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Romans 7:5 – Fruit of Death

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:5

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

Truth to Learn

Trying to live by a set of laws or rules produces spiritual death, not life.

Behind the Words

The word translated “flesh” in this verse is sarx, which means “the flesh, or muscle, of a living animal.” This is a contrasting word to kreas, which refers to “the flesh of a dead animal,” also sometimes translated as “meat.” Paul is using the word “flesh” here as a metonym, that is, a word used to represent something else. An example of a metonym is the use of the word “Washington” to refer to the U.S. Government.

“Passions” is from pathēma, which is a form of paschō, meaning “to experience strong feelings.” It is often translated “suffer,” although it can refer to strong feelings no matter whether they are good or bad (or somewhere in between). The ending “ma” gives it the meaning “that which is felt strongly.”

The word “aroused” is energeō, from which we get our English word “energy.” It refers to “that which is active, effectual, or mighty.” We could easily translate the opening phrase of this verse as, “For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were energized by the law …”

Meaning Explained

What does the Apostle Paul mean by the opening part of this verse, “For when we were in the flesh”? Aren’t we always in our flesh, at least until we die? Yes, but that’s not the kind of flesh Paul is talking about. In order to understand what he’s talking about we need to look at a verse in the next chapter of this letter where Paul says,

And those being in the flesh are not able to please God. But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His. (Romans 8:8-9)

In these verses Paul is contrasting being “in the flesh” and “in the Spirit.’ What he means is being controlled by the flesh, the sin nature, versus being controlled by the Spirit of God. Paul has already told us that before we were saved, we were in bondage to sin, or controlled by our sin nature. Now, in the current verse he is telling us that when we were controlled by our sin nature the passions, or overwhelming desires, of sin were not subdued but energized through the Law to bring forth fruit that resulted in death. I think Paul is talking about spiritual death or separation from fellowship with God, not physical death. And in the previous verse Paul told us that we should bring forth fruit to God by being married to Christ.

So, when we were controlled by our sin nature we produced fruit that resulted in spiritual death, but now that we have been saved and freed from the Law, we have become the bride of Christ, and the fruit that we produce should be fruit that is worthy of being brought to God.

Application

Now, the question is, what kind of fruit are you bringing to God? Are you allowing the desires of your flesh to control your actions? Or are you so tuned-in to God and walking so close to Him that your fleshly desires are easily resisted? The type of fruit that you produce will answer these questions for you.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 6:23 – The Free Gift

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Truth to Learn

God offers all of us a free gift of inestimable value.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wages” is opsonia, which is the plural form of opsonion. This word is a compound word made up of opson, which means “meat” and a form of oneomai, which means “to buy.” According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “It primarily signifies whatever is bought to be eaten with bread, provisions, or supplies from a soldier’s pay. Metaphorically, it means general wages, recompense.” It is what a soldier has earned for being a soldier.

“Gift” is translated from charisma, which means “a gift of grace or an undeserved benefit.” In the New Testament, this word is only used in reference to an undeserved gift or favor from God.

The Greek for the gift that God gives us is, dzoe aionios. Dzoe is the word for “life” and aionios means “belonging to the continuance of time.” In other words, it means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is one of the pinnacles of Paul’s teaching in the Book of Romans. It is the second step in what has been called “The Romans Road,” the road to salvation. The first is found in Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Now, after having talked at length about the fact that we used to be slaves to sin, Paul has just taught us that we are now the slaves of God. We learned that when we were slaves to sin, we were dead (separated from God).

In this verse Paul tells us why we were dead when we were the slaves to sin. He says:

For the wages of sin is death,

Paul is saying that death is what we earned for our sin (and we worked hard for it!). But, Paul says, God does not pay us what we have earned if we have received His gracious gift through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Instead of giving us what we deserve (what we’ve earned), God gives us a free gift that we don’t deserve (and didn’t earn).

If you stop to think about it, there is no greater gift that God could possibly give to us than an eternal existence with Him. The one constant in this earthly existence is the fact that we all will die physically some day and we will be separated from our earthly body. But because of this marvelous gift that God has given us, we will continue our existence in His presence in a heavenly body. We will join with all of our loved ones who have likewise received God’s gift, and together we will glorify God for eternity.

