The Dynamics of Sanctification! - Romans 8:1-17
by Pastor Lee Hemen
January 7, 2007
The question that logically arises when we as believers are faced with sin or temptations that overwhelm us is: “Must we as Christians spend our whole life frustrated by ongoing defeats to sin in our life?” We learned what Paul wrote on this issue last time when we looked at Romans 7 and came away with the answer that there is a power provided to achieve victory in the life of a believer – Jesus Christ! It is a fact that children always want to know if they are protected or not. In reality, if the physical or psychological protection a child receives is hindered in any way, they usually grow up emotionally stunted in some way. The same is true for the children of God when they do not grow in the Lord and remain spiritually stunted to their sin. In chapter 8, Paul describes for us the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who is the source of divine power for sanctification and the secret for spiritual victory in the Christian’s daily living.
In the movie King Kong the giant ape sits onstage lifeless and in chains. He is the picture of the believer, while having all the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, sit around dejected and defeated because of habitual sin. Only when the great ape is finally motivated by anger and the search for the blond Ann Darrow does he break free. While Kong is ultimately betrayed and killed, the Christian has a greater hope and power in their lives. The believer has the power to ultimately break the bondage of sin in their lives for good and Paul teaches us how through the dynamics of sanctification. Let’s find out what he teaches us today…
READ: Romans 8:1-17
The believer can be saved eternally, but not live a victorious life. How so? Paul explains for us a marvelous truth that many do not understand concerning living a holy life. Paul teaches us that in the dynamics of sanctification…
I. Christians are not condemned for their daily sin (vv. 1-4)!
1. Christians are not condemned for their daily sin because of the law of grace. (Accountable yes.) Paul basically asks the question we all do, “If I am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin, what does this mean for me?” What can I do to “save” myself? The answer: NOTHING! Why? Because there is no condemnation, Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death! His grace covers us. However, only by daily living in unity with Jesus can believers break the power of sin in their lives that wants to overwhelm them. God has given us eternal grace and grace for daily living. Jesus taught that “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Legislation can only make something wrong, but it cannot make anyone lawful. Why? People have to decide to follow it or not! Paul relates that “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” The first dynamic of sanctification is that Christians are not condemned for their daily sin because of Jesus Christ, but we can live for him daily and have victory over sin!
EXAMPLE: Not only did Jesus come in the “appearance as a man,” (Philippians 2:8) but he freed “those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:15) This is where those who try to be “good enough,” will always fail. They misunderstand what Paul teaches us concerning the dynamics of sanctification. They think that they can become holy by doing good things, but it can never happen. Christianity is a contact sport. The believer must stay in contact with the one who paid the price for their sin. Just as a Tri-met Max Train must stay in contact with the electrical lines overhead, so too the believer with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. A Max train is just so much junk without power. We can be saved, but not moving for the Lord. Grace is not stored up, but it always flows through Jesus. He has given us all we need in Him. Christians are not condemned for their sin, they are covered by God’s grace. We need to walk in it.
Paul knew we would immediately have questions regarding the spiritual truth he was teaching concerning the dynamics of sanctification. So he uses a comparison of two contrasting ways of living. He teaches us concerning the dynamics of sanctification that…
II. Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is (vv. 5-11)!
1. First, there are those “who live according to the sinful nature.” A person’s decision on how they are going to live determines how they think about things. Those who live according to their sinful nature, “have their minds set on what that nature desires.” These people are spiritually blinded because “death” controls their lives: “The mind of sinful man is death.” Their whole life is focused on sin! In fact, Paul tells us that “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” Have you ever wondered about those who are ungodly, why they are so caught up in it? They focus continually on their emotions. What satisfies their “needs.” The things of the world dominate their lives. These people are spiritually dead in their sin. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”
2. Second, there are those who are controlled by the Spirit of God! The best way to live is to tenaciously place yourself under the control of the Spirit! Why? Because “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” It is a deliberate act of will on the part of the Christian. In fact the Christian finds a different focus in life than the degenerate world does because “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Have you ever noticed how a dynamic believer does not allow money, personal gain, emotions, or other things influence their lives? They have found “peace” by walking with God! Jesus taught “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27) You cannot ever experience it if God does not live in you in the first place! You cannot “fake it.” Why? Paul writes that “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” However, “if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is. It is a dynamic of sanctification.
