Nothing could be more gloomy than to dwell upon the subject of “sin,” nor is anything so calculated to humble us, if our hearts are at all honest, as the fact of our having inherited a nature from Adam which in every way is opposed to God. But deliverance from sin is that with which the glory of redemption is connected. The knowledge of this dispels the gloom and gladdens the hearts of the children of God through the application of His Word to our souls. The Apostle thus writes, “Now, having got your freedom from sin, and having become bondmen to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life” (Rom. 6:2222But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22) JND).
Sin — a Will With a Way
Every unconverted person is characterized and controlled by an evil nature, which Scripture calls “sin,” and which is nothing less than “a will with a way,” ever acting contrary to God.
“Sin” in its nature and the “sins” which we practice are clearly distinguished in the Word of God. Forgiveness of sins is obtained as soon as the heart receives by faith the blessed truth that Christ “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:2525Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)). Practical freedom from sin is obtained by seeing, through faith, our identification with Christ in His death and entering into what is taught in the following verses: “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin. For he that has died is justified from sin” (Rom. 6:67 JND).
Sin — Neither Pardonable nor Improvable
Scripture frequently speaks of pardon for sins, but sin is neither pardonable nor improvable. It is folly to excuse sin when God has exposed it, or to seek to improve it now that He has condemned it. Both the exposure and condemnation of sin are seen in the cross — exposed in all its hatefulness in the light of God’s holiness and condemned in the sacrifice of His own Son. “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:33For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)). The Spirit of God leads us to see the infinite value of the sacrifice of Christ by assuring us from the Word of God that not only have our sins been forgiven, but that sin in the flesh has been condemned.
Sin — in God’s Sight
No man can form a true estimate of what he is in himself without first seeing what sin is in the sight of God, and nothing so clearly declares it as the cross of Christ. If I accept the judgment of God according to His Word, I shall be forced to say, like Job, “I abhor myself” (Job 42:66Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6)), and if, on the other hand, I reject His judgment and form one of my own, I shall think I am as good as other people. Where is the man that naturally cares to condemn himself? Even if he were to do so, it would only be in part, for the worst man living likes to boast of his good qualities. Even when we appear to be “putting ourselves down,” as we say, we may be puffed up with pride at the very time without being conscious of it. A fallen creature with a deceitful heart and sinful nature is not capable of forming a judgment as to what he is in the sight of God, but the prayer of the upright is, “Let my sentence come forth from Thy presence,” and the language of faith is, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Psa. 17:22Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. (Psalm 17:2); Rom. 3:44God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. (Romans 3:4)).
Each heart has its own reserve, more or less, of self-esteem, which will never allow us to give up that in which we pride ourselves most until we see death and condemnation written thereon at the cross, where the end of all flesh for faith came before God.
The Self-Deception of Sin
Job was a pattern man in his day, but he never was really at rest until he learned what a mass of moral corruption he was in the sight of God. Satan was used to bring out the boils on his body with which he was covered from head to foot, so that his moral condition might be clearly depicted and that he might appear outwardly in the sight of man what he was inwardly in the sight of God. Great was his disappointment as he complained of God’s treatment towards him, but having once accepted God’s estimate of himself, he no longer defended himself. Rather, he judged himself as one that had deceived himself in the past, and afterwards he received abundant tokens of God’s favor in the form of earthly prosperity. It is a mercy, then, to be saved from self-deception in regard to sin. We must be brought to the point where we disclaim any right or title to anything that is good in the sight of God, for we have inherited a nature which is alienated from God. We were all slaves of sin until its dominion over us was broken by deliverance in divine power, a deliverance that “called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Slaves of Sin and Sons of God
The Jews were quite indignant when the Lord Jesus said to them, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” “We be Abraham’s seed,” they replied, “and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?” Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:31-3631Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:31‑36)).
There are just the two positions brought before us in this scripture — that of the slaves of sin and that of the sons of God. The former we occupy by nature, and the latter we get through grace, on the ground of redemption. The Holy Spirit gives us the consciousness of our new relationship with God as Father, as we read, “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)). In Romans 6 sin is viewed as a “master,” to whom the whole of Adam’s race is in bondage and whose dominion extends to the end of the earth. The captive of sin needs to be taken out of his lost condition and placed in a new one. There are two things which have been accomplished through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for those that know their identification with Him: First, He died to take them out of the service of sin, and second, He rose again that they might live in association with Him and bring forth fruit unto God. “In that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:10-1110For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:10‑11)).
It is the privilege of the believer to view himself as having died to sin in the death of Christ. No longer in the flesh and under condemnation as a child of Adam, but as dead to sin and alive unto God, he is exhorted to present his body “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:11I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)), as his reasonable service.
E. Dennett, adapted from
The Christian Friend, 1897