Know Your Enemy: Flesh & Spirit, Sin & Righteousness, Law & Gospel | Romans 6:12-18

Romans 6:12–18 and the Law-Gospel Contrast

Welcome back, everyone, to this beautiful Lord's Day again, and I'm really looking forward to preaching this message. I really have benefited from it personally. You can see from the sermon title in your bulletin, it is Know Your Enemy, Flesh and Spirit, Sin and Righteousness, Law and Gospel.

Also, Law and Grace. And that's one of the highlights of the message today, is the Law and Gospel, distinguished and applied. So, I'm really looking forward to, as I said, to preach through these biblical contrasts.

The Bible makes lots and lots of different contrasts, such as the ones in the title. And we're going to see that this letter to the Romans is just chock full of law and gospel distinction and application.

It's just fantastic. So, however, I'm only going to cover up to verse 18 in this message. There's just some things that I really want to get into and I won't be able to cover to the end of verse 23. And in my last sermon, we saw how the old man and the body of sin are actually the same thing.

They mean the same thing. They are our sins as a whole, collectively, individual sins. Sin personified, meaning sin is being represented as if it were a person. The whole mass of indwelling sin, as Calvin says, and as Owen also concurs, the spiritual aspect of the flesh and human nature insofar as it is controlled by sin, as we learned from Burkow.

And this can apply to both unbelievers as well as believers. So keep this in mind as I go throughout the message, because this is going to be very important as well. Now, to summarize a little bit, the flesh in the spiritual sense no longer rules over us because it is dead to us as believers.

Those of us who believe in Christ alone for our salvation. God spiritually buried us with Christ in a regenerating baptism of death to sin, to sin. And therefore, the spiritual old man is crucified with Christ and our body of sins is therefore dead as well.

And we are thus no longer slaves to sin and death. The flesh in the physical sense, remember that there's different aspects of the flesh. There's also the physical part of the flesh. But that itself also no longer rules us because God has already raised us to a new life in regeneration, new thoughts, new desires, words, actions, and so on, which consequently breaks us free from the bondage of sin.

And the flesh and his word, his spirit and his means of grace, God's means of grace empower us to actively put to put all of these things to death. OK. And I also really appreciate and love how the confession, our confession describes this transformation and transition that takes place in our lives as believers.

And it sets the stage for us to unpack the riches of the law and gospel and the contrast and its distinctions in our passage today in Romans 6. So chapter 13 of the London Baptist Confession, which is of sanctification.

Section one says they, those of us who are united to Christ, effectually called and regenerated, born again, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also further sanctified really, truly and personally through the same virtue of Christ's work by his word and spirit dwelling in them.

Now, listen to this. OK, this is the key part. The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed. Completely demolished. And the several lusts of it are more and more weakened and mortified, put to death.

And they, believers, are more and more quickened. That means being brought to life and strengthened in all saving graces to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Amen to that.

This is this is just excellent stuff. Now, this is going to, as I said, help us to understand what Paul says in Romans chapter six, starting in verse eight. I'm going to start at verse eight, if you follow along with me there.

So in Romans chapter six, verse eight, the word says,. Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again.

Death no longer is master over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, once and for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, note the transition here. Therefore, do not let sin reign. And note the personification here, sin reigning as if it were a person in your mortal body in the physical sense, so that you obey its lust, the lust of our fallen bodies.

And do not go on presenting your members, your physical members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead. That's gospel indicative right there.

Gospel promise and your members as instruments of righteousness to God for sin shall not be master over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

Amen.

So notice the transition, like I pointed out in verse 12. Paul transitions his emphasis from the spiritual aspects of the flesh and sin to the more physical aspects of the flesh. Your mortal body, your body of death.

And your members, your melos, your physical members. Soma for body in the Greek and melos for members, just as we saw in Romans 7. Romans 7 has the same language, the same vocabulary, the same concept being described.

Paul contrasts the law of the mind of my mind versus the law of my members. Spirit versus body, physical body. Same thing here. That's what he is transitioning us to. And now, of course, the body is the main vehicle of our sinful lusts.

And I haven't really I failed to mention this previously because obviously our senses are part of our physical bodies. Right. Sight, touch, taste, hearing, all of those things. However, note also there's another crucial organ of our bodies that is key to why we are still why we still sin and why we are still tempted to sin.

And why are we still wrestling with sin and sin in our minds? And that is because of our brains. Our brain is a physical organ and component of how that our body uses to think. So even though when we die, our brains are going to be left behind.

But when we are spirits, we'll still be able to think. But when we are in our bodies, our brains are part of how we function, the way we think. So it's really important to understand this because this is one of the other key connecting points as to why we still sin with our minds as well as our bodies.