EXAMPLE: I had a very good friend, a believer, who could not figure out why he continually had to fight anger in his life. Yet he loved to go to horror movies. Any horror movie. In fact, he was fascinated with them. I asked him why. He could not adequately explain it to me. So I related that perhaps there was a connection spiritually. Like all children we want to rebel. So he was rebelling by watching things he knew he should not because it encouraged in him a lifestyle that was not consistent with the “peace” of Christ. To his credit he immediately quit and his whole spiritual dynamic changed. Now, if he were a Pentecostal, he would have blamed it on a demon, but in reality it was his own rebellion. When he willingly gave that area of life over to the Lord it became controlled by the Spirit of Christ. Did he have to fight the urge once in a while? Yes. But in Christ he could. Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is. We have the grace of God -- a dynamic of sanctification.
Paul knew that great privilege involves tremendous responsibility. Paul reminds his readers that the assurance of the resurrection by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit places them under a powerful obligation. Not that they could in anyway save themselves or gain any merit, but that they owed a priceless debt as believers! The final dynamic of sanctification Paul teaches us is that…
III. Christians are obligated to live as God’s children (vv. 12-17)!
1. What we once were has no claim on us in Jesus Christ! We are not obligated to obey the desires of our earthly nature. We know that the wages of sin is DEATH! Paul relates that the dynamic of sanctification teaches us that “if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live!” We are “sons of God” and we need to live like it! Paul boldly states “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.” If you continually allow sin to control you, whom do you belong to? The Christian, however, will continually want to live for Jesus: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16) It is our way of life! What we must understand is that it is not dependent upon us. If it were, we would fail a thousands times a day. But “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power…! (1 Peter 1:3-4) When we are convicted to live for God we know we are God’s children because “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” And “if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ!” We are God’s children in our struggle with sin and as his children we are obligated to live like it!
EXAMPLE: Children can be disobedient and sometimes even disrespectful, yet they are still our children. I can remember that after the “peanut butter” incident where I tricked my brother into a face full of creamy Skippy ™ I was confronted by my Dad. Of course I was punished for my misbehavior, but later Dad came into my room, sat down beside me, put his arms around me and said, “While I am right now disappointed in you, I still love you.” And that’s the way a loving father always treats his children. The same is true for God. While He may not like the sin we do, He still loves us and that can never change because we became His children not through physical birth, but spiritually. (John 1:12-13) When we are His, He expects more out of us. Not to gain more grace, but to live for His Son and our Savior: “if indeed we share in his sufferings” it is so “that we may also share in his glory.” Christians are obligated to live as God’s children.
Conclusion:
The dynamics of sanctification Paul teaches us are simple: Christians are not condemned for their daily sin, Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is, Christians are obligated to live as God’s children.
by Pastor Lee Hemen
January 7, 2007
The question that logically arises when we as believers are faced with sin or temptations that overwhelm us is: “Must we as Christians spend our whole life frustrated by ongoing defeats to sin in our life?” We learned what Paul wrote on this issue last time when we looked at Romans 7 and came away with the answer that there is a power provided to achieve victory in the life of a believer – Jesus Christ! It is a fact that children always want to know if they are protected or not. In reality, if the physical or psychological protection a child receives is hindered in any way, they usually grow up emotionally stunted in some way. The same is true for the children of God when they do not grow in the Lord and remain spiritually stunted to their sin. In chapter 8, Paul describes for us the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who is the source of divine power for sanctification and the secret for spiritual victory in the Christian’s daily living.
In the movie King Kong the giant ape sits onstage lifeless and in chains. He is the picture of the believer, while having all the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, sit around dejected and defeated because of habitual sin. Only when the great ape is finally motivated by anger and the search for the blond Ann Darrow does he break free. While Kong is ultimately betrayed and killed, the Christian has a greater hope and power in their lives. The believer has the power to ultimately break the bondage of sin in their lives for good and Paul teaches us how through the dynamics of sanctification. Let’s find out what he teaches us today…
READ: Romans 8:1-17
The believer can be saved eternally, but not live a victorious life. How so? Paul explains for us a marvelous truth that many do not understand concerning living a holy life. Paul teaches us that in the dynamics of sanctification…
I. Christians are not condemned for their daily sin (vv. 1-4)!
1. Christians are not condemned for their daily sin because of the law of grace. (Accountable yes.) Paul basically asks the question we all do, “If I am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin, what does this mean for me?” What can I do to “save” myself? The answer: NOTHING! Why? Because there is no condemnation, Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death! His grace covers us. However, only by daily living in unity with Jesus can believers break the power of sin in their lives that wants to overwhelm them. God has given us eternal grace and grace for daily living. Jesus taught that “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Legislation can only make something wrong, but it cannot make anyone lawful. Why? People have to decide to follow it or not! Paul relates that “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” The first dynamic of sanctification is that Christians are not condemned for their daily sin because of Jesus Christ, but we can live for him daily and have victory over sin!
