.

The more you give God glory. In fact, he went on to say that if you're just an ordinary sinner, you don't give God an opportunity to show his glory.

So be an extraordinary center. Now that is antinomianism that is complete abandonment in the name of grace and supply. Suppose that some of Paul's critics may have accused him of that, not only in his own imagination here chapter 6, but in reality back in chapter 3 verse eight it says and not rather he's talking about this idea of sin as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say let us do evil that good may come in there. He alludes to some slander that had been thrown at him that again.

The very likely that he had been accused of preaching the kind of the doctrine of grace that condoned evil so that God could be glorified in his forgiveness.

It may be also. That not only were critics attacking Paul on this angle in a negative sense. In other words, they want to deny him the doctrine of grace because it led to antinomianism. It may also be that there were some people who wanted to sin so that grace could abound just to justify their only lifestyle they are criticizing in their happy to accept it. They're not the legalists saying we can accept what you say. Paul leads to antinomianism there. The libertines are saying wow Paul, we do accept what you say we push it to its logical conclusion, if you wanted to meet a group of them. You might find them in the city of Corinth and the church seems to me if there was any libertine group of people in the name of Jesus Christ it was that group. They lived without any of the normal restraints of holiness that should bind the children of God. They were characterized by incest by incessant suing of one another that is an indication of selfish greed stepping on each other's necks. They were characterized by sexual immorality, by prostitution by paganism by demonic activity that even stood up in their assemblies in the name of the gift of the Holy Spirit cursed Jesus and maybe it was those kinds of things that sort of accommodated the libertine wanted to push the doctrine of grace to in his own mind what was its logical conclusion, but Paul wouldn't would allow neither of these he would not abandon grace to accommodate the legalists and he would not abandon grace to restrict the libertine, he wouldn't do it. In either case legalists is never a remedy for anything, not even license God has a better way. A more excellent way. And we find Paul unfolds that way in Romans six, seven and eight and basically if I can give you a preview the way that is the most excellent way is the way of the work of God in the heart. The regenerating work and then the kind comment. Ministry of the Holy Spirit. They will see that as we go now as we move into chapter 6 what Paul is going to show us is that the true gospel of grace does not lead to libertinism to just sending like mad because you're going to be all right anyway. In other words, it's what you've heard people say who wanted to criticize the doctrine of eternal security. They say what you believe in eternal security than what you really mean is that once you're Christian you can just send all you want and you're going to be okay. You heard people say that sure it's the same kind of thing so for them. They want to restrict the gospel. If you are saving grace in its eternal reality, because they're afraid that that's the only way they can control people and so they violate the purity of saving grace as an entity in order to control people might abuse grace. But Paul will have none of that in fact is he moves into chapter 6, he necessarily inextricably and permanently links a holy life with true salvation. In other words, you don't need externally to control people who are redeemed because there is planted within them a control principal by virtue of the new nature. The new life which is under the control of the Holy Spirit of God, so that the thing functions internally, not externally. They were to see that as we unfold.

These chapters together on chapters 3, four and five basically deal with justification chapter 678 deal with sanctification for you that like theological labels. If you want another way, chapters 3, four and five deal with. I get saved in chapter 6, seven, eight deal with how you live.

After you been say and there is an absolute connection in absolute connection. The two are linked, and I daresay beloved that nothing is more important for us to understand in the otter antinomianism of the contemporary Christian scene and to understand the link between sanctification and justification to understand the connection between a holy life in true salvation. That's why said you and other occasions that I'm convinced that the church in America is in many many cases, an unregenerate unredeemed lost godless priceless hell bound church because I don't see any holiness. There and I think there must be that reality. Let's look at Paul's argument when I can just go on ranting and raving about the subject for a long time.

I want to get into the text the foundation for Paul's teaching on holiness is laid down in the opening of this marvelous chapter. Let me just to be three elements to open up the first 14 verses the antagonist. The answer and the argument just a little three-point thing will look at the beginning of those significant points. First of all, the antagonist appears in verse one. This is an imaginary antagonist in a sense, it's probably imaginary. In this case, but not in terms of Paul's experience many times he's been accused of preaching the gospel of grace that is antinomian of what we went back to remember to the city of Jerusalem after collecting the offering from the Gentile churches and went back with all of the Gentile representatives to conciliate the Jewish and Gentile segments of the church to demonstrate love not only to meet their needs in a physical way, but to meet in the spiritual way. He thought that he would even further identify and so I went to the temple with some of those Jews which offer about you wanted to show his kinship to Judaism and he had not abandon it and you remember there was a riot that broke out of the accused him of speaking against the law and against the temple, and against them and against God and everything else that counted to be sacred. Why because the doctrine of grace seemed to them to be libertine teaching and he wants to show that you don't need to impose law on people is the Judaizers more than the same thing they want to going to Galatia when they found these people believed you could enter God's kingdom by grace alone. They couldn't handle that. And so they said no. You must be circumcised and you must keep all hoses and then you get through the vestibule of that get into the kingdom and their fear was that they are not just pure grace that everybody run amok. We still have that today people think you got have a zillion rules in order to conform people to spirituality that goes on in many places, churches, Christian schools where you think you can force spirituality down the throats of people by externalizing the rules are going to force them into a certain mold and so false as I know some of them accuse me of this. They're going to say well on that basis, but we just assume like mad so we can have a lot of grace. That's the antagonist, Jude. I think just as a footnote has this in mind, in verse four of that very important epistle. He says there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old pre-written is what it means to this condemnation, ungodly men who do what turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and these are the ones who want to accept grace and sale boy grace is greatly turn it into lasciviousness that is sinful activity and therefore they denied the Lord so keep in mind, you have two factors are on the one hand you have the legalists who want to say you can't teach that Paul people run wild.

You your teaching antinomianism. On the other hand you have the libertines were, say, teach, if all we love every minute of it. Were going to use that grace to its extreme, and both are wrong that both give evidence of never having truly been redeemed at all.

Now, you might look at another way, just to help you frame the question it might come that could be put this way if God justifies the ungodly, and does he do that joy does Romans 45. If God justifies the ungodly, and if he delights to justify the ungodly and there is no point in being what God so some would say the doctrine of grace puts a premium on sin. Does it. I've been accused of that. I've been accused of preaching grace and not having rule sometimes pastor say to me, one of the rules in your church for membership at Stroop many estimate yet that they have to sign a long list of rules my answer. That is what the Lord lets them in the kingdom. On the basis of faith. I think we limit our church. We really do want to set a standard higher than God, and we never have believed for a minute that we can put up a list of external rules make people spiritual. God is a better plan. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, the work continues interesting and agree A mineral.

It's an intensified word of the prefix preposition it means to abide it, remain, or stay accused of of staying in a house making a residence there. Shall we then put been saved by grace habitually sustain the same relationship to sin that we have had before.

So we go along with that same relationship were sitting at full control and we yielded fully to it. It was an unbroken habit are we going to continue that same abiding within the house of sin. In other words, supported theologically does justification not necessarily connect to sanctification can a person be saved and go on the same life pattern.

Can there be a divine transaction that has no impact on the life seminar Christian culture would say yes. Yes. If you've ever asked Jesus in your heart. No matter what your life is like, you can you can be sure you're going to go to heaven. In other words justification can exist apart from sanctification. One writer current writer says you can be saved and have absolutely no fruit.

You can be saved and have no evidence, no practical righteousness isn't desirable, it is God's will is investment it is possible we put the question this way does the gospel allow men to be on holy, can you be really saved and unholy and continue to remain in abide in stay in live in the same relationship to sin you had before. That's a question is a good answer verse two may get into DOC that your Bible says God for bid, but Megan Atal does not translate God for bid is an idiom strongest reaction possible is outraged indignation. It it did to put in the words of my grandmother, perish the thought that one floor in the contemporary vernacular no way may never be is denial with an occurrence of such a thought.

