Title: Weapons of Injustice and Weapons of Righteousness
Commentary on Romans 44
Weapons of Injustice and Weapons of Righteousness
Romans 6:12-14
1. Christian Sanctification
We must have a proper biblical knowledge of our Christian sanctification or sanctification. And on the basis of this knowledge, you must set up your own life guidelines and move forward through the process of sanctification into a practically sanctified life.
(1) Sanctification is not instantaneous for Christians. Some Christians know that Christian sanctification is accomplished at once at a certain moment, that is, at a certain moment when the saints receive grace. Those who think like this will work tirelessly to receive this kind of grace, but each time they will end in failure. This is because sanctification is not accomplished so instantaneously. No matter how hard you try, such an experience is impossible for a lifetime.
It is not sanctification by faith. What we can obtain by faith is righteousness and salvation. The ultimate Christian sanctification will be fully realized when our body is transformed into a body of glory, like the body of Christ. Some say that all things come through faith, so you must believe that you will overcome sin, and that you will lead a sanctified life, and stay in that faith. However, no matter how much we stand in faith, the power of sin that tempts us according to our lusts penetrates into our mortal body.
(2) Sanctification is the active life of Christians. “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body,” “Do not obey the lusts of the body,” “Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.” It's possible. It was also a command that meant a struggle. The Christian life of holiness is a struggle. This struggle is what Paul called “the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). Christian sanctification is a lifelong struggle to be waged in the entire course of a long life. You have to fight this battle until your “mortal body” dies.
2. Motives for Christian sanctification
Why should we become sanctified because we live a sanctified life? In other words, what motivates Christians to become sanctified?
(1) The purpose of Christian sanctification is to be “live to God”| It is essential for life. This is the Christian life that glorifies God. Sin is the evil that made us enemies with God. This sin has separated us from God and brought us to judgment. Jesus came to this world as the Lamb of God to atone for our sins and accomplished that work on the cross. And yet, can we now live in that sin again? “Shall we abid in sin to increase grace?” asked Paul. And Paul retorted, “It cannot be, how shall we, who are dead to sin, live in them” (Romans 6:1,2). The reason God saved us was not that we should live longer in our sins, but rather that we would forsake our sins and do not share in them in the future, but rather to bear the fruit of righteousness. Such a life is a life that glorifies God (Romans 7:4).
(2) A life that glorifies God is obedience. The purpose of God's creation, who created man, was to glorify God. God made a covenant with Adam by obedience (Genesis 2:16,17). For Christians to glorify God is the way back. It is a life of obedience. This breed is divided into two main categories. One is to believe in his Son whom God has sent, and to live in obedience to the word of God given to us in the Son.
3. Practical Methods of Christian Sanctification
In Paul's exhortation, we are looking for the method of holiness that Christians should show in his life.
(1) He said, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” Sin must not reign in our bodies again. To be precise, sin cannot come back and reign over us. Because we are already dead to sin and have been buried. We are simply giving our mortal body to sin so that we can invite sin into our body and rule as king. Of course, at this time, sin is a false king that dominates our body, and our mortal body also leads a life of subjecting itself to a false king, not an actual king. Christians must prevent this from happening. If we have been equipped with the doctrinal knowledge through Paul's union with Christ, we must prevent sin from reigning with this word of truth.
(2) They were told not to obey the lusts of the body. The body refers to the body that will die. In this body, there are all kinds of instinctive elements necessary for human survival. These elements are good things that cannot be discarded if used for good. However, if you use it for the lust of the body, it becomes a sin. Sin is the temptation in our nature to entice us to succumb to sin. Therefore, we should not always follow the lusts of the body. It is to obey the word of God.
(3) Do not present our members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but to God as instruments of righteousness. Our body acts like a weapon. When used for unrighteousness, our bodies become instruments of unrighteousness and sacrifice to sin, and when used for righteousness sake, they become instruments of righteousness and sacrificed to God. When we were slaves to sin in Adam, our bodies were used entirely as instruments of unrighteousness and we have lived a life of sacrifice to sin. However, since we came into Christ, we have become dead to sin, so we have become a body that cannot be presented to sin as an instrument of unrighteousness. On the other hand, we have come to bear new fruit, the fruit of righteousness toward God who saved us. Yet, many Christians are still playing a weapon of injustice.
Conclusion: Christians must know their status clearly. It is the fact that we are completely dead to sin, that we are united to Christ and become new people, that we are to bear fruit toward God in Christ. God has given me the strength to live like this. We need to know that we are people living under grace now.