Parresia · Let’s Keep the Amazing in Grace, Session 5: “Living from the Inside Out”

Introduction

Welcome to the 5th session of Let’s Keep the Amazing in Grace. This session is entitled, “Living from the Inside Out.”

Tonight I am going to beat a dead horse. I am going to say the same thing in as many ways as I can to ingrain in us the truth about who we truly are. And I’ll start in Romans 7.

Married to Mr. Law or Mr. Grace?

Paul OPENS up Romans 7 by continuing the theme of slavery from Romans 6, and he uses the analogy of marriage to describe what it was like being under the Old Covenant law.

Romans 7:1-3 – Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? [Everyone under the Old Covenant was a slave to the law as long as he lived. The only way out was to die.  Then, in the next verse, Paul begins the analogy of marriage under the Jewish legal system] 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law [or legally tied] to her husband as long as he lives. [whether she likes it or not.] But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress [she can’t be married to two men at the same time]; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

The analogy is being married to the law vs. being married to Jesus. Think of it like this:

• Being married to Mr. law means your identity is your performance and you are given the name “Sinner”
• Being married to Mr. grace means your identity is in Christ! and you are given the name “righteous.”

There’s nothing wrong with Mr. Law. He is faithful to his wife. He doesn’t commit adultery. The only problem with Mr. Law is that he demands and demands from his wife, but he doesn’t lift a finger to help. Instead, he constantly wags that finger in disapproval. 

At a certain point Mr. Law’s wife will wish he would die! The problem with Mr. Law is that he can’t die. He’s eternal because he came from God.

Since Mr. Law cannot die, what is the only way that his wife could be released from the marriage? She would have to die. 

This wife represents us! We had to die to be released from the condemnation of the law and the identity as sinner.  But how can you die and still live? The next verse tells us:

Romans 7:4 – You [the wife] also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ…

And that’s what happened: we died, but actually, Jesus died our death for us at the cross! Even our death was supplied by our new husband!

Romans 7:4, cont. – [Why? – ] that you may be married to another —to Him [JESUS!] who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

There was no way   that we as sinners to ever be compatible with our new husband. A whole new bride of His kind had to be born in the resurrection!! He created us anew with His nature within!

And when we are joined to Jesus, we bear the the fruit of that union:

Galatians 5:22-23, NASB – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Our husband, Jesus, is our great Supplier of the fruit of heavenly righteousness!

Every morning by His Spirit our resurrected Jesus supplies us with everything we need to meet the demands of the day. 

We aren’t married to Jesus to work for Him. The preacher doesn’t say to the bride and groom, “Do you take so-and-so to be your slave for the rest of your life?” No, he says, “Do you take so-and-so to love and to cherish all the days of your life?” And that is exactly what Jesus did and continues to do for us – 

Ephesians 5:25-27 – Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 [why?] that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

We talk about the “washing of the water of the word” – what was “the word” that sanctified us and cleansed us and presented us before Him as having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing? It’s in the text! “JUST AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER!” It’s the gospel! That’s THE word that has cleansed us!

Back to Romans 7: Here are the old days of being married to “Mr. Law”:

Romans 7:5 – When we were [past tense] in the flesh, [under law, attempting to perfect ourselves in the flesh] the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members [flesh] to bear fruit to death.

Those sinful passions are aroused by the law!  If you want to get rid of sinful passions, get rid of the law!! 

The law puts demands on the flesh to overcome sin. But sin in the flesh will always be more powerful than the willpower of the flesh to overcome it.

Romans 8:6 – [Paul said – ] For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

The worst thing we can do is set our mind on the flesh and attempt through rules, regulations, and willpower to force compliance. All it will do is bread fruit to death. 

Sin consciousness and sin management in the flesh arouses sin.

Confidence in the flesh will lead to the works of the flesh which Paul listed in Galatians 5 (Galatians 5:19-21) – right before he listed the fruit of the Spirit – all sorts of sinful behaviors – because self-righteousness arouses sin.

But when our minds are set on Jesus and His love and supply, we will bear fruit to life out of our true desire to walk after the Spirit. 

To walk after the flesh would be to suppress our true desires!

Romans 7:6 – But now we have been delivered from the law having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit [from within] and not in the oldness of the letter. [from without]

What were we held by? What have we been delivered from? We have been delivered from the law, the outward demands of perfection on our bankrupt flesh. Now we are set free to live from the inside out by His Spirit.

