What's So Amazing About Grace Session 9 - Applications of Emancipation for Slavery to Sin - Knowing, Considering, and Presenting

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying grace.  The title of the study is "What's So Amazing about Grace"

Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.

There could have been no grace whatsoever for us but for the fact that God the Son volunteered to take our place and redeem us: Grace... came through Jesus Christ.

Grace brought freedom from the bondage of slavery of sin and the freedom to serve God without guilt.  Grace gave the Christian Freedom from fear. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from worry. Freedom from emptiness. Freedom to overcome rage, sensuality, envy, pride, insecurity, and selfishness. Freedom to walk in love, faithfulness, patience, grace, and compassion. Sensing God’s presence like never before. Joy that flows like a fountain. Peace as stable as a mountain.

How is it possible to break the habit of serving the old master of sin and start enjoying the benefits of being free? To walk in freedom and experience the liberty of our new lives, we must know some things, consider something, and present something.  

We are using the books, "The Grace Awakening: Believing In Grace Is One Thing. Living it is Another", and "The Grace Awakening Workbook" by Charles E. Swindoll.  You can study along with us by clicking the above links or the images after the notes.

These are the notes to Session 9

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Something that I read;

I was convinced through reading the New Testament that Jesus really is the Son of God. But I did not want to be a Christian as I feared that I would lose my freedom. The last things that I associated with faith were love and freedom. I associated faith with losing my freedom. I thought that God would want me to stop doing all the things that were fun and that I enjoyed.

In fact, I have discovered over the last forty years that true faith leads to freedom and love. Love, faith and freedom are inextricably entwined.

Grace is incompatible with earning, not with effort. Hebrews 12:14 speaks about effort: “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Being holy is not automatic, but it also does not just mean trying hard. We need the presence of God’s grace.

Today’s reading contrasts those who come to God through Jesus Christ with those who draw near under the Law of Moses. In verse 20, we learn that those who heard the Law on Mount Sinai “could not bear what was commanded.” However, verses 22–24 say that those who responded to the gospel have come to the heavenly Jerusalem (not Sinai). There they find the assembly of angels and the church of the firstborn “whose names are written in heaven” (v. 23). They also come to God Himself and to Jesus, their mediator.

By these images, the writer is showing that the Law could only take us so far (to Sinai), but grace which comes to us through Jesus Christ can take us where the Law could not (to God). The Law points us to God, but grace brings us into His presence. The gospel speaks a “better word” that must not be ignored (v. 24). The holiness that the writer urges Christians to practice is energized by grace. It begins with grace and is carried out through grace. Second Peter 3:14 echoes this theme when it tells us to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” The only way we can be blameless before God is to be found in Christ. Christ is our righteousness.

We must claim and walk in our freedom from sin’s control.

Romans 6:5‭-‬14 NIV For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

What can we do to keep our old master out of control? Paul presented three practical applications in Romans 6. He advised that to walk in freedom from the old master and experience the liberty of our new lives, we must know some things, consider something, and present something.  

“know” some things

Romans 6:3‭, ‬6‭, ‬9 NIV Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

 “Consider” something 

Romans 6:11 NIV In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

and “present” something

Romans 6:13 NIV Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

Know

Romans 6:3‭-‬7 NIV Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

 Romans 6:8‭-‬10 NIV   Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Now that we know we are free we should consider something.

Romans 6:11 NIV In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Greek word we translate count or consider means “to calculate, to take into account, to figure.” It is a financial term, an accounting term. Rather than meaning “act like it is so,” it means “reckon it true.

What exactly are we to calculate? We are in Christ, dead to sin’s power. And Christ is in us, releasing God’s new power.

And the result of such calculating?

Romans 6:12 NIV Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

What is really liberating is this; even when we do sin, when we occasionally fail, God has set us free through Christ so He will not allow us to become slaves again so 

1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Your secure position in Christ leaves you with nothing to fear, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  Rather than thinking, My sin, my shame, my failure, remember, His forgiveness, His grace, His life. 

