Identification Truths Plus 2012

We are on Lesson 17 of the Identification Truce and I titled this one, Verses That Don't Make Sense If You Don't Understand Romans 6. I've been excited to get on this section because we spent so much time on Romans 6 and the identification of what the process was through our co-crucifixion with Christ We spent so much time on there.

Well, the reason is because if you start reading these verses, I don't know how you understand these verses without understanding the identification truths. And I'm excited about that because if you read these things and you try and understand them any other way, I want to hear your explanation. Because unless you understand that you are co-crucified with Christ, I don't see how you read these verses. And so when I was putting this together, and there are several other verses I may pull up too, it's exciting to see how all of scripture fits together. And what we've been going through, the John 17 with the intimacy, we'll touch on some of those verses. correspond to the verses we're going to look at today. So I hope you're as excited once we get into this to try and figure out how these things don't make sense if you don't understand the identification. So first of all, we'll read Romans 7, 1 through 6. I'll read that, and you can follow along. Romans 7. verses 1 through 6.

Or do you not know, brethren, for I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man.

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to him who was 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 oldness of the letter. All right, the Passion of the Roman. First of all, when you read the beginning of this, who is this mainly addressed to? I just want to clarify that. Who is it mainly when you read the first verse?

Jewish people? Jewish. It's Jewish believers, really. It's who's intended to be. Were we bound by the law? Gentiles? No. No. So it's really for Jewish believers. However, a lot of it can apply to us. The principles can apply to us. So Paul, at the beginning of this, is really talking to the Jewish believer. And it's kind of the Roman 7 is kind of broken into two sections. Kind of the first part is really addressing the Jewish believers, those who are bound by the law. But the principles for those Jewish believers, I want to point out, is the same for us, or the principle I'm trying to bring out here, which relates back to our identification truths. So, first let's look at the beginning passage. What does the first word say in your translation? There are a couple of different translations. What is the very first word?

Or. Okay? Anybody else have some? I know there are a couple others. Yes, Romans 7. Yeah, or. Because I think some of them have... Do you not know? Yes, that's another one. But most of them have or. Okay? So if it's saying or, what does that usually... When you say this or that, Yeah, so we're now going for this. So what was it linking back to? Because he's now in Romans 77. Or, do you not know? Or, do you not know? Or. What does it go back to?

Well, when this was written, it was not written in chapters and verses. It's a letter. Yeah. But what's he referring back to in this one? Wages of sin and death. Well, not quite that far back. It would be in Romans 6. It is, for the wages as soon as possible. 623. Basically, it links back, if you really diagram and put all this back, it goes back to 614.

It links back to that, which is for you not under law, but under grace. So this, and that one is for Jewish or Gentile believers. But he's talking about you're under law or grace now, or do you not know? So that's a link back. So this or at the beginning takes us back to, for you're not under law but under grace. Because now he's talking to who? The Jews and what law is. or how the law impacts them. So, if you look at Romans 7, Or do you not know, brethren? For I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives.

Okay? Both of these verses, the 614 and 7-1, suggest that we're not under the law. But, and then I have the first question is, in verse 1, what is implied? I may have confused you by this, but it was intuitively obvious to me when I wrote the question. Then you better stick to the law. I said it right here in the first one. Death changes our relationship to the law. What? Perfect. Death changes our relationship to the law. Bingo. Death changes our relationship to the law. But it didn't to the Jewish people, though. Huh? Well, who's he talking to now? That's what I said. Who's he talking to in Romans 7? I thought he was talking to Jewish believers. Jewish believers. Not just Jews. Jewish believers.

So he's talking to Jewish believers because they were under the law. right before the Jews were under law before they became believers okay so yeah it's the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives okay so Romans 614 states we're not under law but under grace therefore the phrase as long as he as long as he lives means in order to be out from under the law what must happen death Right.