Application

God offers a free gift to all who will believe and that gift is eternal life! Wow!

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for your sins? I certainly hope so!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:22 – Set-apart to Him

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:22

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Truth to Learn

God has set Christians apart and has given them eternal life.

Behind the Words

Throughout this chapter Paul has been making a play on words between “death” and “holiness.” Have you noticed? It’s not so obvious in English, but it is in Greek. The Greek word for “death” is thanatos, which, as we’ve mentioned before, carries with it the idea of separation. Separation of our soul from our mortal body is physical death, whereas separation of our soul from God is spiritual death.

The Greek word for “holiness” is hagios, which means “to be set apart from common use to or for a special purpose.” This is the same word that is also translated “sanctified.” Do you see the subtle difference? Death is separation from something while holiness is being set apart to something. Spiritual death is separation from God; holiness is being set apart to God.

Meaning Explained

This verse is Paul’s answer to the previous two verses and all three taken together are a summary of what Paul has been saying for this entire chapter. In verse twenty Paul said:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Before we were saved we had no choice but to obey sin because we were its slaves. In answer to that he now says:

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God …

As born again Christians we are free from the bondage of sin and have become the slaves (the personal property) of God himself. We are no longer owned by sin, but we’re not free to just do as we please either because we are now owned by God; He is our master and we are to submit to His will.

In verse twenty-one Paul said:

What fruit did you have … For the end of those things is death.

The fruit of the sin of our former way of life was death (separation from God.) In this verse he says:

But now … you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

The fruit of our salvation now is holiness (being set apart to God for His use), which results in eternal life.

Now let me tie this all together. Throughout this chapter Paul has been saying that before we were saved, we were slaves to sin and we were separated from God (we were spiritually dead.) Now that we have received His gracious gift of salvation we are set apart to God (we are spiritually alive for eternity).

Application

When we fully comprehend what Paul is saying in these verses. it should produce in us the greatest praise for Him because of what He has done. Hallelujah!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:21 – Grace for Shame

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:21

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Truth to Learn

Our sinfulness separates us from fellowship with God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “fruit” is karpos, which can refer to the fruit of a tree (or other crop) or that which results from our actions. It is this latter meaning of “fruit” that is implied in today’s verse.

“Ashamed” is from the Greek word epaischunomai, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “on account of” and a form of aischunō, which means “to be ashamed.” Hence epaischunomai refers to the shame that someone has brought upon himself or herself.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that when we were slaves to sin (before we were saved) we were free from (not in bondage to) righteousness. The clear implication is, now that we are slaves to righteousness we are free from sin and should not obey it like a master. Remember also, back in verse fifteen Paul asked the rhetorical question, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Since that verse he has been arguing that we certainly should not continue in sin because we now have a new master and we are not under the obligation to sin like we previously were.

In the current verse Paul is making another point in reference to his rhetorical question. Since we once were in bondage to sin we know its effects, we’ve tasted its bitterness, and we’ve reaped its fruit. He is implying here that having once experienced these effects and knowing our tendency to sin, we should not indulge in it now. We can look back at the sinful life we used to live and see that not only are the “pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25) not lasting, but the consequences of these sins are lasting and we are ashamed of them. Therefore, why would we even consider going back to a state where we were controlled by our sinful impulses?

We are very aware of the end result of our sinful past, and a life characterized by sin, produces death. “But,” you may say, “I’m now saved so I have eternal life and will never die again spiritually.” This is absolutely true, but the definition of death is separation. To die physically is to be separated from this mortal world. To die spiritually is to be spiritually separated from God (that’s the worst part of the punishment of Hell, eternal separation from God). If you are truly saved, then you will never, ever, ever, ever be spiritually separated from God because He has adopted you into His family and has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you. But – when we sin (after we have been saved) we are separated from fellowship with God and that type of separation (death) can only be overcome by humbling ourselves and confessing our sin to God.

Application

We’ve all done things in the past that we are not very proud of, haven’t we? So the real question is, “Do you have anything that you need to confess to God right now?” He’s ready to forgive you and restore fellowship with you if you do. That’s grace!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:16 – Obedience by Submission

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:16

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Truth to Learn

We all obey whatever master we submit ourselves to.

