Steve DeWitt 2/7/22 Steve DeWitt 2/7/22

Killing Sin by the Spirit

By Steve DeWitt

Click the picture to listen to Part 1 of the two part message by Pastor Steve.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13 ESV)

The key phrase here is, “put to death the deeds of the body.” The Greek word for put to death is used 11 times in the New Testament, 9 for actually killing people.[1] One example is Stephen, the first martyr, who was put to death. Same word. This is not a nice word. This is a bloody word. A word of execution. It simply means, kill it. Legalism says, stop it. Romans says, kill it. This requires a posture toward sin that is much more like an assassin. Ruthless. Cold, hard hatred of sin.

Jesus said the same when he said, “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” (Matthew 5:30) It is not physical dismemberment, but a spiritual dismemberment that sees sin as leading to death. It is an abuse of grace that makes us OK with sin thinking, I’m going to heaven anyway. That is an incredibly dangerous posture toward sin and calls into question if we truly understand Jesus shedding his blood for that sin.

We should think of sin like cancer patients think of their cancer. The fighter-types hate cancer. What if you talked with someone after a bout of cancer and they said,

I miss my cancer. Oh, I remember when I had lots of cancer. Such freedom I felt. Those were the days. Wow, the cancer parties were incredible! Many of my entertainment choices celebrate cancer. I remember driving for my chemo treatments—those were great days. If only I could have another chemo day. Cancer made me so happy.

When you talk with cancer patients, they’ll tell you the only way to beat cancer is to declare war on your cancer. When you see a bald woman wearing a wig, or a scarf on her head, respect her; she went to war. You must kill those cancer cells. How many of them? All of them. You hate it. You are willing to deal ruthlessly with it. Change your diet. Change your lifestyle. Stop your smoking. Whatever. You will shoot chemicals and radiation in your body to kill cancer. The courage in those cancer wards comes from people who don’t want to die, they want to live!

Romans 8:13 says, hate your sin. Hate it. See it as creating death in you. Don’t coddle it. Don’t ignore it. Go to war with your sin. You can’t defeat cancer by loving cancer and you can’t overcome sin and temptation by loving your sin. There is an old word that describes going to war and killing sin. Mortify it. When you see that word, it means, kill zone. DEFCON 1. Going nuclear. Annihilation. Is this the posture of your heart toward your sin?

© 2022 by Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include The Journey (theJourney.fm) or Bethel Church (www.bethelweb.org) website address on the copied resource.

Steve DeWitt is senior pastor of Bethel Church in Northwest Indiana, Founder and Teaching Pastor for the media/radio ministry The Journey, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He is also the author of Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two girls.

Steve DeWitt 9/26/21 Steve DeWitt 9/26/21

Is Grace Permission to Sin?

By Steve DeWitt

There is a word used to describe people who take the position that the Christian has no responsibility to obedience yet remains under the grace of God.

Antinomian = Anti (No) Nomos (Law)

Nobody thinks they are antinomian. There are no antinomian societies. Nobody introduces themselves as an antinomian: Hi, I’m Bob, I’m an antinomian. Everybody presents themselves as champions of grace. Their books have grace in the name. They sing Amazing Grace with gusto. The issue is whether obedience or sanctification are necessary byproducts of genuine saving faith….

By Steve DeWitt

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 6:1-2

This is my summary of the question, “are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1) Paul is not making this question up. It was either the active approach of Christians in the early church or the charge against Paul for preaching salvation by grace through faith. Probably both.

There is a word used to describe people who take the position that the Christian has no responsibility to obedience yet remains under the grace of God.

Antinomian = Anti (No) Nomos (Law)

A few years ago, we did a series on The Ten Commandments. We talked about the role of the law of God in the life of the believer. We said it is a muzzle, a mirror, and a map. God’s law restrains sin in this world through conscience, like a muzzle. It is a mirror that shows our sin. It is a map to guide us in how to live in a manner pleasing to God.

It is this third role, primarily, that antinomians dismiss. What’s the need and what’s the point? Is grace grace or not? Paul couldn’t say it any stronger than he did. See his response.

“By no means!” (Romans 6:2) Paul uses this phrase 14 times in his letters and it is reserved for his strongest outrage.[1] Its sense is, never, never, never! I remember professors in seminary talking about this little phrase with amazement at how strong it is. Paul wants to make it clear that God’s grace is NOT permission to sin. He follows with the question, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2)

The “we” refers to Christians. We died to sin. What’s that? How exactly did we die to sin? And aren’t we all nervous reading that knowing that, we continue to sin? How can I die to something that seems to still be present in my life?

We Died to Our Sin When Jesus Died for Our Sin

Think with me brothers and sisters. When Jesus died on the cross, he died as a substitute. For who? Us. What exactly did Jesus die for? He died for the moral guilt of our sin and paid the moral price for our redemption. All of this relates to sin and our moral and spiritual failure to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Our falling short of God’s glory. Romans 3:23. Our rebellion against God.

Most Christians say, I get it. He died for my sin. But what many people don’t get is that when Christ died for our sin we died to our sin. We died to sin as our master. We died to sin as the leading power and purpose of our life. Now Paul’s question makes sense: how can we who died to King Sin go on living with King Sin as our master? “It is not the literal impossibility of sin in believers which Paul is declaring, but the moral incongruity of it.” (John Stott)[2]

I often get the question, so what’s it like being married? By this they think that because I was a bachelor for so long that getting married was a big change. Indeed, it was. What if I said, nothing’s really changed? I sleep and get up when I want. I golf when I want. I’m away from home whenever I want. I spend my time and money in whatever way I want. I watch the TV shows I want when I want. So, nothing’s really changed.

And they’re going to respond, Did you really get married or just pretend to? Because I was at the wedding and I thought you actually did get married, but it sure doesn’t look like you did. Friends, sin is a kingdom. Sin is a Darth Lord. Sin is a Caesar to whom sinners bow. If Christ is our Savior, then can we live as if Darth Sin is our Lord?

Me genetoi. Never! Never! Never!

[1] Colin G. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, p. 259.

[2] John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World, p. 169.

© 2021 by Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include The Journey (theJourney.fm) or Bethel Church (www.bethelweb.org) website address on the copied resource.