Great Doctrines of Salvation
Courtney Hemenway · Dec 12, 2010
Great Doctrines of Salvation, No. 50
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926221311595

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We are on lesson 10. I listened to the last week and I believe you stopped at question 6 and we are starting on question 7 on lesson 10. So question 7, when God says we are to obey him, what does he mean? Does this mean God has another law for us? Now that we're believers, we have another law system. I already have something written there. Well, okay. Do I have to wait for this one too? Let him do his work in us. Say that again? Let him do his work in us. So, Bang is just letting him do his work through us. Okay, any others? There are commands, but what do we always talk about? When it's on a believer's side, when we say a command, what type of command is that? Vern always says it. Logical command. Logical imperative. The imperative is the command. What is it? Voice, tense.

It's because of this, therefore... That is the... That's the old law system. If you did this, you got this. Okay, it was performance based. Logical imperative is because you are a believer. Because this is true. Yes, then this will be the result. It's not a performance based or merit based command. So when we have commands as New Testament believers, it is because you're a believer, you'll do this. Because that's who you are.

I can see the look. You don't even need to raise your hand. I can see it. I forgot my question. This is the way I get away from questions. I confuse it and tell you to forget it. From what you said previously, what if you don't? Okay, so yeah, I'm kind of interested in the day-to-day sort of stuff. And that's a great thing. What if you don't do it? If you logically don't do it? Is that your question? What is it?

What happens? Does God just smack you upside the head? No. No. Well, he might. He might. Actually, there are consequences to doing, if you're sinning, There can be consequences to what you do. But what is God's, if you don't do that, what is the result if you don't obey? Stunned silence. You're depending on yourself. True. But what is the main result of that?

You're out of fellowship. You're out of fellowship. You're not walking. in the spirit. If you're not walking as who you are, what are you walking as? The flesh. So you're not in fellowship with him. So you lose the fellowship, the intimacy with him. It's not him turning his back on you. You're walking the other way.

Okay, but then on the other hand, some of the things we do, we need to give in because we don't have power over them or control over them, so it seems like we're losing fellowship for something that we can't help doing. We have no power over sin. Yeah, so the consequence, if you don't have power over it, and then you do it, and you lose fellowship, it seems like it's not your fault. This is the escape clause number three on your contract.

Well, your conscience kicks in, but you still can be like, okay, let's say, let's say it's a, let's say you love, cause I heard this on the radio this morning. Let's say you love gambling. Okay. I just came back from Vegas and I'll tell you, I did not put a dime down on the table. Let's say, let's say you sort of have a problem with, with gambling and you, And you kind of do it any time you get a chance, not even Vegas.

Maybe you're like, oh, I wonder what the odds are of that car. And so it's kind of like you don't have power over that behavior. You do it. You lose your fellowship with God. You want to change it. You hate that you're losing money and stuff like that. And you want to change it, but yet you don't. Read the end of Romans 7. End of Romans 7.

What is it? So if I play Lotto once a week, this is a bad thing? You know, that's a good question. Let me finish this. Romans 7 is exactly what you're talking about, Holly, and we do not have power over any of this. in our flesh. Yeah, so why do we get the consequences of losing our relationship with God? Doesn't he know? Doesn't God go like, I know?

He doesn't know. He's totally clueless. Totally clueless. Totally. Now, you know, it is right, it's 25, I was right. Paul goes through this whole scenario, conflict of the two natures. He goes through this and he's saying, exactly, I want to do, I know what I'm supposed to do, I want to do this, but I'm sinning. I try, I know what to do, I know what I want to do, I can't, I want to do this. 24, wretched man that I am, who will set me free from this body of death? What is it? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's Christ. It is your new life in Christ.

I've done this where there's a temptation, there's a whatever that I know that's wrong. What is the lesson we've been talking about last week and this week? In verse 11, what are you to do? You guys didn't remember last week? That was a long time ago.

Wrecking yourself dead to sin. Right. So you do. So you're like, okay, well, I did it, but it's not, well, if it's not sin, then is it not interfering with your relationship with God? If you're dead to sin, then that isn't sin. Is that continuing to do something like that sin?

Wow, I'm trying to enroll that. I was going around in circles and I don't know where to get off of that question. I've been waiting for this question for a week. It really is, and I'll tell you from personal experience, the more you understand I think I beat it in Mike a long time ago.