Behind the Words

The word translated “slaves” is doulos, meaning “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. It refers to a person who has no rights of his own; one who exists only as the property of someone else.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has made a number of points in the past five verses:

· Count yourselves to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God

· Do not let sin reign in your mortal body

· Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present your members as instruments of righteousness to God

· Sin will not have dominion over you

We know what we should do but sometimes we can’t figure out how to do it. In the current verse Paul is beginning his explanation of how to do it. In answer to his own rhetorical question, he uses a word picture that everyone in the Roman Empire at that time would understand: slavery.

The whole concept of slavery was well known because it was widely practiced. The Romans saw slavery as an integral component to developing and building its society. The institution of slavery permeated all of Roman culture. The Italian economy depended on abundant slave labor, with slaves constituting 40 percent of the population. It even reached a point in the third and fourth centuries after Christ when slaves outnumbered citizens five to three. At the time that Paul wrote this letter it was simply a way of life.

Slaves were considered property; they had no rights and were subject to their owners’ whims. If they did not obey their masters, they were subject to punishment, including beatings, although the murder of slaves was forbidden.

In light of this, now consider what Paul is saying about not letting sin reign in our bodies. He says, Don’t you know that the one whom you obey is your master and you are his slave? The difference for the Christian, however, is that we have already determined who our master is. He says we used to be the slave of sin, which produces death, but now we are the slaves of obedience as a result of our righteousness.

Paul says this in answer to his rhetorical question because the born again Christian is not the slave of sin since he or she has been declared righteous and, therefore, is now the slave of God. And God, as our master, wants us to produce acts of righteousness demonstrating the fruit of our salvation. Therefore, we can’t continue to live in sin because we are not under the Law (which produced sin) but under grace (which produces righteousness).

Application

Are you living the life your master wants you to live? The answer, of course, should be yes. But, the real question is – Who is your master? Who are you submitted to?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:10 – Identity Crisis?

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:10

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Truth to Learn

We have identified ourselves with Jesus Christ in His death to sin. We should also identify ourselves with Him in living for God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “once for all” is ephapax, which means “once and only once.” Though the translation above seems to indicate that Christ died once for everyone, it really says that He died once for all of time and eternity.

Meaning Explained

Paul makes a couple of key points in this verse that we all need to learn. The first is contained in the expression, “For the death that He died, He died to sin.” Paul is explaining the meaning and purpose for Christ’s death. The purpose of His death is that he died to sin. That is, he died paying the penalty for sin so that sin should no longer have dominion over any of us. His death paid for all our sins so, even though sin used to be our slave master, that bond has been destroyed and we are now free from the dominion of sin.

But his death means more than just that we are freed from sin. Paul says that He died once and only once. In other words, He will never have to die again because the sin penalty has been taken care of forever by His onetime death. Since the sin penalty has been taken care of once and for all, we will never have to die after we leave these mortal bodies. We will have to die physically (unless we are raptured) in order to shed these mortal bodies, but we will never have to die spiritually because our sins have been completely paid for.

Remember that death means separation, so we will never again be separated from God – for all eternity. This is not true for those who will be cast into the Lake of Fire. They will be eternally separated from God. That, in fact, is one of the worst torments that they will face in Hell, being eternally separated from God (eternally dead!).

The second half of this verse now tells us what’s on the other side of the coin. Since Jesus Christ will never die again, He lives with respect to God the Father who raised Him from the dead. That is, His life is a testimony to the power of God the Father. Likewise, we who have had our sin penalty paid once and for all (which, incidentally, becomes a problem for those who think they can lose their salvation since it was taken care of once for all time, not just until the next big sin). We now owe this eternal life that we possess to the one who paid our penalty for us.

Paul’s point is that when we were baptized we were identifying with Christ’s death, which He died to sin. And our baptism also identifies us with His life which we should now live to God.

We are indebted to Christ for paying our penalty and we are indebted to God the Father for graciously declaring us righteous. In gratitude and in debt we should now be living our life for God and not for ourselves.