So to enjoy our emancipation from slavery to sin we have to know something, we have to consider something and finally we have to present something.

Romans 6:13‭-‬14 NIV Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Present

Not only must there be intelligent calculation (“consider”) based on true information  (“know”), there has to be a conscious presentation of ourselves to God. Paul spells that out in two simple commands. One is negative and the other is positive.

Romans 6:13‭-‬14 NIV Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Negative 

“Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.”  Why? Because we aren’t slaves anymore. Our bodies are not helpless victims of lustful urges and uncontrollable weaknesses. Those days ended when we became Christians. Remember, we’ve been emancipated!

            

Positive 

“But present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead. . . . For sin shall not be master over you.”

Since we have been emancipated, it is high time we start living like it.

But it’s not easy. Old habits are terribly difficult to break. Thinking correctly takes courage.  Legalists will continue to come at you remembering they are driven by pride.  Grace killers don’t want you to walk in the freedom you have received.  

Guiding Others to Freedom

We should be encouraged—and encourage others—to embrace the freedom we have in Christ, discover the balance between self-restraint and liberty, and wisely use our freedom to serve Him.

With all this talk about liberty and freedom we have to be careful that we don’t get carried away. Liberty has some limits.  Sometimes we need to restrain our freedom and hold them i check.

As we have said several times grace can be—and sometimes is—abused. We can sometimes exercise our liberty without wisdom . . . having no concern over whether it offends or wounds a young and impressionable fellow believer.  Limitations are appropriate and necessary, but that is between the individual believer and God through the Holy Spirit.  There is no place in scripture where it tells us to require such restraint from another. To do so is legalism.

Our job is to free people; God’s job is to restrain them. 

The best restraint is self-restraint that comes from the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit through the person and presence of Jesus Christ in each individual life. Most believers need to be freed, not restrained.

Breathing holes

Truths about Freedom from Scripture

• It was for freedom that Christ set us free. (Gal. 5:1 )

   

• For he who has died is freed from sin. (Rom. 6:7)

     

•  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free. (Rom. 8:2)

      

• What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also withHim freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:31–32)

    

• And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

   

•  If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)

Grace killers plug up the breathing holes.

Here’s a huge breathing hole;

1 Corinthians 10:23‭-‬33 NIV “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Back then the major question was this: Should Christians eat meat that had been offered to idols?     

In ancient pagan worship, portions of meat were offered to idols. Some of the carcass, however, was left over and was sold in a meat market. It was perfectly good meat.

There were Christians back then who had no qualms about buying that meat in the meat market. Others who were young and recently converted out of an idol-worshiping lifestyle felt they should not do that. They reasoned like this: “That is meat that has been offered to idols. We shouldn’t buy it or eat it. Its association with an idol temple and pagan worship contaminates the meat.” 

Paul writes to say, in effect, “Meat isn’t contaminated because the other part of the animal was sacrificed on a pagan altar.There’s no way that some idol of wood or stone could contaminate a piece of meat.”

He is setting believers free. They don’t have to worry about the meat served in an unbeliever’s home. If the unbeliever is going to have barbecued steak, great! Eat up and don’t ask questions.

Paul also makes some wise comments about times when it is best to restrain; but the overall general rule is to eat the meat. “The grace of God says you can eat it,” implies the Apostle of Grace. So enjoy! Some, however, don’t feel the same freedom, but they have no reason to slander those who eat.

In other words don’t  give me your personal list of dos and don’ts to live by! And you can count on this: I will never giveyou my personal list of dos and don’ts to follow! Being free means you have no reason whatsoever to agree with my personal list; nor should you slander me because it isn’t exactly like yours. That is one of the ways Christians can live inharmony. It is called living by grace . . . and it is the only way to fly.