Or are you not to live? So it's die. We must die. So if you don't understand Romans 6 and the identification of truth, how do you explain that we're not under law but grace, but in order to be out of the law, you cannot live? It says death. You have to have death. So how does this make sense? You cannot live, or do you have to die? If you don't understand what just happened in Romans 6, How do you understand you've got to die to be out from under the law?

You can't. That's my point. Once you start looking at this as under the law, and you said it perfectly, in order to be separated from the law, what has to occur? Death. Separation. We have to be separated by death. So, again, when you look back, how does that happen? If you're a Jewish believer, what do you mean I have to die? Well, he just explained it in Romans 6. He also goes in Romans 7. He also shows an example. What was the example? A woman, a married woman. Right, a married woman. What was the example? Her husband dies, but if she goes with another guy that would be adultery but if her husband is alive she can go remarry.

So what was that saying? That she's free if her husband dies. Right, so death separated her from that law or that requirement. So it's just what you said, death separated us from the law. In the example that she has in Romans 7, it basically says if a woman is married and her husband is alive and she goes and marries someone else, she's an adulteress. If the husband dies, what happens? Death separates her from the requirement that she was married to that man. So she's free at that point to remarry. So death separated her from the legal requirement of marriage. You know, it's like, I go on this one too. I think we've If I die, if I've gotten crunched and they're hauling my little body down the road and the hearse is speeding at 75 miles an hour in a 45 mile an hour zone, am I subject to the speed laws?

No, you're not. Am I? No, you're not. Why? What if you were driving? Well, if I'm dead, that means I'm alive. Point being, if I die, am I subject to any of the laws? No. So what happens? Death separates us from the law. So this is the example he has with the married couple, or the married husband and wife. We get separated. So, again, the point being is death has to occur to separate us. Death breaks all legal claims. You understand that? Death breaks all legal claims.

You're not under a law system after that. Now, all you skeptics, and probably Bruce, would be, well, that means I can speed, I can do anything, because I don't have any laws. I'm not under a law. Is that correct? No. Only until you get to room 13. Thank you. I was prepared for you. So, if we're not under the law system, does that mean I can go out and do whatever I want? I can go shoot people? I can go out and speed? I can do all that? Well, you could.

But the Holy Spirit that lives inside you probably isn't going to direct you that way. You know, the point being is, in Romans 13, we're to be subject under the authorities that God has set forth. And we'll get into that in grace, how he shed some of his authorities to different people, like police and administrations, to elders at a church, to husbands and wives. When we get under the principles of grace, there are some of these authorities that are shed by God to individuals. And so we're subject to authorities.

So we can't go out and do that. I mean, we can do it, but we suffer the consequences of that. If I shoot somebody, I'm not under the law, I can do whatever I want. No, I'm going to suffer the consequences of that. So there are things that, you know, when we're not under the law system, that doesn't mean we just go out and do whatever we want. One of the most current real-world examples of this is that fellow that ran Enron.

He was put before a judge and a jury of his peers. He was convicted. Yet, prior to reporting to jail, he died, and it's as if he was never convicted. Yeah, mice use the example a lot. You're on death row, and you're walking down to the chamber, and you keel over with a heart attack. They don't pick you up, strap you in a chair, and kill you. because you're separated. Once that death happens, law means nothing. But legally, it's as if he was never convicted.

Yeah, I mean at that point, yeah. In chapter 6, 14 through 23 that we spent the last couple of weeks on, the issue there is the dominion of sin. And the question is, shall we sin because we're under all human beings to understand that we're not free agents. We are subject to either sin or the Spirit of God. And so what the encouragement is, is to present your members to the Spirit to control you, because you're going to be controlled by one or the other. You're not a... I don't care what the Constitution says, you're not free. You're a slave to somebody or something. Slave to righteousness.

Yeah. The mechanics of this is just verses and how we get to these. Paul is very direct in that. Twice. I'm under grace so I can go out and just do whatever I want. May it never be. As a believer, what are we being? We're being conformed to his image. Now, as we do that, are we going to be doing murder, stealing? It's not who we are. So the Holy Spirit is convicting us through that. I'm just looking at the mechanics of when we look at some of these verses. They just don't make sense. It says you have to die. As long as you're living, well, how do I die? Do I have to die?

