Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
These words express the reality and power of the gospel that is fundamental to our Christian understanding. If we do not grasp what is being said, then we cannot fully understand the work of Christ nor the power of the Gospel to save. And in addition there is a not so subtle side effect of not understanding our victory over sin - if we do not see ourselves as having victory over sin then it will be very difficult to relate to God in a normal and healthy manner. If we do not see ourselves as having victory over sin then the work of the Gospel will be theoretical, a foreign concept, an abstraction, rather than a personal reality. If victory over sin in not a personal reality then we will be emotionally and intellectually distant from Christ and His atoning victories. We may not be enemies, but we will be emotionally and intellectually distant from the work of Christ. If we are not aware of gospel righteousness, then we cannot feel accepted by God for we do not understand the reasons for our acceptance. And, if we do not feel accepted by Him then we cannot enjoy Him and we cannot walk in overcoming faith for faith works by love. If we do not sense our complete victory over sin then we continue to suffer guilt with the emotional status of one that is unloved and unable to relate to their Father; we are left to our own works in an attempt to measure up and please him. We must be able to emotionally relate to Jesus and emotionally relate to His work of securing our present victory over sin and therefore securing our unqualified favor with God. Only in this way can we be fully happy with Christ and inwardly motivated to walk out His victories in this life.
To be healthy we must emotionally relate to the Gospel, i.e. we must find pleasure in it. Many know the facts of the Gospel, but it brings no joy, no fulfillment, and no peace and consequently no victories. Healthy relationships have an emotional component and if the work of Christ does not bring us the highest satisfaction and the highest fulfillment it is because we do not believe the gospel, or we do not understand the gospel, or we do not see the work of Christ as God's highest good for us; we do not see the Gospel as a priceless gift from a loving Father. The Gospel is the work of Christ for us, and must be the emotional and spiritual foundation of our life. Christ gives new identity, He gives new meaning and He gives us a new purpose. He is the source of our wisdom, He is the source of our joy, He is the source of our strength, He gives spiritual protection, and by His work He secures our relationship with God. People are empty because they fill their lives with things that cannot satisfy; everything in this world and every human relationship is temporary and cannot satisfy, they cannot bring lasting emotional or spiritual health. Emotional dependence on the Person and work of Jesus is the foundation of our emotional and spiritual wholeness. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We can be in a good and healthy relationship with God only if we enjoy Him; and we can enjoy Him only if we emotionally relate to our complete and final victory over sin.
It is important that our thinking not get upside down about our victory over sin. Victory over sin is the beginning of our relationship with Christ. It is the starting line; our victory is the reason we run the race. We can see victory over sin as a cause of our relationship with God or as a result of our relationship with God. We can see victory over sin as the cause or as the result of our salvation. This question has to be resolved, for the answer will determine our ability to love and enjoy the Lord. The scriptures teach our victory over sin is the result of Christ's work in us and for us.
Our relationship with God begins with forgiveness.
Our victory over sin lies in blood atonement which is the ground of forgiveness.
It is forgiveness that makes us right with God; It is forgiveness that results
in God's favor, it is forgiveness that results in justification and it is
forgiveness that brings the power of God into our lives. Forgiveness is THE
victory over sin. The power of the Gospel over sin resides in atonement, i.e.
the substitutionary death of Jesus for the sins of those who confess Him as
Lord and Savior. The Scriptures tell us that Christ bore our sins and destroyed
their power over us.
Victory over sin is the beginning of our walk with God and holy living is the fruit grown in the soil of forgiveness. If victory over sin is through my good living, then there is a possibility the victory might not be sure, for I might fail. But what can darkness do with forgiveness, it is the work of Christ, it is already accomplished, it is finished, and it has made me right with God. The power of the Gospel resides in God, He defeated sin for us and He cannot fail.
Romans 6:1-11 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
2 Tim 1:10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Col 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
1Cor 1:30-31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Heb 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 10:11-17 (NEV)11 Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times; but these sacrifices can never take away sins. 12Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective for ever, and then he sat down at the right-hand side of God. 13There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. 14With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect for ever those who are purified from sin. 15 And the Holy Spirit also gives us his witness. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” 17And then he says, “I will not remember their sins and evil deeds any longer.” 18So when these have been forgiven, an offering to take away sins is no longer needed
The promise of victory can be confusing for us. By nature we want to see the finished product. But the Lord does not work this way. He first gives His Word, then as we act on what He says we obtain or possess the promises. The promises of God’s Word have a beginning and an end. The beginning is what He says, the end is possessing what He says.
Faith takes what God says and brings it to completion.
Every
single born-again Christian is given a promise of victory over sin, but then we
have to personally possess the promise, walk it out and bring it to completion.
The Lord
walks with us through His indwelling Spirit and His Word and every Christian is
called and
empowered to victory over sin.
The promise of victory does not bring
us to completion, but to the starting line of faith.
We have a race to
run which has been won by Another. We show His victory over sin to be real by
winning over sin in our own life. When the Lord gives a promise, He enables us to
possess that promise. The Gospel promises victory over sin and as we emotionally
and intellectually possess these promises we can run our race with confidence
knowing there is no sin capable of defeating the work, the Word, or the Person
of Christ. In order to possess the victory, we must be assured that the battle
has been already been fought and won by Jesus Christ. We prove His victory real
by possessing
what He has won for us. We must know the gospel enables us to do what God commands
us to do.
To be whole we must feel forgiven!
We are to grow in faith and
understanding so that we can know the victories of Christ are real and feel the
joy of His victories. The Lord’s power and Spirit reside in His promises, and as
we give ourselves to possess what He says, the power inherent in His Word works
within us to change us and bring His work in us to completion.
Through the power inherent in His Word, He performs what He promises.