Now one  word of caution. If there is a specific list is Scripture that says do or don’t do something then that should be obeyed without hesitation or question. However that’s an inspired list for all of us to follow, not someone’s personal list.

When questionable things aren’t specified in Scripture, it then becomes a matter of one’s personal preference or convictions.

God has given His children a wonderful freedom in Christ, which means not only freedom from sin and shame but also a freedom in lifestyle so that we can become models of His grace. Being free, enjoying your liberty, and allowing others the same enjoyment.  But you must allow the Holy Spirit to balance your life.

On the one hand we can use Scripture to control, manipulate, and judge and  pound folks into submission rather than using it  as a guide to lead others into grace.  On the other hand we can use our freedom and abuse God’s grace by flaunting our liberty.  

1 Corinthians 10:23‭-‬24 NIV “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Grace is not the God-given, pervasive covering to do whatever you please. You cannot twist Scripture to accommodate your desires.  That has nothing to do with grace.

That is freedom gone wild, liberty without limits, which is nothing more than disobedience. That is abusing grace. Those who do so not only live confused and get hurt, but they also confuse and hurt others. We should think of grace as a privilege to be enjoyed and protected, not a license to please ourselves.

What's So Amazing about Grace Session 8 Emancipation from Slavery of Sin

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying grace.  The title of the study is "What's So Amazing about Grace"

Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.

There could have been no grace whatsoever for us but for the fact that God the Son volunteered to take our place and redeem us: Grace... came through Jesus Christ.

Grace brought freedom from the bondage of slavery of sin and the freedom to serve God without guilt.  Grace gave the Christian Freedom from fear. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from worry. Freedom from emptiness. Freedom to overcome rage, sensuality, envy, pride, insecurity, and selfishness. Freedom to walk in love, faithfulness, patience, grace, and compassion. Sensing God’s presence like never before. Joy that flows like a fountain. Peace as stable as a mountain.

Even though our Great Emancipator Christ, paid the ultimate price to overthrow slavery to sin once for all most Christians act as though they are still held in bondage. Strange as it is most seem to prefer the security of slavery to the risks of liberty. To tell the truth, most Christians have been better trained to expect and handle their sin than to expect and enjoy their freedom.

How is it possible to break the habit of serving the old master of sin and start enjoying the benefits of being free? To walk in freedom and experience the liberty of our new lives, we must know some things, consider something, and present something.  

We are using the books, "The Grace Awakening: Believing In Grace Is One Thing. Living it is Another", and "The Grace Awakening Workbook" by Charles E. Swindoll.  You can study along with us by clicking the above links or the images after the notes.

These are the notes to Session 8

Ephesians 2:6‭-‬9 NIV And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Freedom from addiction. Freedom from fear. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from worry. Freedom from emptiness. Freedom to overcome rage, sensuality, envy, pride, insecurity, and selfishness. Freedom to walk in love, faithfulness, patience, grace, and compassion. Sensing God’s presence like never before. Joy that flows like a fountain. Peace as stable as a mountain. You don’t have to live as you once lived or be who you once were.

Emancipated?  Then Live Like It     

Romans 6:15‭-‬23 NIV What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rather than reaching out for the joys and risks liberty offers, many of us cling to the familiar “security” of spiritual slavery. And that’s exactly what our old master, the devil, wants us to do. He uses every weapon in his arsenal to convince us that grace didn’t really free us, that we’re still guilty, and that we’ll never be able to live without our old slave ways.

Yet, many Christians today do the exact same thing in their spiritual lives. They embrace freedom with their words, but their actions show that they either don't understand what it means to be free or they fear their newfound freedom.      

Three analogies regarding slavery to sin . The first analogy is grim: 

Romans 3:10‭-‬18 NIV As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

All of us were born in bondage to sin.

• No one righteous    

• No spiritual understanding

   

• No worthwhile achievements before God

  

• No purity, no innocence, no peace, no hope, no escape we were unable to change our enslavement to sin

The second analogy is glorious: A day came when Christ set us free.