Application

Now that you have identified yourself with Christ in dying to sin, are you being identified with Him in the way you live? Or, put another way, whom are you living your life for now? And, how thankful are you for the eternal life that you now possess?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:9 – No Separation, Ever!

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:9

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ can never die again!

Behind the Words

“Knowing” is translated from the Greek word eidō, which can mean either “to see or perceive” or “to know” depending on its usage. Here is what The Complete Word Study Dictionary says about this word as it appears in Romans 3:9:

[It is] spoken of man’s knowledge as a result of and only in view of his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. There are certain things that human beings simply cannot know intuitively unless they become the children of God.

The word is expressed here as a perfect participle. That is, we have known in the past and, as a result, we are continually knowing; we have continual knowledge.

The Greek word translated “has dominion” is kurieuō, the verb form of kurios, meaning “master, lord, or owner.” Thus, kurieuō refers to “lordship or ownership.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is a statement of fact regarding what we talked about in the previous verse. Paul starts off by saying “knowing that Christ … dies no more.” In other words, because we are saved, we have come to know and now are continually aware that Christ was raised from the dead. And, since He was raised from the dead, He will never die again because death no longer has lordship or ownership of Him. That is, death has no power or authority over Him.

Did you know that before the resurrection of Christ, the Devil, Satan himself, had the power to take life? It says so in the book of Hebrews:

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14, 15)

But now that Christ has been raised from the dead, He alone has the keys to death and Hades as it says in Revelation:

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Revelation 1:17, 18)

Back in verse two we said that death means separation. Physical death means separation from this body. Spiritual death means separation from God. Since we know Christ as our Lord and Savior, we also know that we have eternal life with Him. We will never be separated from Him. And Paul says that we don’t simply think that we have eternal life, we know it!

Application

As Christians we are united with Christ and can never be separated from Him, ever; not in this life and not in the after-life. We are secure in Him and eternally with Him.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:5 – My Fellow Sprouts

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:5

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Truth to Learn

Christian actions should bear a resemblance to Jesus Christ.

Behind the Words

The word translated “united together” is an interesting word. It is the Greek word sumfutos, which is a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of phuō, meaning “to germinate, to sprout, or to spring up,” as a plant springs up from the ground. It implies not only a unity of form but a unity of action as well. This expression is representative of a field of grain in which the seeds have all been sown at the same time and have sprung up together, but it is also used of other common experiences. Here it means that we are intimately connected or joined together in form and action with Christ.

“We have been” is translated from ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense. The perfect tense in Greek expresses a past completed action with a resultant state of being, but the emphasis is on the resultant state of being. So the emphasis here is on the fact that, because we began to be together with Him in the past we are now joined together with Jesus Christ in form and action.

Meaning Explained

In this verse Paul declares that if we were joined with Christ in death (by identifying with his death) then we shall also be joined with him in His resurrection. It may seem strange that Paul would use an expression that means “spring up together” as a likeness to death. However, Jesus said this regarding his own death:

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24 )

So Paul is saying that we have been intimately joined together with Christ in our planting (Christ’s death and our identification with that death) and, therefore, it is perfectly natural to assume that we will grow up together with a strong resemblance of each other. That’s why Paul says that “we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

The Apostle John said this about our resurrection body:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1John 3:2)

Some day we will have a resurrected body just like Jesus has now! But Paul is not referring to the body here as John is in his letter. Paul is telling us that because we have been planted together with Christ, portrayed by baptism, we should resemble Him even now, not physically but behaviorally. In fact, the very name “Christian” that we carry with such pride and joy means “one who is like Christ.”

Application

If we are going to bear His name, then we need to bear His resemblance, acting like Him as well! Lord, help me to so resemble Jesus Christ that people around me will see Him in all that I do.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:4 – Raised to New Life

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:4

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Truth to Learn

Because of Christ’s resurrection we should live differently.

Behind the Words

The words “we were buried with” are from the Greek word sunthaptō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and thaptō, meaning “to bury.” In the New Testament this word only appears here and in Colossians 2:12. In both instances it refers to us being buried together with Christ in, or through, baptism.

“Raised” is from egeirō, which literally means “to arouse” or “to cause to rise.” It means to awaken someone from sleep, whether it be restful slumber or death itself.

