I want to personally ask everyone to read this post in its entirety.  No matter how you may feel about the messenger (me), I pray the message will bless you.  Furthermore, as always, test this and all other teachings against the Word of God.  God Bless!

“…How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:2.

Throughout Romans chapter 6, the word sin in the original Greek is i_amartia, which is “the sin”. In other words sin is a noun and not a verb. It is hard for some to confess sin. Self righteousness, pride or rebellion will not allow them to admit that sin is their problem…sin the verb. However, sin is EVERYONE’S problem. Yes, I said everyone’s problem is sin…sin the noun. Our sin nature (noun) is what had dominion over us from birth. We can cast out every demon from hades but we can’t cast out an active sin nature. There is only one way to have dominion over our sin nature and that’s faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

When we are initially saved, our faith is placed on Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. We are baptized into Jesus Christ and into the likeness of His Death (Romans 6:3 & 5). Jesus Christ did not have a sin nature. He had a free will but no sin nature. For us to be baptized into the likeness of His death, we too have to be cut off or unplugged from our sin nature. Upon salvation, the Holy Spirit comes in and “unplugs” us from the sin nature. The sin nature is not dead but we are dead to it. Sin, the noun, no longer has dominion over us because our faith is based on what Jesus did and not what we have done. At this point, our faith is correctly appropriated because the harlot we call religion hasn’t appeared. The sinner (us) has been crucified and “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11.

Then comes religion.  As we are guided to and through the classes teaching us how to become a Christian, our faith begins to tilt to what that notebook says to do instead of what the Word of God says to do. We never realize we aren’t studying the Bible in context but instead picking out all of the “good stuff” and leaving out the part about “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10. Our religion is all about us living the resurrected life by our own accord. Instead of trusting God, we are testing God. We are not taught about what He has done but what we must do. Our faith has been misdirected and placed on what all we have done. At this point, we no longer have dominion over the sin nature because our faith has been misappropriated on our works and not the Lords. The Holy Spirit’s conviction is declared condemnation and He therefore steps aside as we go down the road of religion. The sin nature’s dominion begins to rise as we dig our heels in and fight. In an attempt to protect ourselves we don’t run back to faith in Jesus and the Cross but blame our sin problem on every demon from hades. We begin cast ing out demons when in fact it is the active sin nature we are battling. There is only one way to have dominion over our sin nature and that is faith in Jesus and what HE did…not what we have done.

Our problem is sin but it is the noun and not the verb. With all due respect, whether we believe it or not, that doesn’t change the fact. We will not, do not and cannot have dominion over the sin nature without faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot cast out our sin nature, we cannot bind our sin nature nor can we rebuke our sin nature. There is one way and one way only – our faith in what Jesus did on His Cross. Jesus Christ defeated every demon we are “fighting” already. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the Law but under Grace.” Romans 6:14. Living under the law will always conclude with the sin nature having dominion over us. The Law wrapped in a different package with a more seeker friendly, 40 day, grace revolution kind of way…is still law.

Grace comes in realizing, He, the Lord Jesus Christ, REALLY has already done it…ALL of it. We don’t have to live in the fear of doing all of these things; chasing down every demon or attending EVERY class (101, 201,301) until we graduate to “mature Christian” according to the world’s standards. We begin to understand grace by beginning to understand who our Saviour is and what He did for us. We begin to understand it is about what Jesus did that allows us to abide in God’s providence and not just us living in God’s providence. It is under the Blood that He continues His work in us; molding us and shaping us into who and what HE wants us to be, not that questionnaire we took in class 201. Our stumbles and failures are covered under His Blood as He teaches us His ways and equips us to live a holy life. We are not sinless perfection but sin no longer has dominion over our life. The good works we read about in the Bible automatically follow our proper faith because we know God has ordained it therefore He will see us through. The Word of God becomes a beautiful love story revealed to us by the Holy Spirit about a God who loves His children and sends His Son to save them. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.  It’s not about us, it’s about Him…Jesus Christ. – Donna Warren