The law arouses sin

Romans 7:7-8 – What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” [Paul is talking specifically about the Ten Commandments here.] 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire.

The law is like wood on fire. Paul is saying, “The more I try not to covet, the more I covet!”

Romans 7:8 doesn’t say that sin by itself produced in me all manner of evil desire. It says sin “taking opportunity by the commandment” produced in me all manner of evil desire..

Here’s why people fall into sinful behavior: 1st there is temptation. It can come as a thought, something you saw, something you remember… then before you sin, there is another stage. You never go directly from temptation to sin. There is an in between:

Temptation meets confidence in the flesh – self effort. This is the conception that gives brith to sinful behavior. Paul says,

Philippians 3:3 – We put no confidence in the flesh.

When we put confidence in the flesh, we will fail because we fall back into the performance mentality of the law: “I can handle this thing.” 

And then after we fail, we have guilt. With GUILT, we make new resolutions. For ex, “From now on, I will never do that again!” We get into extreme rules. 

When we say, “Never again!” the devil says, “Yahoo!” He loves our resolutions because they presume on our own strength and give fresh propensity to more sinning.

1 Corinthians 15:56 – [because he knows better that we do that -] …the strength of sin is the law…

Here’s the cycle of sin under a law mindset: We sin, then beg for forgiveness as if we aren’t already forgiven, then we say, “Thank you God for forgiving me!” – grace! grace! – , then live like we aren’t forgiven  – you will live like what you believe you are – and then you put confidence in the flesh, to do better – “I can handle it!” – Law! Law!     And then fail, and then ask for forgiveness again – you start the whole cycle over again.

This is spiritual adultery. Law to grace to law. Let’s just live with one husband – Mr. Grace, Jesus Christ.

Instead of trying our best to be better Christians when we fail, we should just know this: Jesus says, “I don’t condemn you. Now go and sin no more.” Our empowerment is knowing that there is no condemnation! 

Our empowerment is knowing we are still married to Jesus – Mr. Grace will never leave us or divorce us no matter what!  Because of His redeeming love, He will forever provide His righteousness from within.

Do you see how the Law always points to your flesh, but grace always points to Jesus!!!

Romans 7:8, cont. – [Back to Romans 7:8 -] …For apart from the law sin was dead. [So let’s just keep it dead!]

Who do you think is using the law today? Who stands to gain the most from the body of Christ never knowing who we are in Jesus and never knowing that we are free from sin and the law? The accuser of the brethren!

Satan’s main agenda is not to try to get us to sin. His main plan is to try to get us to keep the commandments in our flesh! Why? Because he knows – 

Galatians 3:12 – the law is not of faith. [Using the law to be right with God is not of faith! It’s of the flesh! We are not righteous by our works. We are righteous by faith.]

Romans 14:23 – whatever is not from faith is sin.

The devil tries to get us to be law keepers because our very efforts in the flesh not to sin is sin! 

The devil is a prosecutor. He’s an expert in the law. If you use the law to be right with God  – God I did this right, and I did that right! – The devil will nail you to the wall with his fiery darts of shame and condemnation!! “But you didn’t do this, and you didn’t do that well enough!”

Romans 7:9-12 – [verse 9 – ] I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, [not by itself, but again -] taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it [using the law as a weapon – sin ] killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 

Yes, the commandment is holy, but it cannot make you holy. It is just, but it cannot justify you. The commandment is good, but it cannot make you good. 

Romans 7:13 – Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 

The law in its intended severity shows how terrible sin is. So there’s nothing wrong with the law by itself, but when combined with temptation and human effort, the results are always death. 

The law simply takes us to the end of our flesh so that we will finally surrender all to the endless supply of God’s grace given through Jesus Christ!

The Battle that rages

In verse 14, Paul begins to describe the battle that rages. Some theologians believe that Paul is describing himself before he was saved, while others believe it is simply the human condition for all of us, saved and unsaved. Regardless, we can all relate because we all deal with sinful desires in the flesh.

Romans 7:14-17 – For we know that the law is spiritual [written with the finger of God], but I am carnal, [in other words, I have this flesh to deal with – which is] sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I [my true self] who do it, but sin [an unwelcome trespasser] that dwells in me. [in the next verse he clarifies what he means by “me” – he means “my flesh.”]

Paul says that it is not his true self who is doing it.  It’s a source called sin. And we may sin in the flesh, but sin is not who we are.

Romans 7:18-20 – For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; [Paul is clarifying what he’s talking about – the flesh where sin operates.] for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. [where? I will never find any good in my flesh.] 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me [in my flesh].

Paul concluded that it is not his true identity doing wrong. It is the power of sin attempting to prevent him from being who he truly is.

Sarx

The word “flesh” is the Greek word “sarx,” and in this context means 

self-effort; outward performance.

Some modern translations interpret the Greek word “sarx” in vs 18 and later in vs 25 as “sinful nature” As if a believer still has a sin nature. But “sarx” doesn’t mean “sinful” or “nature.” It means “flesh.” It can even mean your physical body – your members. 

How can we have a sinful nature when we are a new creation and partakers of Christ’s divine nature? (2 Pet 1:4)

Unfortunately, because of mis-translations of the word “sarx,” many Christians believe that their ongoing battler is with their own sinful nature.

So they go from 

• Believing that they have a sinful nature at their core to 
• Believing that it is a natural thing for them to sin. 

But if you are a new creation in Christ, nothing could be further from the truth! At our very core – in our spirit, we want what is holy! The most unnatural thing for you to do is to sin. It is completely inconsistent with your true nature! 

The End of the Struggle

Here is the glorious end to the STRUGGLE:

Romans 7:21-23 – I find then a law, [not “The law”, but a principle] that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members [the flesh], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

The battle is between two laws: one is the law of sin in flesh.  The other in the law of God in the inward man. And the battlefield is the mind.

Romans 7:24-25 – O wretched man that I am! Who [Not what! Who?] will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. [The MSG – “Jesus acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.” How is it resolved? Next verse -]

Romans 8:1, NASB – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

The word “condemnation” is the Greek word “katakrima” which means “judging to be guilty, a sentence to be worthy of punishment.” 

So “no condemnation” literally means “not a single judging of you worthy of punishment remains.” Even when you fail, there is therefore now no condemnation. Why?

Romans 8:2-3, NASB – For [because] the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh [“sarx” – the human body God prepared for Jesus. He came in our likeness, yet without sin, so that He could bear the sins of our sinFUL flesh!] and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.

Sin in the flesh has been condemned. It has been subdued, overcome, and deprived it of its power to condemn us or control us or identify us or separate us from God!

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is the new “want to’s” on the inside! It’s the royal law of love and the perfect law of liberty.

Spiritual Circumcision

I’m going to move to Colossians 2 where Paul explains what happened to us when we were delivered from the law and joined to Jesus.

Colossians 2:9-10 – For in Him [In Jesus] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, [in Jesus] who is the head of all principality and power. [that word “complete” means: “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting; to RENDER PERFECT”, lacking nothing!]

Our starting point in Christ is the finish line. The moment you were born again, there was an inward transformation that filled you instantly with the all fullness of God. Next verse – 

Colossians 2:11-13 – [In Jesus] In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands [this is speaking of the cross cutting away the flesh from your spiritual identity], by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 [you were] buried with Him in baptism, [into His death] in which you also were raised with Him [how?] through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with [Jesus] Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,…[how many? ALL! If you aren’t forgiven of ALL, you aren’t forgiven at all]

** FIST ILLUSTRATION ** [Wood – humanity, Gold – divine nature]

I’m going to give you an illustration of the cutting away of the flesh from the old man through the cross, releasing him to die so that the new man could be born and joined to Jesus.

This is the old man. [hold up the bundle wood] He was dead in sin and joined to the flesh. [cup hand on wood]

When we were made alive, the cross of Jesus Christ cut away the “old man” from the flesh. In this spiritual circumcision, the old man with his sin nature died, went into the grave with Jesus and ceased to exist. And he has no resurrection power.

The “new man” – a completely new creation with a new identity and a new nature in Christ was born. [hold up gold ball]

This new creation is joined to the Lord, not joined to the flesh as the old man was. [cup gold ball with the other hand]

1 Corinthians 6:17 – He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

However, the power of sin remains in the flesh. Although our identity was cut away from the flesh, the flesh remains. [hold original hand away from hand holding the gold ball]

Our flesh was not saved in the new birth. Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God, but we will all get new incorruptible bodies when Jesus returns that will be 100% compatible with our redeemed spirit. (1 Cor 15:50-54). 