He kept saying grace is the most misunderstood thing. I said the most misunderstood thing is Romans 6, 1-10. First of all, that is number one. That's the identification that you are dead. That you have been co-crucified positionally and that you are a new creature in Christ. There are so many verses that back that up. That's the first thing, is that you know you don't have to respond to that old nature.

I still have sin. There's never going to be sinless perfection. It's shocking. No, it's shocking. No, totally. But a lot of times now, especially as you mature, in the Lord, you get to a point where I don't have to do that. We were talking about that. Yeah, I need to hear it a thousand times. But that's the growth process is that you realize I don't have to do that anymore.

You are never going to beat this in the old flesh. You will never do it because what does the old flesh want to do? That very thing you're trying to beat. So there are a lot of times I literally have to say I am dead to sin. I don't have to do this. I guess it's persistence then you're saying. It's growth. Grow in the knowledge and grace of God.

2 Peter 3.18, whatever. It's growing the knowledge and grace. Knowledge of who you are in Christ. If you know who you are in Christ, would you be doing that? We'll get back to yours in a minute because that's an interesting thing. As you grow in that knowledge of Christ, you know who you are in Christ.

Do you do that? Yeah, I do. Yeah, at times, you know, it's really bad. And you will continue to do it, I think, and I think the Lord will bring those things before you, and you'll suffer the consequences of them more and more, and you will begin to understand, that's not who I am. That's not who I am. And He may bring lots of things to test you, not test you, but to, you know, child training. It is for you to Is it for Him to just beat you into submission? To make you fail just because He wants you to fail?

What is the overlying concept of our relationship with God? Can we ever be separated from His love? No. What is grace? Unmerited, unlimited blessings to us. That's what He wants for us. He wants, Romans 8.15, the Abba Father. He wants that intimacy. He wants us to call him Father, Daddy. He wants us that much.

So everything that goes on, and I want to get back to your lotto question because that's an interesting one. So I guess it's the realization of who you are. Grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you do that, you realize what Paul figured out in Romans 7. I want to do this. I want to do this. I want to do this. Thanks be to Jesus Christ. It's Him that gets us out of this when we realize who we are in Him.

Because remember what Paul just went through up through Romans 6. This whole identification and then the reckoning process. And then he gets into Romans 7. And it's this struggle. I'm struggling with this. Then he finally comes to the end. It's only through Christ. All my efforts, all my desires, all my feelings, all my everything is nothing. It's who I am in Christ. And then, what is Romans 8? Therefore there is what? Now no condemnation. Freedom.

So when we lose, sort of turn away, then it's us that suffers, because God still loves us and wants a relationship with us. We're the ones that are going like, oh, my heart hurts. He's the one full on grace 100% of the time. Read those verses that say about the separation. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Right, nobody, but we can kind of separate ourselves. We can turn our back. His love isn't separated from us. We just turn our back on him. We suffer the consequences of that, which is lost fellowship. Which, I think each time you go through that, you realize this is dumb. Yeah, and so then to obey is more to get to really know that. to know who you are.

Mike had some notes. Some of the things, I look at it as, did Christ get, and I bring this back, we are, you all realize, you're placed positionally in Christ, we're in Him, new creatures in Him, our life is His life, all that. Okay, if that's true, when Christ was on the earth, and He was living His life here, every day, what did He do? Did He get up and say, I'm going to serve God today.

I've got to do that. I've got to do that. That's what I have to do. I'm going to set out today and do that. Is that what he did every morning? I don't think so. No, he didn't do that. He did it because of who he was. He did it because that's who he was. He was the son of God and it was his nature to serve God. He didn't struggle to serve God.

We don't know from that period of time when he was like born until like 12 or something and then 12 to 30 or whatever, so maybe there was a little struggling going on. No. It doesn't have that nature. There is no sin nature in him. So there was never a time when he went through the growth process. He never had our sinful nature. He never played with the kids.

I think of that sometimes. What did he do when he was little? I don't know what happened. You know, if a kid stole the ball from him. No, I don't think he... So when he was tempted, And the devil, he didn't have a sin nature, so why would there even be an issue? Well, the devil was trying, but here's the whole world, I'll give you everything. No. He didn't have that nature. It seems like, in a way, he would sort of need to, to know what we're going through. Who created us? Thanks Courtney, you answered like a hundred questions in five minutes.

And he was fully man and fully God. What's that Colossians 3 or 2, where it, in him all fullness dwells. So there's no sin nature with fully man? Not for him, no. And he was sinless, but he was fully man and fully God. And so he, and then when his resurrection, he is the first of the new creature, you know, which is human, a human, but, you know, fully God. Well, we have everything but deity in our resurrected bodies. So we'll be like him without the deity.

So it's, you know, getting back to all the, you know, it is really understanding who you are. And when you do that, it is what we talked about, you suddenly realize, I don't like that. Well, each time you do that, you realize that's not who I am. And that's the importance of identification is if I am truly in him, I shouldn't be doing this. And each time I do it, it becomes, as you mature in that, that you understand that I think you're less and less tempted by these things, because it's, you just realize that's not who I am. It involves knowing the Bible and interpretation like things like gambling that I've heard on the radio that there's nothing in the Bible but yet it can be. That's why I want to get on with that question. So you buy a lottery ticket each week? Yeah. Is that sinning? Is that sinning? Is that sinning? I don't think so. Who thinks that is sinful? Who says it's not sinful? I wanted to weed out the chickens now.

It depends on whether you're taking that money from something that you need for existence or whether it's so compulsive that you can't do without it. That's the key. If it masters you. you know, if you took it out for whatever. That's when we get into the grace part and that's the thing that's really tough to understand is because we want to have another set of laws.

Gambling. What if you drink? Really terrible. What if you smoke every once in a while? I do drink occasionally. So what about smoking? What if Alan goes right out here in the parking lot and fires up a cigarette afterwards. Well, he's caught me again. What about that? What about it? Well, I suppose if you're addicted to it, then... But do you have a glass of wine occasionally? So it's a cigarette occasionally? Yeah, cigarette occasionally. Cigarette occasionally. That's tough to do, I hear. I think it comes down to what Holly said.

It's what masters you. It's what masters you and When we get into the grace, that's the thing, we're under principles, not under laws. I look at these people who want to put us back under laws. That is the worst position for us to be in, is to put us under laws again. And the only person who wants to put us under the law is the old man. It's the only person. Why not? I'm giving away some of my answers.

Is Christ under law? No. No. He fulfilled the law. He fulfilled, but is he under the law? Okay, where are you? We're in Christ. I'm not under the law either. We're in him, so let's put this logical connection together. If we're in Christ, are we under the law? No. No. But... Doesn't it say then to kind of obey God's law, which is in us, which we know. It is the logical imperatives.

If you are in Christ, you will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Joy, peace, love. You know, if you are in Christ, I'm saying some logical commands or a bunch of them. Well, like in Ephesians, if you're in Christ, there won't be lying. Yeah, right. Those are the logical. If you're in Christ, you won't do those things. And those are logical imperatives, which are the imperative being a command, logical being if you're in Him, you won't do this. So, those are the commands. It isn't another set of laws. It's principles we live by now.

And that's a really hard thing to get a hold of. the occasional lottery ticket. Ooh, ooh, it's gambling. Ooh. No, there's not a loss. You just keep drinking and smoking and gambling. No, no. And getting mastery over you, that's the key. If gambling, and she's totally mastered by that, then that is a sin. You have another master. The whole key is mastery. probably recognizing that it has mastery over you as the part of the Holy Spirit. That's, I think, when you get to the first John 1, 9, confessing and understanding.

I'm not acting who I am. And this seems to have... This is taking control. And I don't need to do this. Right. And I think, you know, God will expose that to you. I mean, He's great at exposing that. And it's not out of malice. It's not out of any, ooh, I'm going to get you because you're doing that. It's out of love. and He wants you back in fellowship. He wants that Abba Father. He wants that. And we're the ones turning our back and going that way. Going back to the flesh.

I think one of the examples of that is in our own midst, Mike, when he was talking about when he became a believer, he said he still had his Marlboro sitting in his pocket. He said he even taught Bible studies with those. He used to aggravate a lot of people. And he finally realized one day says, hold on, I can't get rid of these. These are something that has me. And he got rid of them, and he said he never went back to them.

It's an example. It is. If it masters you, if the gambling, drinking, smoking, sports, TV, golf. Exercise. Golf. I mean, running. Some people are just runners. They have to run. The way I always carry it, If you take it away, will you survive? It's kind of a simple litmus test. Well, yeah, it's almost like an addiction. They go past that try and die and then go completely cuckoo. If the Lord took it away from you, are you okay? Do you survive? Well, the other component is does she tie you on the winnings? And is that the problem?

But we're not under any law at all. I think, yeah. So getting back to that and basically, Holly, the beginning of all that, the answer, you know, we're not under a new set of laws. And I did a bunch of these because so many people want to put us under laws again. It's just amazing. And the only person who wants to get us under law is the old nature.

And I think of these people who, you know, we need the Ten Commandments up everywhere, you know. It was Cal Thomas, which was kind of surprising, he's a commentator, and he was the first guy who said we should be running as far away from those as we could, as far as that's our code of life and putting us back under law. We are not under law. And when you look at these, I'll read a bunch of verses just because this is such a prevalent attitude out there, that you have to combat this a lot, because people always say, well no, but you have to be here on Wednesday nights, and you have to be here on Sunday, and you have to tithe, and what are those? Those are all new laws.

You know what they are? They're your pointing the finger. Right? Isn't it? Get rid of pointing the finger. Even when you're just doing that, isn't that kind of bad? Right, I mean it is. You can tell the President that. Don't even go there, Monique. All right, a couple of these verses. Romans 6, 14. For sin, what? Sin shall not be what? Master over you. Just what we're talking about. For you are not under law, but under grace. Yeah, I mean, look at that verse. How do people put us back under law? Point them to this verse and say, what do you mean I'm under law? We're not under law, we're under grace.

Romans 7.4-6 Therefore, my brethren, you were also made to die to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be joined to another, to him who is raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." Again, it's wonderful. Why do you want to go back under law? And it says the sinful passions were aroused by law. the laws actually were to bring out the sin. Why do you want to go back under the law?

Anyway, Galatians 2, 20 and 21, I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live, I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly." How much more do you want to put yourself under law?

Were we ever justified by law? No. But I think we do that subconsciously. The old man is doing that subconsciously. That's the one who's telling you. When you start putting yourself under law, who's doing that? The old man, the flesh. When you start putting yourself under law, the only person who wants that is the old nature. Because the new nature wants no part of that.

Galatians 5.16-18 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law."

Why yes, Holly. Can I use you as an example, Monique? What if Monique says to herself, I will only buy one lottery ticket a week. That's all I do. Is that a law? I don't know if it's a law. No, I forget lots of times. See, unless it masters you that she gets into a panic mode that she doesn't get it that week or she has to get it. So those are just little thingies. Like I'll have just one cigarette once a week.

We have amazing freedom, liberty in Christ. We beat ourselves up so much by putting ourselves under these laws, where Christ gave us principles and we have immense freedom under grace. And that's the thing, we get so beat up under, you know, you shouldn't be watching so much TV. And that's another thing, when we get into the grace class, is in realms of authority.

Can I tell you, you shouldn't have that one cigarette. Can you? No. No, I can't. It's not my sphere of authority. It's true. I do it all the time if I see people smoking. I say, don't you know what you're doing? Thank goodness you told them because otherwise they wouldn't know. For health issues but not for legal reasons. Maybe health is just bad for you. Yeah, but Courtney, when you're standing there saying that, don't do this or don't do that, where is your focus? It is on that. It's not on Christ. You've taken it off of Christ. Absolutely. And you've put it on the rules or this, don't do that. It's all about where your focus is. And one, it's not my authority.

God grants various authorities. Elders of the church have authority. He has granted some authorities. He's granted, in a husband and wife, there are authorities. Like I said, the church has authority. Through the elders, they have an authority over this body. He has granted those authorities. But they have to be based on scripture.

You can't just, I'm a husband, I can go crazy. No, look at what a husband is supposed to be. These are the things, when you When you say, I want to do it but I can't, look at the requirements for a husband in there. But a wife, a wife is to be subject.

A husband, holy moly, you know, there's no way I can do that in myself in the flesh. I can't. I have to rely on the Holy Spirit and His life working through me to even come close to those criteria of a husband. There's no way I can do it. I admit, I mean, there's days that I say that I can't do this. Lord, you have to do this. I can't. And that's right where he wants me. What's he going to do? Is he going to be your husband? No, I mean, you know, and all the things that I'm supposed to love her as Christ loved the church. Well, how did Christ love the church? He died for her. Am I willing to die? I'll tell you a stupid thing. You should get out of the room.

You know there are some things I hate. I hate, that's a strong word. I don't like when And it comes from my college days when my roommates would take off and leave dirty dishes, half food, all this stuff. And I'd come in and the place reeked of old nasty food. I just didn't like that. That's kind of carried through. I don't like that.

So if I'm running out, I'd get all the dishes, at least clean stack them, and then we'd run out. Well, the other day I came back. I was coming back from Sterling. And they'd had some people over, and they'd left, and I came into the house, they'd gone, and the house, there was all these dirty dishes and food and stuff left in the kitchen. And I'm like, ugh.

That's when I say, am I loving my wife as Christ loved the church? Do I get angry because there's dirty dishes sitting in there that I don't like? Christ's life? Flesh. Flesh says, get angry and go crazy. Do I do that? No. It's stupid. I want everything to be over here where I want to yell and just, you know, that drives me nuts. Why did you do that? But it's like, Christ, you have to get rid of this in me. I mean, that's where I physically have to go, Lord, this is, I am not, I can't do this. I'm going to get angry. I don't like this.

Lord, it's yours. I never mentioned anything. Sorry about that. I never mentioned anything, never did anything. So, you know, that's those types where you just have to go, I can't do it in myself. Lord, you just, you take it. And I literally say that. I am. It's yours. I can't do it. I'm going to get angry. And that's not how I should be as a husband. It's stupid. You could have World War III. Over absolutely nothing. Nothing.

And when you look at it, it's the flesh. And if you look at those criteria, am I doing what... I can't do those things by myself. I just realized, if I try and do that, I'm going to be Roman 7, struggling, trying to do it, and finally it's Lord, it's yours. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. That's the one who does it. So, I mean, those are... words on me, you know, those are the things. Thank you, that's very helpful.

Those are the ways you just have to say, I can't do it in and of myself. Like I said, for a husband, you have to look at those criteria. There's no way you can do those things in and of yourself, in and of your old flesh. You have to be walking in the spirit to be able to do what those criteria are for a husband. Because you just can't do it in the flesh. You just can't. And that's when you get into those, where something's bubbling up or something, I just have to say, no. Am I loving her as Christ loves the church?

And all the other criteria. And once you put that in your brain, okay, no, that's stupid. And those are the practical, when you start trying to, and by no means, I still have my ugly warts, and if my daughter would be saying so, she'd probably take three hours to go over all of them. But anyway, those are practical things.

Like I said, we're not mastered by it anymore. You don't have to respond anymore. Whereas before, as a non-believer, you have to. That's all you can do. And like you said at another meeting, your thought that you're not going to get angry and you're going to let God have it is like the Holy Spirit. talking to you and guiding you and growth. It's mature, it's growing in the knowledge and grace. That's where it's all at. Just that very thought. It's like what you were saying before, you know, I just realized I didn't. What's that realization? That's the maturing process, I think.

And God will still keep chipping away at that. But the next time he'll go, nah, I'm not even messing with that. You know, and then five years from now when you're falling back into the same thing, he brings it up to you and you go, hey, I jumped right back in. It's like, okay, you know, but, but the sole purpose is for, for him to draw you back into that fellowship.

You know, that's what my big thing is intimacy with God. I just, I, the Abba father, that really hits me when you really think that's daddy, you're going to the God of the universe that created us everything. And he wants you to come up and say, daddy, How much closer, how much more intimacy can you get to that? That's what He desires. And we're the ones going that way. So, alright.

Based on the command in question 8, we've progressed through one question. Based on the command in verse 11, what would you say is the very essence of a holy walk? Verse 11, even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. It's the very essence of a holy walk. Don't all speak up at once. Holy means set apart. So, it's a set apart walk, it's not a perfect walk. Yeah, but what's the essence, what have you, what's the essence of that from this?

We're dead. What? Dead. Dead, that's number one. That's it, to receive and believe God's testimony concerning the old man having been crucified. Identification. Second part. Fellowship. What? Fellowship. Fellowship, but what's that based on? Well, mine's mostly on trust. I believe what he did, who he is.

And what was the word that we went over last week? You guys went over last week. Reckon? Reckon. Yeah, consider yourselves dead to sin. Basically, it's reckoning these things are true. Receive and believe that you have been crucified. That means positionally our old man has been what? Crucified. And we have been positionally put into Christ.

2 Corinthians 5.17 that we are new creatures in Christ. I mean, all these things fit together. How can you be a new creature in Christ? Well, you had to get out of the old one. Had to get out of the old one. We got crucified. So, you know, the thing is reckoning, the understanding and receiving that we have been crucified, and then two, reckon that these things are true. Reckon. Account. Believe. Trust. Okay?

Let's see, he had, oh there's one, yeah, Galatians 5.24, now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So, again, understanding your old man has been crucified, then are we bound to sin anymore? No. In the new creature in Christ, we are not bound to sin. We are not mastered by it. In our new creature in Christ, there is no way. We have been severed from that bond.

The old flesh, and we have two natures, and that's why I say when you look at these things, the one nature crowd has a whole lot of explaining to do on these things. The one nature that wants you... Wow, two questions a day. You know, when you look at these verses, how do you justify one nature when, you know, you talk about mastery over your sin and all these different things. There's still two natures in you.

And until we are stepped into eternity through death or... Rapture. Suddenly the word disappeared. Rapture, you know, we still have two natures. And then once we step into eternity, we don't have that, which is going to be a blessed day. We don't have to wrestle with this old nature. So again, there are two natures in us that we deal with. And the maturity, I think, spiritual maturity is walking more in the new creature in Christ and less focused in the dimming of the old nature. All right, let's see if we can get three questions done.

In verse 12, we are commanded not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies. Why? So, 12 is, therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts. I'll keep on going in 13. And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

So, what is the reigning principle in a believer's life? What is it in a believer? We're dead to sin. Yeah, but what's the reigning principle? Grace. We're under a grace system. That's what's reigning. When I say, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, we're not under that reigning principle anymore. We're under the reigning principle of grace. Okay? What is the command for? Therefore do not let sin reign in what? Mortal bodies. Is this going to be a problem when we step into eternity? No. Not a bit. Not a bit. Which will be a wonderful day.

Also, what does this verse say to those who believe in one nature? One, what's this reigning stuff going on here? Do not let sin reign in your mortal body. Wait a minute, if we're one nature, what's he talking about here? Yeah, basically, the one nature people have to really contort verses to get to a one nature principle. So, why are we commanded not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies?

Seems like if we do that, we're kind of like hiding from God. Fellowship's gone, all those things. Notice the present verses of exhortation are built wholly upon the fact that we died with Christ, we reckon ourselves dead because we participated in Christ's death. Then we look at Romans 7, 6.

But now we have been released from the law, having died to that which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. So this is, we're not bound to that anymore. to let it reign in our mortal bodies anymore.

We don't have to. We have been released from that. We died to that. We don't have to respond to it anymore. We can refuse sin's domination over us because we have a new nature. We do have two natures now. We have an old and a new. We owe sin nothing. We're dead to it and justified from it. of life in our bodies right now. Two natures.

And we don't have to let that reign in our bodies anymore. So, and that's the maturity, I think, is getting away from that immediate response to the old nature. And that again, that's why I go back to the identification part of this. You have to understand that crucified nature. that we were separated from all this. We don't have to respond to it anymore.

We have an option, and that is newness of life. And that's where I say, when you're going to blow up, when you're going to fall into that area that you know you're not acting as in Christ, just tell that to the Lord. Okay, Lord, take it. It's yours. I'm not acting as I am in Christ. And a lot of times you won't. But then you go back and look at it and go, man, I was not acting in Christ.

First John 1.9. I wasn't acting as I should be in Christ.

That's the confession in First John 1.9. Well, we got far today.

We got three questions. We will start on ten next week. I think we'll talk to Mike. We'll probably just going to have these last two question sets. That'll get us through the end of the year, maybe. At this rate, we may only get through question 10, not even get into 11. All right, let's close with prayer here.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. Father, we just thank you again for what we see in your word. We are so thankful that we are not under law. We are under grace, and what a position that is. reigning principle, the operating system of which we operate right now, is in a system of grace. And as we understand that definition being unmerited, there's nothing we can do for it. And Father, it is unlimited blessing, blessings based on the finished work of Christ on the cross.

We operate in that system and we thank you for that. As we rest in that system, we are drawn into an intimate fellowship with you. And Father, we just thank you just for your love that is never separated from us, that you are 100% 24-7 loving us and drawing us to you. And Father, we just thank you for the Holy Spirit that you have placed in us. We thank you for the Word that you have left us. And we just, again, thank you for all these things.