Because our brain, again, that aspect of our brain is still a physical part of our body. And that body of ours, this body of death has not yet been redeemed. So we must still put sin to death, mortify it.

Therefore, notice also how sin is once again personified, both in its actions to reign over us, to tyrannically rule over us, to master us as slaves. And also how we must consider ourselves in relation to it.

We must be dead to it. Okay, just how we out of, you know, sometimes for the wrong reasons, we consider a person dead to us, meaning that we want nothing to do with them. Right. And in some sense, that can be biblical, because when we discipline somebody out and kick them out of the church, they are as if they were an unbeliever dead in their sin and have nothing to do with them, Paul says.

In the same way, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin, no longer under the dominion of sin and its tyranny. And also this brings us to what we must do to sin in us. We must put it to death in us. We must mortify it, like the Bible repeatedly says, in our flesh.

Note also that how sin is personified as something distinct from, separate from, apart from us as believers who are regenerated in Christ. Meaning that sin is now an enemy that we must actively put to death in us when it tempts our mortal fallen bodies to obey its lust, the lust of the fallen body.

Okay, this is key here. And you can see that in this very passage. Because even though Christ died to sin and he killed sin for us, nailing our sins and our body of sin on that cross, on that tree, yet we must still put sin to death in our bodies.

Because our bodies have not yet been regenerated and redeemed and resurrected. So that is why you see that transition from the spiritual component of sin and death in the flesh to the more earthly, physical component that we must still wrestle with as long as we are in this life prior to Jesus' return.

Amen.

So, although the old man and our body of sin and our flesh were crucified with Christ on the cross, our mortal bodies and members can still be awakened and tempted as if brought back from the dead. Because they're not really ever truly dead unless we continually put them to death.

And these members of ours can enslave us back to sin unless we do what Romans 8, 12 through 13 commands us to do. Which is, so then brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. Note the phrase here, putting to death. Putting to death indicates present and continuing action.

You must actively be putting to death the deeds of the body in an ongoing, present, tense, and ongoing sense. Because if you don't, the flesh and sin will start coming back to life from the dead in you and will try to master you once again.

And make you look, feel, act, and think like you're not even saved if we're not careful. This is very serious. This is the biggest struggle that we have as believers. And this is why I'm taking the time and taking us through Romans 6, 7, 8.

Because we have to really make sure we understand this most pernicious enemy of ours. So, turn with me now to Galatians 2 as we read verse 17. Another key parallel passage from Paul's other letter. Galatians 2, verse 17.

Here, the epistle of Galatians in many ways mirrors the epistle to the Romans. And we will see that in this passage here. So, Galatians 2, verse 17. Paul says,. So, Paul here is saying, Okay, if we have been justified and we still sin, then does that make Christ a minister of sin?

Does that mean that he is the one approving of and encouraging us to sin? What is Paul's answer? God forbid. This is the key part here. I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me through his Spirit.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly in vain.

So, even though this passage is primarily dealing with justification, with how we get right with God by faith alone apart from any works of our own, but by the work of Christ and what he did for us in his perfect life and death on the cross, we nevertheless see many, okay?

We see many of the same principles that are in Romans 6. And it gives me a chance to capitalize on this excellent quote from our friend the reformer Martin Luther, the German reformer. He says in his commentary,.

Thy conscience, O man, is subject to the law, sin, and death, from which thou canst not be delivered either by men or angels. But now cometh the gospel, and preacheth unto thee remission of sins, forgiveness of sin, by Jesus Christ, who hath abolished the law and hath destroyed sin and death for us.

Believe in him, therefore, and so shalt thou be delivered from the curse of the law and from the tyranny of sin and death. Just like the confession, our confession says, that tyranny and bondage of sin and death is now destroyed.

Thou shalt be righteous and have eternal life. Amen to that. This is powerful stuff. And it's just as we saw in the 1689 Baptist confession. By virtue of Christ and his spirit regenerating us in our minds, our spirits, we are now in newness of life, believe in Christ, and have been forgiven, and now the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed.

This is an amazing promise of the gospel. That is gospel-saturated promise right there. Now turn back with me over to Romans 6, verse 13. As we continue connecting the dots here, it truly is amazing to see how the whole counsel of God harmonizes perfectly in all of these different letters and books, all the New Testaments, how it all comes together perfectly in harmony, consistently, logically, because our God is a God of order, peace, love, and a sound mind.

Even though, yes, there may be some difficulties here and there, there are things that are difficult to understand, but that's not God's fault, that is our fault, and that is why we must study and be diligent to rightly divide the word of truth.

Amen?

So, Romans 6, verse 13 now. And do not go on presenting your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, right? There's the contrast once again. Sin, righteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, life and death, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

Amen?

That is law and gospel distinction right here in this very passage. And all throughout this letter, very, very clear. Sadly, there are some in the church who deny this law and gospel distinction, but that is just one of the blessings and the benefits of the Reformed faith and tradition, because they make a very emphatic assertion that in order to understand the Bible rightly, we must know, rightly distinguish, contrast, and apply the law and the gospel, how they differ, how they are distinguished, what they have in common, and how they are applied rightly.

Okay?

This brings me to a question now for us. Ask yourself this. How do you understand this passage in light of the whole counsel of God and the law gospel distinction, therefore? Let's go back now to the instructive remarks from our friend the Puritan William Perkins and add some clarifying thoughts, okay?

This is from his book on the art of prophesying, the art of preaching. He says, the law exposes the disease of sin, the death of sin, and as a side effect, stimulates and stirs it up. It aggravates sin.

It tempts it to sin. Now, what specifically in believers? That would be the flesh, right? The unredeemed, corrupt part of our bodies that is not yet restored or fully resurrected by God. But the law provides no remedy for sin.

However, the gospel not only teaches us what is to be done. Okay, now we need to make a correction here, a slight correction. Rather, it teaches us what is already done in Christ.

Okay?

That is the promise, what Christ has done for us already. What is to be done or what must be done by us is the law, not the gospel. The gospel also has the power of the Holy Spirit of God joined to it so that when we are regenerated by the Spirit, we receive the strength we need both to believe the gospel and to do what it commands.

So the law now is no longer a burden and a curse and a condemnation to us. It now is a blessing to us because we are given the grace and God's Spirit and power to obey the law and to walk it out and be blessed in our obedience to God because God does bless our good works and our obedience.

Okay?

He doesn't save us because of our works, but He blesses us and gives us good works to fulfill. Now remember, it is not what the gospel commands. The gospel does not command. The gospel is a promise. It is a gift.

But the gospel gives us the power and the strength to believe and to do what the law commands.

Okay?

What the law itself commands. That's the distinction that we need to maintain because the command to believe the gospel is one thing.

Okay?

That is law. But the gospel itself is another. That is promise, law, and grace like Paul says in Romans 6 .14. The law and the gospel. They are not to be confused and they must be rightly distinguished.

I encourage you to go back to the sermon series I did on the law and gospel if you want to know more about that. Also, see John Colquhoun's treatise on the law and gospel which I gave away some copies to you all not too long ago.

It's also free online. Now then, since we are no longer under the law, does this mean that we can just celebrate and sing with this song, O free from the law, O blessed condition, I can sin as I please and still have remission.

Can I just sin and do whatever I want since I'm forgiven now? Now, what is Paul's God-breathed response? Let's find out in chapter 6, verse 15. What does he tell us in Romans 6, verse 15? Paul says,.

What then?

Shall we sin and continue to sin because we are not under law but under grace now? May it never be! God forbid! Or, in the words of the Belgic Confession, enormous blasphemy! Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, that's the one path, or of obedience leading to righteousness, the other path.

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching, that's a key phrase there, that system of doctrine to which you were given over. And having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness instead.

That's a gospel promise by God's Word and Spirit and means.

Amen?

Not only does this notion of I can sin as I please and still have forgiveness go against Paul's explicit and repeated rebukes to those who pervert the grace of God into licentiousness, which means license to sin, and make God a liar, therefore, but also against the entirety of Romans 6, against the entirety of Romans, the entirety of the New Testament, and the entirety of the Old Testament, against the entire pattern of sound teaching.

As believers, we are no longer under the condemnation of the law. That is what Paul meant. That is what God means. We are no longer under the law's condemnation. We are no longer guilty because God bore our guilt of sin on the cross.

And by virtue of His death and life, we are fully forgiven and are considered perfectly righteous in Him because we believe in Him. And what He did for us, that is the gospel, as opposed to the law's condemning force.

Since we are now fully justified and forgiven and regenerated under the grace of Christ and His gospel, but that obviously does not mean that we can continue in sin as we please. Right? Note also how Paul continues to expound and unpack the same contrasting principles that I mentioned in the previous sermons.

Right?

There's flesh and spirit, sin and righteousness, law, gospel, death, life, slave, master.

Right?

Bondage, tyranny. Our confession, once again, very nicely systematizes Paul's assertions that we are not in this passage and that we are not under law but under grace. This is why I encourage all of you to get acquainted with the confession, with the confessions and catechisms, the Reformed confessions and catechisms, especially the Baptist ones, the Reformed Baptist ones that we hold to.