EXAMPLE: Not only did Jesus come in the “appearance as a man,” (Philippians 2:8) but he freed “those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:15) This is where those who try to be “good enough,” will always fail. They misunderstand what Paul teaches us concerning the dynamics of sanctification. They think that they can become holy by doing good things, but it can never happen. Christianity is a contact sport. The believer must stay in contact with the one who paid the price for their sin. Just as a Tri-met Max Train must stay in contact with the electrical lines overhead, so too the believer with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. A Max train is just so much junk without power. We can be saved, but not moving for the Lord. Grace is not stored up, but it always flows through Jesus. He has given us all we need in Him. Christians are not condemned for their sin, they are covered by God’s grace. We need to walk in it.
Paul knew we would immediately have questions regarding the spiritual truth he was teaching concerning the dynamics of sanctification. So he uses a comparison of two contrasting ways of living. He teaches us concerning the dynamics of sanctification that…
II. Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is (vv. 5-11)!
1. First, there are those “who live according to the sinful nature.” A person’s decision on how they are going to live determines how they think about things. Those who live according to their sinful nature, “have their minds set on what that nature desires.” These people are spiritually blinded because “death” controls their lives: “The mind of sinful man is death.” Their whole life is focused on sin! In fact, Paul tells us that “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” Have you ever wondered about those who are ungodly, why they are so caught up in it? They focus continually on their emotions. What satisfies their “needs.” The things of the world dominate their lives. These people are spiritually dead in their sin. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”
2. Second, there are those who are controlled by the Spirit of God! The best way to live is to tenaciously place yourself under the control of the Spirit! Why? Because “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” It is a deliberate act of will on the part of the Christian. In fact the Christian finds a different focus in life than the degenerate world does because “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Have you ever noticed how a dynamic believer does not allow money, personal gain, emotions, or other things influence their lives? They have found “peace” by walking with God! Jesus taught “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27) You cannot ever experience it if God does not live in you in the first place! You cannot “fake it.” Why? Paul writes that “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” However, “if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is. It is a dynamic of sanctification.
EXAMPLE: I had a very good friend, a believer, who could not figure out why he continually had to fight anger in his life. Yet he loved to go to horror movies. Any horror movie. In fact, he was fascinated with them. I asked him why. He could not adequately explain it to me. So I related that perhaps there was a connection spiritually. Like all children we want to rebel. So he was rebelling by watching things he knew he should not because it encouraged in him a lifestyle that was not consistent with the “peace” of Christ. To his credit he immediately quit and his whole spiritual dynamic changed. Now, if he were a Pentecostal, he would have blamed it on a demon, but in reality it was his own rebellion. When he willingly gave that area of life over to the Lord it became controlled by the Spirit of Christ. Did he have to fight the urge once in a while? Yes. But in Christ he could. Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is. We have the grace of God -- a dynamic of sanctification.
Paul knew that great privilege involves tremendous responsibility. Paul reminds his readers that the assurance of the resurrection by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit places them under a powerful obligation. Not that they could in anyway save themselves or gain any merit, but that they owed a priceless debt as believers! The final dynamic of sanctification Paul teaches us is that…
III. Christians are obligated to live as God’s children (vv. 12-17)!
1. What we once were has no claim on us in Jesus Christ! We are not obligated to obey the desires of our earthly nature. We know that the wages of sin is DEATH! Paul relates that the dynamic of sanctification teaches us that “if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live!” We are “sons of God” and we need to live like it! Paul boldly states “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.” If you continually allow sin to control you, whom do you belong to? The Christian, however, will continually want to live for Jesus: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16) It is our way of life! What we must understand is that it is not dependent upon us. If it were, we would fail a thousands times a day. But “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power…! (1 Peter 1:3-4) When we are convicted to live for God we know we are God’s children because “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” And “if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ!” We are God’s children in our struggle with sin and as his children we are obligated to live like it!
EXAMPLE: Children can be disobedient and sometimes even disrespectful, yet they are still our children. I can remember that after the “peanut butter” incident where I tricked my brother into a face full of creamy Skippy ™ I was confronted by my Dad. Of course I was punished for my misbehavior, but later Dad came into my room, sat down beside me, put his arms around me and said, “While I am right now disappointed in you, I still love you.” And that’s the way a loving father always treats his children. The same is true for God. While He may not like the sin we do, He still loves us and that can never change because we became His children not through physical birth, but spiritually. (John 1:12-13) When we are His, He expects more out of us. Not to gain more grace, but to live for His Son and our Savior: “if indeed we share in his sufferings” it is so “that we may also share in his glory.” Christians are obligated to live as God’s children.
Conclusion:
The dynamics of sanctification Paul teaches us are simple: Christians are not condemned for their daily sin, Christians are not controlled spiritually as the world is, Christians are obligated to live as God’s children.
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