I mean, I have to be, you know, You can see if you're reading the book of Romans and you're a Jew, and you understand that I've been crucified, my old man was crucified, you would pretty quickly begin to understand, well, okay, I live under grace, but I'm also a Jew and I'm under the Mosaic system, so Paul has to deal with that issue to the Jewish believers and say, you know, this death not only separated you from your sin nature, But it separates you from the thing that you prize the most, which is the law. See, this is the, to me, Romans 7, first part of it, is just the first initial shot by Paul at the Jewish believers.

Really goes into Galatians. When you get into Galatians, it's law versus grace. As I said before, we did a catering thing, and it was a Jewish bar mitzvah or something. When you went through the strict Orthodox ones, you can't touch the silverware, you have to be this, and it has to be this, and it's 59 different things that had to go on.

It hit me that night when we were helping out with this catering thing that we had done. I can see Paul in Galatians. just pleading with you, because these people were just, you know, you can't touch this, and can't have milk products, and it has to be this, and it has to be that, and it was like, I can see how they were just so ingrained with the law. And I can see how they were just, you know, what do you mean I don't have to do this law? What do you mean I don't have to do that? They would just panic because you're in this nice little box of rules. It's almost like superstition in a way.

You know, if you said, oh, I'm not going to, you know, step on a crack on the sidewalk, and then all of a sudden, you know, it's like, oh, you know, you can step on all the cracks. It doesn't matter. It is. And if you feel like that first one, you know, you'd be waiting for something to happen. Your whole life has been told that don't step on a crack. And then today, you say, no, you can go ahead and do that. Yeah. So, Romans 7 is the beginning of this where he's saying, you know, you guys don't have to be under the law. You're not under the law. Whole law. What do you mean?

But what he's pointing out is the way it is, is death separates you from that. I just had this crazy thought. Imagine if you were interviewed as a person who had the solution to the massacre. And they said, well, what do you think the answer is? Because all you hear is, we need new laws. And you said, well, the real answer is that we die to the law, we live under grace, and that will keep us from sinning. We would be springing you from the state hospital sometime later that day, trying to get you out.

Again, this is the beginning of Paul basically saying to him, he's just told him how it happens. Now this is the first part where he's saying, look, you're not under the law. And I can see him just quaking in their boots. But the good part is the latter part of it, he makes it personal. And he says, and that would apply to us too, where he says, you know, I want to do all this stuff, I'm trying, but my members, these guys are just wicked, you know, and I'm trying, I know it in my brain, I know all this stuff, so it makes it personal in the second half. And then we see, but you know, the answer is, thanks be to God. He makes it personal and says, the only thing is, I can try as hard as I want, but it's God who's the one who rescues me from this flesh. And how the mechanics is, it was separation by death, by crucifixion.

2. How are verses 1 and 4 complementary?

1. Or do you not know, brethren, for I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?

4. Therefore, my brethren, You also were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." So what do both verses say? How do you get out from under law and into God's grace? Death. It says it again. You were made to what? Die to the law. Die to the law. Again, you think the Jewish believers are a little panicky at this point? Die to what? You know, what was it with Nicodemus too? Marvel that you'd be born again? Huh? I mean, I would answer back, my mom, what?

I'm sure these guys are going, what do you mean, die to the law? It would be similar to, you know, like a real traditional sort of religion like Catholicism where you'd say, you know, if you anything based on works, I guess. To say, like, okay, if you don't go to church on Sunday, you're not going to hell. You know? Well, that's basically what I say. Death. A person can only be separated from the Mosaic Law or a law-based life by death. And what is that death?

Back to Romans 6. Our co-crucifixion with Christ. So again, it doesn't make sense to me If you're reading this, and remember, we've just come through Romans 6 where he explains all of this. Now, and Paul does this, he gives all the facts in the application in the second half, or usually in his epistles. So he's told us the mechanics, he's walked us through You know, there's none that are worthy, sin, death, and then we're attached to the flesh and death. And then it gets into Romans 6 where it says, okay, this is how you get out from underneath that flesh, death, co-crucifixion with Christ. So now he's going into these applications. Now, like I said, if you don't understand that, when you read that, you were also made to die to the law.

How does a Jewish believer look at that unless he understands what was just told to him in Romans 6 in the beginning of his letter? The thing you wonder is how many times have you read this chapter? I always thought everybody's just sitting there, everybody's happy as a lark. But the thing is, I can imagine about half the people in the room starting to get up and throw stuff at him or something. I mean, is that possible?

Like I said, after seeing that Jewish where they're so ensconced in the law, that's why when I read Galatians, I just, I can sense Paul's just, not frustration, but just his desire to tell these people that you're under grace, not law. And he goes to great pains, I can just kind of feel his emotion in there saying, you know, you're not under this, you don't have to be under the law system, you're under grace, which is unlimited blessings, no work, nothing, you're in my blessings. And the Jewish believer's going, fine, okay, what do I have to do? And it's brave and bold, man, just think about that. Yeah, I mean, that's what I say, these are huge verses. If you're a Jewish believer, this is huge.

To us, we weren't under a law system, but it applies to us in that we're under a religious system where do's and don'ts and confessions and... Where the Catholics were. Yeah. Episcopalians, I would be enraged. We were kind of half that. We just didn't have the Latin, I said. But it's the same sort of thing. We put ourselves under a legal system and that's not what it's saying here. We're to be separated from it. Also, in verse 4 it says, so that you might be joined to another. So we're being separated from the law, so we're being joined to another. What does that mean?

To God, to the Holy Spirit. To God. To Jesus. A little more specificity. Well, it goes back to the example thing. Like, that woman was free to marry another man because she was set free from death. are free to be in Christ and separated from our physical and eternal death.

Perfect. You know, it basically, we're separated. Just like the woman and the husband, the relationship was severed to the law and now we're joined to another. Just like she was free to be married to another. You know, see how it all fits together when you really start thinking this stuff through? The death separates us from any law system Now we're free to marry, join to another. And you said it right. We were placed into Christ. We're now joined to another who is Christ. So we're separated from all these legal requirements. Now we're free to be joined to another who is Christ.

So again, The understanding between what happened in Romans 6 now becomes more clear. We understand in Romans 6 about co-crucifixion, and he went into great detail of the mechanics. But now, these are the results of that action that happened with the co-crucifixion. And so now, that means through our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, verse 6, we have been separated from the one whom we had been associated with, and who is that?

Adam, and now joined or placed into Christ. So, interesting is that two perspectives of Christ are given in this verse. First, the body of Christ, of Christ made sin, that was given. And then the second, Christ was raised from the dead. We now have a living union with Christ resurrected. So, the first was, he was given his sin, body of sin, he took all the sins, took him away from us, died, paid for all of our sins, but now what happens? On the second half of it is, so that was where all the sins were placed on him, but now what happens in the second half? We're joined to what? The resurrected Christ, the glorified Christ. So kind of the two perspectives are given in this verse. He was made sin, but now we're joined to him in a resurrected body. So kind of... I'm not touching that with a 10-foot pole. No. That might be stretching the example a little bit.

Also, which is in verse 4, and I'll read that again real quick. Therefore, my brethren, you are also made to die to the law of the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to him who is raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. My question is also from verse 4, can we bear fruit without this new joining?

Galatians 2.19, I through the law am dead to the law that I may live unto God. We're getting to that. So, the point being is, if this separation doesn't happen, this verse says, if I'm joined to Him, then what? I can bear fruit to God.

If I'm not, I'm still married to that first husband, Adam. Can I please God in Adam? Right, so again, see how this all fits together? You can't please God if you're in Adam. You have to be separated from Adam to bear fruit for God. How does that happen? How do you understand this verse without understanding our co-crucifixion with Christ? Positionally, what happened to us? We got separated from Adam. So we, now, can we bear fruit for God? Join to Christ?

Absolutely. But it doesn't make sense if you can't have that separation in depth. Yeah. Pardon me, you speak of understanding, yet I'm just constantly amazed and mystified by the fact that so many so-called educated pastors, teachers, whatever you want to call them, cannot see the clarity with which you're teaching here. You know, I think of that and then I look in the mirror.

And I had for 20 years, as a brethren, as an elder, as all that, and I had lots of the old brethren writers who brought all this out, Stoney, Darby, Newell, all these guys. And it's awfully hard to throw stones at anybody when it took me 20 years to figure this out. by all this to move here and to understand the identification truth. So I find it hard to throw stones at anybody because it took me 20 years.

A lot of people have never heard this. I wonder about that, why the Lord does this this way. Why don't we have a church of 10,000 that is an identification truth church? I don't understand. I'm not wanting to cast stones. It's written, it's right there.

Why is the understanding I know it takes the Holy Spirit, but it just mystifies me that there's a handful of churches across this whole country that I've come across that are along this same vein of teaching, but they're few and far. Two things. One, how did I miss it for 20 years? Two, is God aware of this and how he's working? I rest in that fact. How did I miss it for 20 years?

83. You know, and that's the beauty of it, that now, it doesn't matter when, now you understand the freedom, and God did it that way. Took me 20 years, took you 83 years. Was he unaware of that and went, oops, oh, I've got to get to you. No, all of what went on in your life and all the different things, He's in control and brought you to this point where you understand it, and He has His purposes. And I don't understand why. I really don't. But why isn't there churches of 10,000 that preach this? To me, and that's the whole point of what I go through on this, it doesn't make sense. How do you read these verses? This is kind of mixing the Jewish believer in with the believer. But when we get to the next verses, they're clearly to the believer. How do you read these and understand it without understanding identification?

I believe through Galatians you know, a bunch of times. But now when you look at it in an identification perspective, it makes perfect sense. You know, in John I was telling you, all this stuff, it's just like gears coming together and just everything fits. Everything fits. When you really start putting together the identification truths, it all fits. These verses make sense now that I kind of blew by that were like, yeah, okay, yeah, right. you know, I kind of just sweep that under the carpet and go on. Now everything makes sense.

So is that, are you saying kind of what's taught is just that Christ died on the cross and we're not co-crucified with him? It's kind of like a just, oh yeah, Christ did that. I believe that there are... I believe simple faith in salvation is very simple. Christ, death, burial and resurrection. Who is Christ? That's the only question left.

What I think is the thing is it hamstrings believers for growth if you don't understand the identification truth. Because typically what people will do is now that I'm a believer, I'm now empowered to do what? Keep the law. I now have the Holy Spirit so I can keep those 614 laws. I can do all this. That's typically what happens is that now I can be a better person. I can keep those laws.

That's the typical answer. What is missed in the identification part is our death to Adam. We're no longer in bondage to him. I don't have to do those things. And it's not me doing those things. and we'll get to these verses, I'm a new creature in Christ, new, brand new, not a refurbished Adam, not a refurbished person. Yeah, and it's almost like, it's, because we hear law, law so much, it's like the same thing as like death to yourself, death to your thinking that you can do something to earn it and so it's maybe it's because I guess for myself it would be that I'd hear the law and kind of if you're not sort of brought up in law or you don't even understand law to know even what you're separated from. Well I'll give you the I've used this example several times you know at the old church I belong to I we built a new building and and I basically had my work in my work job I was an elder But I basically oversaw the whole building being built. A million dollar building. I didn't want any recognition from anybody. That's a lie. You convinced yourself. I totally refuted that. I totally refuted that. I did not want any.

In fact, I kind of got crosswise because at the end that was a Roger and Bonnie were there. And Roger and Bonnie, at the end of the building, when we were gone, Bonnie came out and they gave me a plaque that said, dedication to Courtney, and all those hard efforts. I basically said, I don't want that. And I felt that was kind of, I mean, Bonnie was like my tactful self.

I truly did not want that. I never wanted recognition from people. The bad, and when I analyze my heart, is, and this, I truly refute that. I did not want any recognition by people. I don't know where the plaque is today. I don't even know where it is. I have no clue. It's not on your front door. No. I seriously have no clue where that is.

My point was, I didn't want any, but in my heart of hearts is, Lord, aren't you smiling at me for what I'm doing? Because what I'm doing, Lord, don't you just love me just a little bit more and a little bit prouder of me because I did this? I confess my heart, that's what it was. Now, under the identification and what we know, is there anything that I can do to make God love me more?

No. Nothing. That's the old Adamic nature that wants to do something. It wants to do something so God makes, just feel a little bit better, smiles a little bit more. So you just take the plaque? I don't know what I did. Yeah, I mean really. I literally felt it. That was like, you know, the big gap. It's here, she's all, they're all proud and handing me this.

I went, I really don't want this. And I thought, well, that didn't work. I should have just taken it and said thank you. But I seriously did not want any, any recognition from people. I didn't want that. Because you thought you were earning. Yeah, because I'm earning. But then in my heart of hearts, I'm going, Lord, Aren't you proud of me? Look what I did. Aren't you proud? No, it's interesting that the Lord does not love the old nature. He hates it. He crucified it. And so if you're stuck in it, you're always trying to get him to somehow like you, love you, acknowledge you, and he won't.

And that's my point in a lot of this. The death and the separation. Going back to believers who are out there, I believe there are billions and billions of people who are believers. 83 years you're a believer, you know. But you're stuck in a position where you can't grow. because you don't understand this, because you want to try and do something yourself. You think now the Holy Spirit. Man, you feel so bad if you do something wrong. Because God is going to hate you because you stole a newspaper. You're doing this and that is totally out of the old man.

Is God done with your sins? Yes. So I always ask people, if you do something stupid, sin, whatever, and you're beating yourself up, Why? Is God done with it? Yeah! What are you worried about? You know, people just... Why don't you just confess that that's not who I am in Christ.

1 John 1.9. It's not who I am. I'm not acting like I'm a new person in Christ.

That was stupid. I want my fellowship back. But you know what? When we were at Mike's Bible study... Oh, that's a mistake. And I went up to him after the study, and I said, gee, this is really great. You're just the greatest teacher. And he ate it up. And he did not want that. He said, no, it's the Holy Spirit. I said, OK, then I thank the Holy Spirit you have. He didn't want me to say that. We talk about that. Don't give him a plaque. We talk about that. If somebody comes up after and it's a great class, it's kind of like, ah, oh. No, but I didn't say it for that.

It's just that, you know, it's just a wonderful thing that he has been gifted in that area and it has helped me certainly. Thank the Lord for being in the position that you're able to understand this. The teacher is Sam Dalton, a good brother who we knew for years and one of the greatest evangelists around.

He used to carry a straw around and a flexible tube. And he said, this is what you are. You're just a conduit to bring God's Word to people. I'm just like a little flexible tube. How glorious is that? It's not. I'm just to bring God's message or whatever he wants me to do and I'm just a conduit. There's no glory, there's no greatness in that. You're just a tube to do whatever God wants. Okay, but you have that gift, right? And so can't one recognize that?

The biggest thing in dealing with that kind of complimentary situation like that is that you can say thank you or thank you to someone for teaching you. So many times I've learned so many things from so many teachers at Holly Hills and even elsewhere. And I do have an attitude of gratitude that the Lord has brought somebody into my life. several years in seminary and I didn't learn half as much as I've learned at Holly Hills in certain regards. But the thing is that if someone compliments you, you say, well I'm glad the Lord used me. And it becomes a teachable moment. You have the opportunity to say I'm a conduit. And so it doesn't have to be awkward.