Until then, the power of sin is confined to the flesh and does not have dominion over us. That’s why we can never be condemned or identified by it again.

Psalm 103:12 – [there is a great chasm between the our redeemed spirit joined to Jesus and sin in the flesh] As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

This means that whatever I do, it will not change who I am. Why? Because this isn’t based on what I have do. It’s based on what Jesus has done. through the cross.

Spirit Soul Body

I want to speak for a minute on spirit, soul, and body:

• Spirit is where our true nature and identity is. The spirit of the old man died. The spirit of the new man is the new creation who is a holy, righteous, faultless, and perfect child of God.

• The soul is the mind, will, emotions, feelings, personality, and the Greek word is “psuche” which is our natural soul life.

• The body is our physical body; and the 5 senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing)

There is our spirit joined to Jesus, and there is the flesh which is the body and soul – unique to each of us and useful as n earthen vessel to house our spirit and as instruments of righteousness to bring glory and honor to the name of Jesus when we live from the inside out!

But the flesh without the living, redeemed spirit within is subject to the law of sin. Without Jesus, we’re left with our own willpower, but even the strongest willed among us has our breaking point.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation [a new spiritual man]; old things have passed away [the old man died]; behold, all things have become new.

God has totally changed us – in our spirit, in our innermost being. If we don’t understand this concept of spirit, soul, and body, we are setting ourselves up for confusion and ultimately unbelief.

Our emotions, decision-making, feelings, and actions of our body were not instantly made new. The only part of you that was totally changed when you were born again was your spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “All things have become new.” This cannot refer to our behavior and emotions because 2 Corinthians 5:17 is not a process. It has already happened. It’s an accomplished fact, a done deal. 

The change that took place in our spirit must work its way into the soul and the body. If we don’t understand this, we’re going to think, “Nothing has changed. I’m still the same. I still have the old thoughts. I still have the old habits. Maybe I’m not even saved.”

But we must “reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin” and believe that our spirit right now is as perfect, as mature, and as complete as Jesus is. 

And then we will live out in our soul and body what we believe to be true in our spirit.

Back to Colossians 2:

Colossians 2:14-15 – [13 – He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses…] 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, [the law was against us] which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [Whose hand-writing?  God’s hand-writing – the law! God can nail His own hand-writing. God took it out of the way!] 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. [in the cross]

At now time the devil was armed. The devil had a weapon. What was the weapon? The law! The hand-writing written against us! 

The devil still tries to use the law and say to us, “Just keep this law. It will make you holy. It will bring you closer to God.” But you say, “I am already holy, and I’m already close to God!” How much closer can you get than He in you and you in Him?!

Conclusion – Progressive manifestation, not progressive sanctification

Can you see how the devil tries to confuse us about who we are? He tries to make us think the work is not finished, and we are not yet complete. His main strategy is to get us working, working, working. 

He gets us to focus on the fruit and not the source. “Are you bearing fruit? Get to work! Bear some fruit!”

Many of us are “doing to be” instead of realizing that we are already complete in Christ. 

So we’re not trying to be someone. We’re beholding to know someone. And when we know that someone, we know who we are in Him.  So we’re not doing to be. We see that we are, and we find ourselves doing.

Inside these bodies is the great mystery that religion doesn’t get because religion focuses on that which is seen and not that which is unseen.

The progressiveness of the Christian life is a progressive manifestation of what already is. Outwardly it appears that we’re are getting more sanctified because our actions are changing. But we are already sanctified – which means set apart, made holy – in the new man, our true selves. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 – But we have this treasure in earthen vessels [the Spirit of Jesus joined to our redeemed spirit. Why?], so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

People look at us and glorify Him. Why? Because they will see that it’s His power and not our own. They will be drawn to Him, not to us!!!

Today our failures and “missing of the mark” cannot separate us from God because sin has been confined to the flesh which has been forever cut away from who we truly are. Today nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Romans 8:31-39 – 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, Who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. [With His blood and His scars, the receipt of our redemption] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, [this includes our failures of the past and of the future!] 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, [including the devil!] shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8 begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation!

Copyright info: All scriptures in the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

• (NKJV) New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
• (NASB) Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)