Romans 3:21‭-‬22 NIV But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

To qualify for freedom, you don’t have to be born in a certain country. You don’t have to speak a certain language. Your skin doesn’t have to be a certain color. You don’t have to be educated or cultured or make a certain amount of money or fulfill some list of requirements. There is absolutely no distinction. Why? 

Romans 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Because we have all sinned then all sinners are savable. How is that possible?

Romans 3:24 NIV and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The price was His death. By doing so, He said to every one of us, in effect, “You don’t have to live in slavery anymore. You're free. You’re free to serve Me for the rest of your life.”

The third analogy I find in Romans 3 is tragic because many Christians still live as though they are enslaved.

We rationalize around our sin; we act hypocritically; occasionally we lie and cheat and steal. Then with a shrug we say, “Well, you know, man, nobody’s perfect.” In effect, we are saying, “I’m still enslaved. Sin still overpowers me. I’m so ashamed. But I just can’t help it.”

Because Jesus set your free you are free from being overpowered by sin.  You can live above enslavement because of grace which awakens, enlivens, and empowers our ability to conquer sin.

Once we truly grasp the freedom grace brings, we can spend lengthy periods of our lives without sinning or feeling ashamed. Most of us are so programmed to sin that we wait for it to happen.   

To tell the truth, most Christians have been better trained to expect and handle their sin than to expect and enjoy their freedom. The shame and self-imposed guilt this brings is enormous, to say nothing of the “I’m defeated” message it reinforces. We begin the day afraid of sin. We live ashamed. We go to bed with a long list, ready to confess. If it isn’t very long, we fear we’ve overlooked several “hidden sins.”  

Romans 6:1‭-‬15 NIV What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

Two kinds of people, identified in this scripture who were spiritually emancipated but still living lives of slavery: grace nullifiers and grace abusers.

The grace nullifiers are addressed in 1-14 starting with verse 

Romans 6:1 NIV What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

What’s the answer to that question?

Romans 6:2 NIV By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

What he is really saying is;

By no means!”

      

      • “Away with such a notion!”

      

      • “Perish the thought!”

      

      • “Never, never, never!”

      

      • “What a ghastly thought!”

Why would emancipated slaves who have been freed from sin and shame return to live under that same domination any longer?

We have been programmed to think, I know I am going to sin, to fail . . . to fall short today. Since this is true, I need to be ready to find cleansing. You have not been programmed to yield yourself unto God as those who have power over sin.     

How much better to begin each day thinking victory, not defeat; to awake to grace, not shame.     

Many Christians just can’t let go of the past they are grace nullifiers    

J. Vernon McGee told the story of a lady who lived in the Deep South and had a close relationship with her childhood sweetheart. She fell in love with him and ultimately married him. Their life together was not perfect,  but it was rewarding. There was faithfulness and there were times of joy.

This continued for years, until he was suddenly taken from her side by a heart attack. Not being able to part with him visibly, she decided to have him embalmed, put in a chair, sealed up in a glass case, and placed immediately inside the front door of their large plantation home. Every time she walked through the door,

she smiled, “Hi, John, how are you?” Then she would walk right on up the stairs. Things rocked along as normally as possible month after month. There he sat day after day as she acknowledged his presence with a smile and friendly wave.

      

 A year or so later she decided to take a lengthy trip to Europe. It was a delightful change of scenery. In fact, while in Europe she met a fine American gentleman who was also vacationing over there. He swept her off her feet. After a whirlwind romance, they got married and honeymooned all over Europe. She said nothing about ol’ John back on the farm.

      

Finally, they traveled together back to the States. Driving up the winding road toher home, her new husband decided, This is my moment to lift my bride over the threshold and to carry her back into her home . . . this wonderful place where we’ll live together forever. He picked her up, bumped the door open with his hip, and walked right in. He almost dropped his bride on the floor! "Who is this?”  “Well, that is John. He was my old man from—”

 “He is history; he’s dead! “The new husband immediately dug a big hole and buried her former old man in it, case and all.      

      

That’s exactly what Christ has done! However, without realizing the effect, many Christians put the old man in a case and greet him every morning and cater to him every day of their lives. We live as though our “old man” is alive, even though we are dead to him. He has no right to be in our conscious thinking. We serve a new Master. Being creatures of habit, we still prefer the security of slavery to the risks of liberty. 

1 John 1:8‭-‬9 NIV If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 tells us what to do when we have sinned. 

Now read

Romans 6:13‭-‬14 NIV Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

This tells us what to do to resist the sin patterns that we’re accustomed to following.

Do you lean on the truth of Romans 6:13 as much as you trust the teaching of 1 John1:9? 

Why do most of us find it easier to fail and be forgiven rather than to yield ourselves to God before we fail?                            

How is it possible to break the habit of serving the old master of sin and start enjoying the benefits of being free?

We must claim and walk in our freedom from sin’s control.

Romans 6:5‭-‬14 NIV For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

What can we do to keep our old master out of control? Paul presented three practical applications in Romans 6. He advised that to walk in freedom from the old master and experience the liberty of our new lives, we must know some things, consider something, and present something.  

“know” some things

Romans 6:3‭, ‬6‭, ‬9 NIV Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

 “Consider” something 

Romans 6:11 NIV In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

and “present” something

Romans 6:13 NIV Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

Know

Romans 6:3‭-‬7 NIV Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

The word baptism here is not referring to water baptism.    Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 

The word baptizo primarily has to do with identification. It was a term that was used in the first century for dipping a light-colored garment into a dye that was, let’s say, scarlet.

Once the fabric was dipped into the scarlet dye, it would be changed in its identity from its original color to scarlet. The act of dipping it, resulting in changing its identity, was called baptizo.  It is the Greek term from which we get our English word baptism.

When we believed in the Savior’s death and resurrection, we were “dipped” into the same scene. Our identity was changed. We didn’t feel it, we didn’t see it, we didn’t hear it, but it did happen. 

When we came to Christ, we were placed into Him and His death became ours, His victorious resurrection became ours, and His “awakening” to new life became our “awakening,” His powerful walk became our powerful walk. Before we can experience the benefits of all that, we have to know it really know it.  

The Christian life is not stumbling along Jesus lives in me and I live in Him. His power becomes mine. His very life becomes my life. His victory over sin is my victory over sin. I no longer need to live as a slave to sin.

 Romans 6:8‭-‬10 NIV   Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

We hear Christians say, and I’ve said it myself we have to crucify ourselves daily.  Well if we are in Christ and He has already been crucified once for all that means He died to sin and so did you and me.  

Death to sin is an accomplished act, a finished fact. Theoretically, it has all been taken care of. A victorious walk begins with us knowing this for a fact. Christ’s Emancipation Proclamation has put to death the whole idea of slavery to sin. Having died to sin’s power, we are now free to serve our new Master.

Not until you and I know that we are dead to sin’s control and alive to God’s power through Christ will we live like victors, not victims.

Now that we know we are free we should consider something.

Romans 6:11 NIV In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Greek word we translate count or consider means “to calculate, to take into account, to figure.” It is a financial term, an accounting term. Rather than meaning “act like it is so,” it means “reckon it true.

Bible Study Audio

What's So Amazing about Grace- Session 7 - The Tools of Legalism

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying grace.  The title of the study is "What's So Amazing about Grace"

Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.

There could have been no grace whatsoever for us but for the fact that God the Son volunteered to take our place and redeem us: Grace... came through Jesus Christ.

Grace will bring the freedom to want the highest good for and expect the highest good from one another. It will make us want to obey and prompt us to love each other. 

The greatest thing about grace is that it is free to you, but it is certainly not cheap. Jesus paid for it with His life.

One of the most serious problems facing the orthodox Christian church today is the problem of legalism. One of the most serious problems facing the church in Paul’s day was the problem of legalism. 

Legalism is a killer. It kills congregations when a pastor is a legalist.  It kills pastors when congregations are legalistic. Legalistic people with their rigid dos and don’ts kill the spirit of joy and spontaneity of those who wish to enjoy their liberty. Strict legalistic people in leadership drain the very life out of a church, even though they may claim they are doing God a service.

We are using the books, "The Grace Awakening: Believing In Grace Is One Thing. Living it is Another", and "The Grace Awakening Workbook" by Charles E. Swindoll.  You can study along with us by clicking the above links or the images after the notes.

These are the notes to Session 7

Eph. 2:8–9 NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast”

Squaring Off Against Legalism

Galatians 3:1 NIV You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

“One of the most serious problems facing the orthodox Christian church today is the problem of legalism. One of the most serious problems facing the church in Paul’s day was the problem of legalism. 

Colossians 2:16‭-‬23 NLT So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Legalism is a killer. It kills congregations when a pastor is a legalist.  It kills pastors when congregations are legalistic. Legalistic people with their rigid dos and don’ts kill the spirit of joy and spontaneity of those who wish to enjoy their liberty. Strict legalistic people in leadership drain the very life out of a church,

even though they may claim they are doing God a service.

Alternatives to Grace

What are the alternatives to grace?  

1. I can emphasize works over grace.

2. I can give you a list of dos and don’ts. 

3. I can leave no room for any gray areas. 

      

4. I can cultivate a judgmental attitude toward those who may not agree or cooperate with my plan. 

Grace killers are notorious for a judgmental attitude. It is perhaps the single most un-Christlike characteristic in evangelical circles today.

Ephesians 4:17‭-‬32 NIV So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Does following Jesus mean following a list of dos and don’ts? The apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Ephesus, urged them “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph. 4:11). He then gives some clear instructions for Christian living. As Paul explained, it was much more than just checking off items on a spiritual “to-do list.”

Today’s passage contrasts the Ephesian believers’ life before they knew Christ with how they now lived. “What is immediately worthy of note is the apostle’s emphasis on the intellectual factor in everybody’s way of life,” John Stott observes. “While describing pagans, he draws attention to the futility of their thinking, adds that they are darkened in their understanding and attributes their alienation from God to the ignorance that is in them.”

As Christ followers, the Ephesians had to learn to think differently. The Christian way of life that Paul outlines in verses 22–24 flows out of three critical resolutions. First, a believer determines to put off the old self (v. 22). When we follow Christ, we resolve to change. Second, we learn to think differently (v. 23). We learn how Christ expects His followers to live, but it isn’t just up to us to do the work. This renewal is done in us by God’s Spirit. Third, a believer must take steps to put this new learning into practice. Verse 24 characterizes this as putting on “the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” We learn more about what this new self looks like in verses 25–32. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but it is a good starting point.

>> Paul is not simply swapping out the old law for a new one. The believer becomes a “new self, created to be like God” (v. 24). The Christian life is not just a matter of dos and don’ts. When we are in Christ, we learn to think differently.

Pray with Us

Oh Lord, what joy when we experience the transformation that You promise in Christ. When we look back on ourselves a year ago—or a decade—we are amazed by the ways You have changed our thinking and doing. Thank You

The tools of Legalism

• Doctrinal Heresy

• Ecclesiastical Harassment

• Personal Hypocrisy

Doctrinal Heresy

Galatians 1:6‭-‬10 NIV I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Legalists come along and say, “Faith is fine, but it’s not enough. You also need_____________.  In Paul’s day, the Judaizers filled in the blank with “circumcision.” Good works and baptism are important, but they don’t earn us salvation or merit with God. Rather, they are the results of a Spirit-filled life, not the cause of it 

Ephesians 2:10 NIV For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What “additions” to the simple gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone have you encountered in the past?