The very suggestion is thoroughly obnoxious to Paul so that he doesn't spew out some great argument. He just says no no no is a blunt formula by no means absolutely not. The Christian continuing to remain in abide in live in sin is not only impermissible, it is impossible. The thought only creates discussed how shall we that have died to sin, live any longer and he says it's impossible. You can't sustain the same relationship to sin you had before because you've dive into it that some think the authorized version is dead to sin. That's not the best translation. It's not talking about a state is talking about a past act isn't saying that you are presently dead to sin, he is saying you have died era stents at one point in time you died to sin. You died to talk and you remain in it when you died to. I want to just draw a circle around that phrase died to sin in your Bible because it is the key or the fundamental premise of the whole argument of the chapter I what is he saying hang on to this because it's foundational to the rest of the chapter death and life are not compatible, you can be dead alive at the same time, would you really mean is a logical impossibility cannot be dead and alive so you can be alive and looked at it and then sometimes you go to a funeral.

Summary is debited alive, but you can't really be dead and really be alive at the same time they're not compatible so as a fundamental logical contradiction for a Christian to be living in sin when he hasn't tied to it. You see it in it in a definite act in the past time a once for all definite break with sin was made.

That is a part of the believer's identity and the believer cannot therefore live in see if a man lives in sin. If he abides in sin. If he continues in sin. He is not a believer. It is no different than what John says in first John the one who was born of God cannot continue to commit sin, the one who does that remains. It gives evidence of the fact that he's never been taken out of that domain.

He's never died to that he is still alive to that dimension.

Now if you review sin is a realm where you are to view sin is a sphere.

You could say the believer no longer lives in that room. The believer no longer lives in that sphere and you know it says in Psalm 37 that a certain person passed away at low. He was not EAI sodding, but he couldn't be found in a real sense. That's the same way with a matter of sin. The believer is no longer there. He has died to sin, not some of your wheels are turning here already you say now wait a minute MacArthur what you mean by that. Are you saying Christians never sin that I say I'm just saying what Paul said not be patient enough to wait till the argument unfolds and will get to the question, but the point I want to know here is that whatever you want to do to explain it.

We have died to sin and we no longer live in that severe. We no longer live in that dimension. We have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into another realm. People choked on these kinds of concepts and facets because they're afraid it means eradication of the sin nature and I've been asked that was music you believe in the eradication sin nature means you believe it when you become a Christian. Originally perfect answer is.

Or you could not a pastor, I know better. I know better for my own life and everybody else's. All I'm doing is telling you what Paul is saying, you will see how it all fits together as we move along, but a Christian can not read main abide in stay in reside in sin, the way he did before his. He died to sin. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary pointing you to biblical truths that you need to understand if you're going to experience freedom from sin. That's our study this week on grace to you freedom from sin and our friend, our current subject is practical, practical stuff. What is more central to Christian living than fighting and forsaking sin. So let me encourage you to pick up our new freedom from sin. Study guide. It takes you deep into each lesson in our current series enriching your personal study order the new freedom from sin. Study guide today call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to our website, TTY.org, the freedom from sin.

Study guide is a great resource to use in your family devotion to pick up one copy or several call us at 855 grace or go online TTY.if you'd like to download the audio messages in John series title freedom from sin.

Go to TTY.org. There you will also find dozens of other topical studies, as well as hundreds of sermons that you've never heard on the radio effect. All John sermons more than 53 years worth are free to download in audio or transcript format that TTY.org that website is also where to go to purchase John's New Testament commentaries or the MacArthur study Bible, or the systematic theology book called biblical doctrine and much more.

Our website again TTY.org now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson encouraging you to be here tomorrow when John looks at the truths. The apostle Paul knew in the truths you need to know if you want to experience freedom from sin. It's another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace