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Fight Sin Like a Victor, Not a Victim


Chapters

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1:56 How Does the Working of the Power towards Liberation and Transformation Relate to the Declaration That I Have no Condemnation
2:58 Relationship between Justification in Verse 1 and Sanctification in Verse 2
10:39 Fight Your Sin like a Victor Not a Victim

Transcript

Don't fight sin like a victim of sin. Fight sin like the victor over sin that you are in Jesus Christ. That's the punchline of a powerful sermon clip sent to us by Nathan. Nathan is a podcast listener. He emailed me the clip calling it "one of the most influential clips I have ever come across." And he goes on to say, "The most impactful line that hit my heart two summers ago," he writes, "was the line about fighting sin like a victor, not a victim.

Rather than feel defeated, God wants us to have confidence that the war is won in Him." Amen, Nathan. It's a good summary of a really good clip from Pastor John's 2001 sermon on Romans 8, verses 1-4. Here's Pastor John. In Christ, now, we see there are two things true of us.

Verse 1 has the same phrase, "In Christ Jesus." Verse 2, "In Christ Jesus." What are we? In Christ Jesus in verse 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." So the first thing we can say about being in Christ Jesus is that the verdict is delivered and we are not condemned.

It's passed. The trial is over. No condemnation in Christ Jesus. And then verse 2 says, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free." So we have pardon and we now have power in Christ Jesus. You don't get into Christ Jesus without having both of those made over to you.

There's pardon in Christ. There's power in Christ. You don't get into Christ and say, "I've got the pardon and not the power. I've got the power and not the pardon." In Christ, you get them both or you don't get them. You're not in Christ. If you put your faith in Jesus, you get united to Jesus and in Jesus there's no condemnation and there is power.

Now, here's the question. How does the working of the power towards liberation and transformation relate to the declaration that I have no condemnation? And this is not nitpicking. This is your life. You get these backwards, you die. You get them right and live it, you live. So, what's the order between verses 1 and 2?

Notice the word "for" at the beginning of verse 2. You might wish it weren't there. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. NIV says "because." The other versions say "for." They mean the same thing. "For" or "because" the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets you free from the law of sin and death.

So, what's the relationship between justification in verse 1 and sanctification in verse 2? Well, before you answer too quickly, take something into account. The meaning of "for" or "because" both in English and Greek, both in apostolic language and your language, has two meanings. One is "for" or "because" can introduce a basis or ground or reason that something is.

Or it can introduce the evidence that you know something is. Give you an example from your language. "I'm really hungry because my stomach is growling." Or you can say, "I'm really hungry because I skipped breakfast." And "because" in those two sentences have radically different meanings. A growling stomach is not the basis of hunger.

It's the effect and evidence of hunger. And we use the word "because." "I'm really hungry because my stomach is growling." But if I say, "I'm really hungry because I skipped breakfast." Well, we know that skipping breakfast is the cause of the hunger and is the ground and basis of the hunger.

So, here's my question for the relationship between verses 1 and 2 of Romans 8. Which meaning of "because" is here? Is he saying, "There is therefore now no condemnation because look, you are being transformed by the Spirit of God bearing witness that you are free." Or is he saying, "There is therefore now no condemnation because the foundation and the basis of your acceptance with the Father, your verdict not guilty, is the Spirit-wrought righteousness that you are performing." I'm going to argue that the "because" or the "for" at the beginning of verse 2 is the evidence, points to the evidence that verse 1 is so.

Reason number one. Notice the relationship between verse 3 and 2. Verse 3 begins with that same word, "because" or "for." "The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death because," now boil down verse 3 to its main statement, "because God condemned sin in the flesh, the flesh of His own Son." And you remember how we pointed out the connection between the word "condemned" there in verse 3 and the word "condemnation" in verse 1?

Verses 1 and 3 are together in this. Verse 3 is all about what God has done to set you right with Him. He has sent His Son to live a perfect life, to die a substitutionary death, to bear your condemnation. No guilt, no wrath, no condemnation. Why? Jesus in the flesh bore it.

God condemned it there and not in you. And that is given as the basis of verse 2, your sanctification. So when verse 1 says, "There's no condemnation now in you," it's pointing to verse 3 saying, "He died for you." All the wrath of God was poured out on Him.

So look, the Spirit is in you, triumphing over your sin. Rejoice, there's no condemnation. And verse 6 of chapter 7 is magnificent in its clarity and power. But now, "By dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law." And here in the context, it's the Mosaic Law.

Know that from verses 1 to 5. We've been released from the law. The law is curse, the law is guilt, the law is condemnation. Christ became a curse for us, Galatians 3:13, so that the curse of the law is broken. It's not over us anymore. And then, look at these precious words that follow.

"So that we serve in the newness of the Spirit, and not the old way of the latter." What's the relationship between being freed from the law with its condemnation, its curse, and its guilt, and the ability by the Spirit to triumph in service for God? What's the relationship? It's crystal clear in this verse.

"We have been freed from that, so that we would serve this way." If you turn those around, you don't have Christianity. You have another religion. It's the difference between fighting to get justified, and fighting confidently because we are justified. It's the difference between your heavenly court trial being behind you with an irrevocable verdict of not guilty being rendered, and having the trial in front of you, hanging over your head, wondering if your behavior will measure up in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's the difference between the freedom of confidence and the bondage of fear. It's the difference between rendering to Christ the double glory of His being our righteousness and our condemnation, and the power that brings us into holiness, or just giving Him half His glory, and calling Him the One who enables us to perform a righteousness which we will offer to God from ourselves, as the foundation of our acceptance with Him.

I don't want Him to get half His glory. I want Him to get all of His glory. His blood and righteousness being the ground of our acceptance, and His power being the means by which we are liberated and transformed. And it's the difference between your life and your death.

Pray, pray with me now, that God would help you fall on your face and pray, "Oh God, oh God help me get this right. Help me not to be a Pharisee. Help me to know how to rest sweetly in the no condemnation that there is in Christ, so that out of the sweet communion and rest and acceptance and love and vindication and justification that there are in you, I might now have power in the Holy Spirit to get victory over my lust and my greed and my fear." Pray like that.

And then when you go out, in just a minute, I'm done, I'm going to let you go. When you go out, fight your sin like a victor, not a victim. When you walk out of here this afternoon and temptations come, and they will come, there resides in your members another law.

The law of sin and death. The Spirit is in you to help you make war on this law. And it's the war as a victor in confidence that we're loved and accepted, that will show that you are loved and accepted. Fight like a victor this week, not like a victim.

And now may God fill you with all joy and peace in believing as you trust in his precious and very great promises. And so may you abound in hope. And all the people said, "Amen." You're dismissed. Amen. Nathan, thank you for this encouraging clip taken from John Piper's October 7th, 2001 sermon titled, "Set Free by the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus." "Set Free by the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus." You can find it, the entire sermon, and many others at DesiringGod.org.

And if you have a favorite sermon clip of Pastor John, email it to me. Give me the title of the sermon and the timestamps from when the audio clip begins and ends, and tell me why it's impacted you. Give me your name and the closest city and email me all of that information at AskPastorJohn@DesiringGod.org.

That's an email address, AskPastorJohn@DesiringGod.org. Put the word "clip" in the subject line, if you would, please. Well, next time, a pastoral dilemma to face. A Christian willfully and knowingly marries a non-Christian. How should a church respond? Well, we will need to pray for wisdom before we walk through this one.

We will. And we'll deal with this next time when Pastor John joins us in the studio again on Friday. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. Pastor John and I will see you then.