Rom 6:1-2; What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? This is one of the passages that anti-gracists use in attacking the gospel of grace! Controversial! Lets demystify that passage. What brought this question? Lets look at what Paul said in the proceeding chapter and verse. ROM 5:20; Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: Wow! Paul said that the reason Law entered is so that offence(sin) may abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound! Why did the law enter? That sin may increase. All those that teach Law, you are not eradicating sin. You are increasing it! The word that translates abound is Greek- pleonazo, which means increase. The word that translates much more abound is Greek- huperperisseuō, which means abound beyond measure, overflow abundantly. So Paul is saying that where (any place) sin is on the increase, right there, Grace is superabounding! That must have gotten the antigracists worried and they now asked, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Are you ready? This will blow off your religiosity! The words shall we continue is one Greek word, Epimenō - which means to tarry in a place, to stay at a place. It doesnt mean to do something. Its not referring to actions but place. Not what you are doing but where you are, your state. The word sin is a Greek word hamartia and its a noun (name of a thing, animal or place) not a verb. Shall we tarry in the state of the nature of sin that sin may abound? Should we continue calling ourselves sinners that grace may abound? Shall we continue to be in this nature (not action) of sin that grace may abound? Pauls answer, God forbid. How shall we that are dead to the nature of sin, live any longer therein? We are dead to sin. How can you say that we are alive to sin when we have died? Not possible. Let me paint a picture for you. If you see a living dog chasing after flies, you will try to stop the dog from going after the flies, but if the dog is dead and you see flies on the dead dog, you will not chase the dog away but the flies. The dog is dead to the flies! ROM. 6:7; For he that is dead is freed from sin. The word freed is from the Greek word- dikaioō, which means to render righteous, to declare righteous, to be such as he ought to be, The word from is from the Greek word- apo, which means seperation. Lets fix in the words now. For he that is dead is declared righteous and made as he ought to be and separated from the nature of sin. What then did Paul recommend? Try to stop sinning? No. Struggle with sin? No. What did he recommend? Rom 6:11; Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The word reckon is from the Greek word logizomai which means to take into account, calculate, count, compute, record, judge, meditate on. Likewise judge yourself to be dead indeed(certainly) to sin but alive to God. Likewise meditate on ye yourselves to be dead certainly to sin but alive to God. Likewise record, account yourself to be dead certainly to sin but alive to God. He is saying, let this be your consciousness, meditation and confession. I am dead indeed to sin and Im alive unto God!
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:22:53 +0000