               

Why do you think people have such a hard time believing that salvation is truly free?

Ecclesiastical Harassment

This grace-killing tactic is used by those who spy out and enslave unwitting believers.

Galatians 2:1‭-‬6 NIV Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.

Today, legalists infiltrate churches, wrestle to snatch the helms of ministries, and try to steer Christians down the path of spiritual corruption.

1 Timothy 4:1‭-‬3 NIV The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

What makes them legalists?

3 John 1:9‭-‬10 NIV I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

What makes this guy a legalist - He want to be first he wants control over the other believers.      

Personal Hypocrisy

The third weapon of the grace killer is hypocrisy. Hypocrites lie and deceive, waffle over important issues, and appear chameleon-like in their manners. Paul even called Peter a hypocrite.

Galatians 2:11‭-‬16 NIV When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Ralph Keiper’s contemporary paraphrase of Paul’s strong rebuke:

     

“Peter, I smell ham on your breath. You forgot your Certs. There was a time when you wouldn't eat ham as part of your hope of salvation. Then after you trusted Christ, it didn’t matter if you ate ham. But now when the no-ham eaters have come from Jerusalem you have gone back to your kosher ways. But the smell of ham still lingers on your breath. You are most inconsistent. You are compelling Gentile believers to observe Jewish law which can never justify anyone.”

      

Peter, by returning to the law, you undercut strength for godly living.”

Paul saw through the duplicity and exposed the hypocrisy in Peter. In effect, he scolds, “The very idea, Peter, that you would fake it in front of Jews and then turn around and fake it in front of Gentiles. You’re talking freedom, Peter, but you’re not living it. Then out of the other side of your mouth, you’re talking law, but you don’t live that either. Get off the fence, Peter.”

      

The problem intensified as others saw their leader and modeled his hypocritical lifestyle: And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, beinga Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel theGentiles to live like Jews?”

Most Christians agree that justification (initial salvation) occurs by grace through faith in Christ alone. However, on the subject of sanctification (growing in Christ), some have abandoned the true gospel for the heresy that you have to follow an additional set of rules to stay saved.

Salvation is a gift so is our sanctification and growth in becoming conformed to the image of Christ 

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Philippians 1:3‭-‬6 NIV I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

How can our hypocrisy have a damaging effect on the faith and spiritual lives of those who look to us for leadership?

                  

 How do the examples of Peter’s and Barnabas’s brief lapses into hypocrisy and legalism warn us about our own susceptibility to fall into the same trap? In your answer, consider the circumstances that led these men to this point.

                  

Read Paul’s rebuke of Peter’s hypocrisy in Galatians 2:14–21. What does Paul say is the source of godly, Christlike living once a person is saved by grace?

Galatians 2:14‭-‬21 NIV When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

These powerful strategies will aid you in winning the inevitable conflict you’ll encounter with legalism.

                  

1. Keep standing firm in your freedom.

Galatians 5:13‭-‬14‭, ‬22‭-‬25 NIV You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:15‭-‬17 NIV For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

                  

 2. Stop seeking the favor of everyone. 

Galatians 1:10 NIV Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Don’t become people pleasers who trade liberty for peace. He also condemned legalistic bullies, who force others to abide by their own standards.                   

                  

                  

3. Refuse to submit to bondage. 

Galatians 2:4‭-‬5 NIV This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

                  

 5. Continue being straightforward about the truth. 

Galatians 2:14 NIV When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

If you act differently in your own home than in the company of your Christian friends, what can you do to avoid this hypocrisy?

                  

  Anyone who is prone to use grace as a license for irresponsible, sinful behavior, surely does not appreciate the infinite price God paid to give us His grace. But anyone who tends to use legalism as a hedge against license   just as surely forget that grace cannot be earned by our behavior.

                  

Bible Study Audio