Sin And Change

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.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Romans 6: 6 - 12 NKJV

Our weekly Sunday morning table discussion once again traveled into a interesting topic.  For what started out as a question of how God views our behaviors, eventually morphed into a topic of do we really need to change ourselves.  It is indeed a interesting question, of just how exactly our heavenly Father sees our various behaviors.  I truly believe that God can be pleased or grieved depending on our own behaviorchoices.  Keep in mind that our behaviors are just that, our choices.  We can choose one or chosse another.  This is what started our discussion unto this topic this morning.  The traditional church view has always been that if we engaged in certain behaviors which were questionable, that we indeed needed to change something about ourselves and our behavior to bring ourselves back in line with our Lords perfect will for us.  This is where Dennis tossed a spiritual monkey wrench into this very idea.  For to say that when our behaviors are wrong or misguided that we somehow need to change ourselves could not be farther from the truth.  For as the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6, our old sin nature was indeed put to death by Christ on the cross.  Indeed, as Paul claims, "Consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin."  So, if we who have accepted Christ are indeed dead to sin, what do we need to change?  Now, this isn't saying that sin has been eradicated with the death of Christ.  Far from it, for it indeed still has a presence in this world we live in.  The fact that we ourselves are dead to the sin nature which once enslaved us does not diminish sins influence at all.  It's still out there.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who live in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free ffom the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8: 1 - 4 NKJV

So, returning to the question which was brought up this morning, if a follower of Christ engages in behavior which they have been TOLD is against God, do they need to change?  In fact, getting deeper into this discussion, what is it that tells us that certain behaviors are against God?  Are these requirements which tell us which behaviors are right or wrong not part of the law which Christ Himself put to death?  Indeed, the original "law" consisted of ten laws, ten commandments.  How then did we end up with over 600 laws and requirements governing godly behavior?  I'll tell you how, mankind found out that they couldn't adhere to the original laws, so we created more laws to cover other behaviors.  A trend which continues with government even to this day.  This is the message we have heard from the church, that "sinful" behavior is not godly.  So, if a follower of Christ Jesus enters a strip club and lays down money to watch women undress before him, does this indeed change who he really is?  Does he need to change?  NO!

"I have been crucifed with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;  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 for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

Likewise, does a man in Christ who spends his money on the chance that he might win more nullify his inheritance in Jesus?  NO!  Now, on the other hand, are there consequences for our choices and behaviors?  Absolutely, but our behaviors can never and will never change who we are in Christ.  That man who finds entertainment in a strip club may discover that he has forsaken more money than he intended, this is a consequence of his behavior.  The constant is that our old sin nature, our "old man" has been put to death with Christ Jesus and no longer exists.  How can we change something that is dead?

~Scott~