“For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
Romans 7:22-24 NASB
“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”
Romans 6:6-7 NKJV
There is a tension of both doctrine and practice which confuses and potentially deceives believers. It swirls around the question of, “Just how free from sin can a believer actually live?” The above two Scripture passages illustrate this tension. As human beings we understand all too well the inclination to sin. It is doctrinal truth 101. We are born dead in our trespasses and sin. We are radically stained by Adam’s fall.
Yet it is equally true that Jesus Christ has dealt with sin completely. We affirm both the justification of the atonement as well as the regenerative work of the Spirit’s presence. Righteousness is both imputed AND imparted to the point Paul would write, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) The Greek clearly implies someone who has been thoroughly recreated.
And yet the tension…
The sinful nature versus the recreated promise…
I’ve watched people fall into several camps…
1. Those who emphasize the power of the sin nature and our inevitable capitulation to it.
2. The sinless perfection crowd and the expectation to be set free from it.
3. The perpetual internal war advocates who practice the suppression of it.
Easy answer?
Not hardly…
Theologians, pastors, and biblical scholars have argued over the extent of personal freedom from sin for centuries…
I suspect the answer is not in posting your favorite isolated Scripture which supports your belief, but rather in understanding the totality of God’s Word in this regard…
I have approached my understanding through these questions…
Which do I believe is stronger, sin’s power or the power of the Cross?
Is the power of the Cross in any way limited in its scope and effect?
If I believe in a victorious Gospel with regards to overcoming numerous trials, curses, and circumstances; can there be any area of my life that victory is withheld?
I have reconciled the tension through the biblical concept of pursuit.
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:” Hebrews 12:14 NKJV
Again, pursuing the Lord and seeking this “uncommon” state is not works righteousness. It is obedience. It is the expected outcome of saving grace that one pursues God wholeheartedly . There is no quarter for sin in the believers life.
The modern (erroneous) doctrine of, “I’m always going to sin, therefore I’m going to yield to that (supposed) reality while shouting my identity is in Christ”, is actually a form of spiritual cognitive dissonance.
A born-again person pursues the Lord and strives against sinning. There is a grace for victory here folks.
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