Chapter 19 of the London Baptist Confession, which is of the law of God, section 6 says, although true believers are not under the law,.

How?

As a covenant of works, to be justified or condemned by it. In other words, we are no longer obligated to fulfill the law perfectly in order to be considered righteous or fully justified or also to be guilty and therefore condemned by it because we have been forgiven by Christ through his gospel.

The confession continues, it is still nevertheless of great use to them and to others as a rule of life, as a guide for how to live. This rule of life teaches them the will of God and their duty to God.

It directs and requires them to live according to its commands. It also exposes the sinful corruptions of their natures, hearts or flesh rather, and lives. And as a result, when they examine themselves in light of the moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, the law to love God and love your neighbor, that is what the moral law means, they can end up experiencing further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin.

It helps us to fight against sin and put it to death. In addition, they experience a clearer understanding of the need they have for Christ and the perfection of his obedience.

Furthermore,.

The moral law, once again, is also useful to the regenerate, to believers that is, to restrain their corruptions since it forbids sin.

Amen.

And by virtue of God's Spirit, the Spirit of God empowers us to obey the law and to love the law and to want to please our Heavenly Father.

Right?

Amen.

Now,.

Okay, I need to clarify something here. Because while we do acknowledge the reality of indwelling sin and of the flesh in the life of believers, also known as,.

Okay,.

Our hearts,.

Okay,.

Our hearts,.

The confession says, which is also known as the inner man in Scripture, have nevertheless been truly regenerated by God. So that the heart, our inner man, is no longer corrupt and evil, but good.

Okay?

Our inner man, our spirit,.

Our minds,.

Are now good. God has made them good.

Okay?

We need to make sure that we understand that, that distinction. It is our fleshly members and bodies that are still corrupt. And therefore, our brains, which also causes us to sin with our minds. Our minds, however, are no longer the source or the reason why we sin.

It is our fallen corrupt bodies, which is the flesh, that physical aspect of the flesh.

Okay?

Now, I appreciate how the real, the real hymn puts it, contrary to that enormously blasphemous parody of this hymn. This is how it really goes.

Okay?

Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus hath bled, and there is remission. Therefore, cursed by the law, and bruised by the fall, we were. Christ, however, hath redeemed us once and for all time. Children of God, O glorious calling, surely his grace will keep us from falling, keep us from falling into sin, passing from death to life at his call, at his election, at his choosing us to be saved, and to walk after his son.

Blessed salvation once and for all. It is therefore done.

Amen?

Really clear. Very clear how Paul contrasts these many principles in this letter. It is so important to understand these principles that are being expounded in this passage because they are one of the most important key themes of all of Scripture, of the Christian life, of how we relate to God, and how we relate to sin, life and death, and so on.

Okay?

We have to be very, very in tune with the Word of God and renew our minds according to his Word and the sound doctrine, that pattern of teaching, the system of doctrine, in other words, that is revealed before us so that we rightly identify the enemy and the source of sin in our lives.

Okay?

We have to make sure that we don't attack the problem wrongly because that will often do more harm than good. If you do not apply the proper remedy, the proper defense and attack, you're going to do more damage.

So, that is why these things are so important for us to know and understand. And with that, let us go ahead and close out and approach the throne of grace boldly in a word of prayer. Our gracious Lord and Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the blessings that you've given us, Lord, as the corporate people of God, your beloved people, Lord, who are now restored from death to life by your regenerating power and spirit, Father.

We ask that you would continue to enlighten us and bring us, enliven us, Lord, to the truth of your Word to renew our minds and to help us, Father, to equip us to put sin continuously, putting sin to death, as your Word says, to put it to death and to not fall, to help us to not allow sin to be our master again, to break that.

Now that having that dominion of sin broken, we can now be assured that we are restored to your favor, Lord. And we are now reckoned perfect, holy, righteous, and good because we have the perfect, holy, and righteousness of Christ Himself, not our own, but your Son's, through faith alone in this glorious gospel of yours that is so amazingly presented to us in your Word, Lord.

And so help us also to love your law. Encourage us and equip us to love your law and to put sin at bay, to put our flesh to death so that we may continue to pursue holiness and righteousness and your law, Father, which is a blessing to us now and no longer a curse and condemning force of your wrath.

Thanks be to God. Thanks be to you, Lord, for your blessings. And we ask these things. Lord, we also lift up to you the people, those of us who are sick and who couldn't come. There's many of us who have been struggling with sickness, Lord, and with various trials.

Lord, please help us to grow and to not lose heart, Lord, to not lose faith and to continue to persevere, Father. And we ask that you bless those who couldn't be with us and to encourage them and to draw an eye to them.

In Jesus' almighty name, name of all names we pray.

Amen.

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