The Gracious Power of the Cross 5. Puts Sinners to Death Ps 34:11-22 Jer 33:14-18 Gal 2:15-21 Matt 26:1-16

https://youtu.be/z0jBPtRE1Sg

Introduction

As a young Christian I used to struggle with the thought that being crucified with Jesus somehow meant I was going to lose my identity, I never realised that being put to death with Christ meant a revelation of my true self.  I regularly encounter Christians just as confused as I once was[1]. This causes considerable grief to the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). The other day I was listening to a brother tell his life story and every now and then he would label his behaviour, “not good”; much like Christians apologising for some mistake with the words “my bad”. Then I have believers who use Jeremiah 17:9, “the heart is desperately corrupt and deceitful above all things”, as if it were true of them! They have forgotten[2] they have been put to death and given a new heart (Ezek 36:26-27; Gal 2:20; :24). Then there is an occasional believer who insists, in contradiction to scripture (1 John 1:8; James 3:2), they have no sin in their lives. This has important practical consequences. Tragically, as long as there are Christians whose identity is somehow tied to personal sin rather than exclusively to their relationship with Jesus, the Church will lack spiritual authority to resist the evil spirit driving the political correctness of today known as “identity politics”[3]. Self-judgement, negative or positive, always leads to spiritual disempowerment. In Christ-formed wisdom Paul says. “I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”  (1 Cor 4:3-4).

Martin Luther’s famous solution to the connection between sin and the Christian identity was that a Christian is “at the same time righteous and a sinner”[4]  This is a great statement as long as we don’t put our sinfulness in Adam on the same level as our righteousness in Christ. Paul pronounces, “if, because of one man’s trespass (Adam’s), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17 cf. v.1)[5] I think there is great confusion about sin and righteousness across the Church because we lack a thorough Christ-centred approach to everything[6]. What is sin?

What is Sin?

Standard answers to the meaning of sin define it as failure to achieve a standard, missing the mark, “lawlessness” or “rebellion” (Hos 7:13; 8:1; Isa 1:2; 1 Tim 1:9; 1 John 3:4 etc.)[7]. Sin is opposition to God as he has revealed himself (Rom 1:18). These definitions of sin are useful but fail to get to the real heart of the problem of sin. Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s Word concerning the tree of knowledge (Gen 2:17) was a refusal to obey what the Father was saying in his Son, Adam substituted rebellion and self-rule for the obedience and submission we see in the true Son of God, Jesus (Luke 3:38; Phil 2:8). Eve and Adam’s seeking their own glory was a denial of the glory of the Father in the Son (John 17:1-5; Rom 6:4). When the first humans wanted to be lords of the earth without the Lordship of God (Gen 3:5) they broke humanity’s destiny to tule with Christ as “Lord of all” (Acts 2:36). All sin is ultimately against God[8] because hurting another human being made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28) is ultimately an attack on the image of the invisible God who is Christ (cf. Gen 9:6; Prov 14:31; 17:5; Matt 2:31-46; Col 1:1; 2 Cor 4:4-6). Sin is a way of not being what God wants, and what God wants is Christlikeness. I “approached” someone the other day and asked him if he wanted to grow as a Christian. When said he wanted “to be a better person” I shifted the conversation form centring on him to centring on Jesus and prayed for him to be more Christlike[9].  If sin is essentially being unlike Christ, this means only Christ can save us[10] from our sins.[11] So much for understanding sin, but who/what is a “sinner”. This should not be a disturbing question.

Who is a Sinner?

Paul’s opening words in our Galatians reading, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners” (Gal 2:15) sets the parameters for thinking about who is a sinner. In biblical times anyone outside the Law of Moses was a sinner, so in the Gospels, “sinners” normally refers to a class of people known to break the Old Testament ceremonial law (Matt 9:11ff). Jesus’ ministry was so radical because it was “sinners” who loved his teaching, responded to his calls to turn from sin, and who followed him as a friend (Matt 11:19; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32; 7:34; 19:7). The only group that Jesus specifically calls “sinners” are those who come to take him away to be crucified (Matt26:4; Mark 14:41).

When we come to the letters of the New Testament, Paul is comfortable in talking about Christ saving sinners (Rom 5:8, 19) and of his past deeds as making himself a sinner (1 Tim 1:15), but he never addresses Christians as sinners.[12] Much the same can be said for the rest of the New Testament[13]. What Paul stresses about the Christian’s relationship with sin is that once enslaved to sin and completely under its power (Rom 3:9; Gal 3:22; 4:8)[14] believers in Christ have been set free from its dominion and are now under the rule of Christ’s righteousness (Rom 6:14, 17-18). As servants of righteousness who belong to Christ (Rom 5:19) we should not think of ourselves as “sinners”.

Christ

Jesus entered into the world to wage war on the causes of sin[15] and to do this sin needed to be put to death in him[16]. The only way that Christ could “put away (all humanity’s) sin” (annul/remove) (Heb 9:26 cf. Isa 3:12) was by condemning sin in his own flesh (Rom 8:3 cf. 1 Pet 3:18). As we read last week from 2 Corinthians 5:21, the sinless Jesus “became sin” on the cross. But what exactly does this mean?

On the cross Christ takes on everything by nature he is not, so that we might become everything that by nature he is[17]. In going to the cross as the Son of God for us Jesus became the sinless person united with all other sinful persons[18]. In God’s sight, Christ becomes the “only sinner”.  As the sacrificed God, he “becomes sin” (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24) not as committer of sin, but as the one who fully pays any debt to God caused by the sin[19]. The Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8 cf. 1 Pet 1:20) became the concentration point of all sin. And as risen from the dead he begins a new human race in himself (2 Cor 5:17). All sin has been wiped out in him (John 1:29). The infinite blessing, life and grace of God have fought against sin, death, Satan and curse and conquered them in Christ for us[20]. This is Christ’s righteousness, and it is his gracious gift to us (1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor :21; Phil 3:9).

Christian

As far as God is concerned, since his wrath was completely poured on the sinner in Christ on the cross the sinner has been completely punished and destroyed in his sight.  The exhortation “you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:11 cf. 1 Pet 2:24) is an outworking of the spiritual fact that through baptism we have died to sin by being united to Christ’s death (Rom 6:2-3). We are “no longer under law but under grace” (Rom 6:14 cf. 5:17) we are no longer “in sin” (Rom 6:1) but “in Christ” (2 Cor 5:17) and “alive to God” (Rom 6:11). From the time of our coming to Christ sin is alien to us/sin doesn’t belong in us. Sin contradicts our new nature. Since through Christ God no longer counts our sin[21] (2 Cor 5:19 cf. Rom 5:13) we have no real, objective or lasting guilt or shame before our heavenly Father. The power of sin has been broken[22]. Surviving sin certainly lives in us (Rom 7:18) but reigning sin does not. In every case of temptation the Holy Spirit can share with us the power of the victory of Christ (Gal 5:17 cf. Rom 8:37)[23]. John confidently says, those who have been “born of God” do not “keep on sinning” (1 John 3:6, 9; 5:18)[24].

Conclusion 

If all this is so wonderfully true, why do so many of us struggle to live as “sinners put to death”?  Firstly, poor teaching means unbelief and little faith (Rom 10:17). Unbelief is the foundational problem, but sometimes folk are deceived into loving their sin more than loving God (2 Tim 4:10; 1 John 4:15). I sense however a far deeper issue. In the New Testament people are motivated to break with sin (1 Pet 4:1) not out of fear of punishment (1 John 4:17-18) but by a much more powerful positive motivation. The Spirit has spoken to me about this in an exciting way.

The infallible sign of living a life of having “been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20) is not a sinless life but a joy-filled life. This is what makes the good news of the gospel exciting news. Jesus said, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7 cf. 15:10)[25]. Paul speaks of a “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Cor 7:10)[26]. Peter testifies, “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pet 1:8-9). This wonderful fruit of joy (John 15:11; Gal 5:22)[27] from the saving work of Christ is spelled out in a remarkable scripture in Hebrews.

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2). God created that we might have joy with him forever (cf. Prov 8:22-31), and the cost of that joy, a cost he willingly endured in love, was the cross. The destruction of the guilt, shame and pain we all eternally deserved was completely carried away by the Son of God at Calvary. Our problem in this respect is that “our Jesus” is far too small. The lack of joy amongst Christians is a sign of resident guilt/shame because we fail to believe that in Christ, as far as God is concerned, we are totally crucified/dead sinners.

Whilst repentance from sin is the first visible sign of a move of God[28], it is not the priority of the Spirit of God. Last week I mentioned that the statement “become who you are” was the basis for how structured his letters to the churches, perhaps an even better way of expressing this is “Be who you now are.” Since we are people who are already fully righteous before God (Rom 5:1; 8:1; 1 Cor 1:30), sin cannot control us because it has no rightful place in our lives. If there is a reason why the Church as a whole isn’t convincingly revealing these gospel truths to a broken world it must be because our understanding of the cross is way too small[29]. Let us pray for a more powerful revelation of what the death of Jesus has once and for all time achieved. Which means to pray for a great outpouring of gospel joy (Rom 1:13; 2 Cor 7:4; Gal 4:15).