The best scripture is Paul in 1 Corinthians when he says that he plants in a pollis waters Apollos shared one thing in common, they were both nothing. You recognize if you're involved in any manner, and everybody in this room is involved in the edification of the body of Christ in some manner, the greatest thing you learn is that you're nothing. God does it all. You don't do anything. Again, how it all fits together. If you know you don't have to do anything, does that give you rest? It sure does. You don't have to do anything and all that yourself. You're talking about the old man, right?

See, if you want to base a church on outcome, it's God who does everything. If there's going to be any success, Or there's going to be any learning, or there's going to be any progress, or there's going to be any fruit. It's God who generates the fruit and it's not you.

Now the typical answer is, so I just sit back in my room and contemplate my navel and do nothing. No, you show up. Well, no, remember what I always say, it's a life. It's a life. And you just, as you manifest, as you conform to the image of Christ, that manifestation is more and more. And it's just who you are.

No, I think you said, as you conform. Wouldn't it be to say, as you are conformed? Yes, as you are conformed by who? The Holy Spirit. Right. As you're conformed, and you've been, see, this is just knowing who you are. What are you? You are a new, and we're going to get to these someday, the verses. You are a new creature in Christ. New and kind. Totally new, and that's what I said. How do you understand that verse? You're a new creature in Christ? What? Where did that happen?

So we'll get to that. Let's try and move on a little bit. I'll get into question 3. In verse 6, how do you explain having died to that by which we were bound? And verse 6, and this is Romans 7. But now we've been released from the law, having died to that by which we are bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit and not in oldness of the letter. It shows, I think, that the Jews were bound by the law. It wasn't optional with them. If you're born a Jew, you're under the law system, like it or not.

It's like I said, I can't step on a cracker my whole life. 30 years I've been told not to step on a cracker or I'll break my mother's back, whatever it was. And you never do that. But today, you can do that. So it's being bound. to the old man, even if it isn't Jewish, it's being bound to Adam. Being bound to the old man, being bound to yourself. And this is talking about the law, but the principle isn't the same.

You know, I really identify with this verse because I'm coming out of Catholicism. Catholicism is not, you grew up in the Midwest, it's not what you do on Sunday. It's part of your culture. The town I grew up in, half the people in the town were Catholics. they educated half the kids at half the schools. So when you become a believer and you understand this and you think, wow I have been through death separated from Catholicism. Yes. I know a lot of guys that became believers and ended up back in the Catholic Church thinking that well this I got an insurance policy over there.

In fact they're not. The point of this is that if you go back, you're not under grace anymore. Exactly. In Galatians, you can't make the law back into grace or it negates it. So, again, this is more for the Jewish. We've been released from the law having died to it. I know you guys are all panicking by the number of questions.

We're going to be three months in this. You're two pages. I'm going to try and speed up. I'm going to try and speed up. You guys are all laughing. Come on now. Give me a little break. We'll start here. We'll do our best to have you work under grace. All right, well, let's close and then we'll get going. We'll start on question three next week.

Father, we thank you again just for this time where we can open up your Word. We thank you for what we see in your Word and just what freedom we have. We are now slaves to righteousness. And Father, that we're in the operating system of grace, which is unmerited. That means we don't have to do anything, Lord. And what rest and peace that we have in knowing that. And it's unmerited and unlimited blessings. And we'll see in your verses in Ephesians how we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.

Lord, there's so many things that your Word just gives us great peace. And we just thank you that as we open up your Word, we see that you just have a desire to have that intimacy with each and every one of us, which we can cry, Abba, Father, Daddy. That's the closeness of which you want to have a relationship with us. So, Father, we thank you as we open up to your word and understand these truths that you are just desirous of a relationship that has that type of intimacy. So, Father, we just thank you again for this time and pray for Vern upstairs just to present the word clearly and just prepare our hearts to receive it. Father, we just thank you for this time. In Jesus' name. Amen.