The word translated “newness” is kainotēs, which is derived from kainos, meaning “new.” Kainotēs refers to a renewal, not simply an experience similar to the past, but a qualitatively different one. Hence, here it refers to a newness of life that has a different quality from the previous life that we had without Christ.

Meaning Explained

For Christians, baptism is a public declaration that a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not part of the salvation process; it happens after salvation. This current verse and those that follow describe a mode of baptism referred to as “immersion.” Though this is the mode of baptism that most closely identifies us with the death and resurrection of Christ, it is not the only form of baptism used by Christians today. For the sake of discussion in these verses, however, we will assume that Paul is talking about baptism by immersion.

Baptism involves the baptizer laying the person being baptized backwards into the water until he or she is completely submerged. Paul says that this person was, “buried with him (Christ) through baptism into death.” The person being baptized is then raised back up and allowed to stand. Paul says, “that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

What Paul means is that as we were laid back in the water we were identifying ourselves with Christ’s death. We were demonstrating that we died with Christ. When we were raised back up, we were identifying with the resurrection of Christ, entering into a new kind of life, that is, eternal life. And Paul says, since we were raised from the dead, we should now walk in this new kind of life. This new life is to be qualitatively different from our former life. It is not to be characterized by sin because, as he said in verse two, we died to sin.

Application

Let me ask you, my Christian friend, “Does the kind of life you are living now differ significantly from the kind of life you lived before you were saved?” It should!

Are you walking in this new kind of life in a manner that is worthy of Jesus Christ, the One you have identified with?

If you were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I certainly hope so!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 6:3 – Baptized to Death

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:3

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Truth to Learn

We don’t have to let sin control us. We can have the victory!

Behind the Words

The word “baptized” is translated from baptidzo. It’s easy to see that the Greek word and the English word are nearly identical. This is what is known as a transliteration. A transliteration is when a word in one language is carried over directly into another language. This Greek word means “to immerse, to place into, to dunk, or to wet completely.” For this reason alone, it is reasonable to believe that immersion is the form of baptism that was followed by the early church.

Meaning Explained

This verse and the following are an amplification of what was said in the previous verse. Paul just told us that we died to sin. What does he mean by that? When we were baptized into Jesus Christ we were baptized into his death.

Some people interpret this as saying that we were “placed into the body of Christ.” The only problem with this is that this verse doesn’t say we were baptized into the body of Christ, rather that we were baptized into Christ.

I believe that Paul is talking about “believers’ baptism,” that act in which we were immersed in water (or sprinkled with water, or had water poured on us). This believers’ baptism does not in any way save us. As Paul has told us in the earlier chapters of this book, we are saved by believing in God’s promise and by God subsequently declaring us righteous; not because we did something (like get baptized) but because we believed his message. Well, if this baptism doesn’t save us, then what does it do? It is a public proclamation of our identification with Jesus Christ. It is a proclamation that we have died to sin, and it no longer rules over us, He does.

By identifying with Jesus through baptism, we identify with both his death and his resurrection. The current verse talks about the first half of this. When we were baptized, we were baptized into (identified with) his death; therefore, with Christ we have died to sin and do not have to let it control us.

There is some comfort to be taken in this passage of scripture. The mere fact that Paul is arguing so strongly regarding sinfulness after salvation is proof in itself that we do not stop sinning when we get saved. If that were the case, Paul would simply tell these Roman Christians (and us) that the presence of sin indicates the lack of salvation. But he does not say that!

You will recall that Paul started this line of reasoning because there were some who claimed that we could sin all we want because it only makes the grace of God appear greater. It is clear from Paul’s argument that we have a choice to live a life characterized by sin or not. We will always sin because we have a sin nature, but we don’t have to let sin run our lives. We can control it through the power of the Holy Spirit. What Paul is teaching us through this section of the book of Romans is how to control our sin nature instead of letting it control us.

Application

We all battle the lusts of our sin nature, which are inflamed by this world system we live in. But, we don’t have to let sin control us. Let us all pray that the Holy Spirit of God will give us victory over our sin nature, and in return let’s give God the glory and praise that He deserves.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –