L esson 7 *November 11–17
Overcoming Sin
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Romans 6; 1 John 1:8–2:1.
Memory Text: “Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are
not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
I
f works can’t save us, why bother with them at all? Why not just keep
on sinning?
Chapter 6 is Paul’s answer to this important question. Paul here
is dealing with what commonly is understood as “sanctification,” the
process by which we overcome sin and, more and more, reflect the
character of Christ. The word sanctification appears only twice in
Romans. It appears in Romans 6:19, 22 as the Greek word hagiasmos,
which means “sanctification.” In English, it appears in these two texts
as the word holiness.
Does this mean that Paul has nothing to say about what commonly is
understood by sanctification? Not at all.
In the Bible “to sanctify” means “to dedicate,” usually to God. Thus,
to be sanctified is often presented as a past completed act. For example,
“all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). The sanctified ones in this
definition are the ones who are dedicated to God.
But this biblical usage of “sanctify” in no way denies the important
doctrine of sanctification or the fact that sanctification is the work of a
lifetime. The Bible strongly endorses this doctrine, but it generally uses
other terms to describe it.
This week we’ll look at another side of salvation by faith, one that
easily can be misunderstood: the promises of victory over sin in the life
of one saved by Jesus.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 18.
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S unday November 12
Where Sin Abounded
In Romans 5:20, Paul makes a powerful statement: “But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound.” His point is that no matter
how much sin there is or how terrible the results of sin are, God’s grace
is sufficient to deal with it. What hope that should bring for each of
us, especially when we’re tempted to feel that our sins are too great to
be forgiven! In Romans 5:21, Paul shows that although sin has led to
death, God’s grace through Jesus has defeated death and can give us
eternal life.
Read Romans 6:1. What logic is Paul dealing with here, and how, in
Romans 6:2–11, does he respond to that kind of thinking?
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Paul follows an interesting line of argument in chapter 6 as to why a
justified person should not sin. To begin with, he says that we shouldn’t
sin because we have died to sin. Then he explains what he means.
Immersion in the waters of baptism represents burial. What is bur-
ied? The “old man” of sin—that is, the body committing sin, the body
dominated or ruled by sin. As a result, this “body of sin” is destroyed,
so that we no longer serve sin. In Romans 6 sin is personified as a
master who rules over his servants. Once the “body of sin” that served
sin is destroyed, sin’s mastery over it ceases. The one who rises from
the watery grave comes up a new person who no longer serves sin. He
or she now walks in newness of life.
Christ, having died, died once and for all, but He is now alive for
evermore. So the Christian who is baptized has died to sin once and for
all and should never again come under its dominion. Of course, as any
baptized Christian knows, sin doesn’t just automatically disappear from
our lives once we come up out of the water. Not being ruled by sin isn’t
the same as not having to struggle with it.
“From this we clearly see what the words of the Apostle mean. All
such statements as: 1. ‘We are dead to sin,’ 2. ‘We live unto God,’ etc.,
signify that we do not yield to our sinful passions and sin, even though
sin continues in us. Nevertheless, sin remains in us until the end of our
life, as we read Galatians [Link] ‘The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.’
Therefore all apostles and saints confess that sin and the sinful passions
remain in us till the body is turned into ashes, and a new (glorified)
body is raised up which is free from passion and sin.”—Martin Luther,
Commentary on Romans, p. 100.
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M onday November 13
When Sin Reigns
What admonition is given to us in Romans 6:12?
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The word reign shows that “sin” is here represented as a king. The
Greek word here translated as “reign” means literally “to be a king” or
“to function as a king.” Sin is all too willing to assume the kingship of
our mortal bodies and dictate our behavior.
When Paul says “let not sin . . . reign,” he implies that the justified
person can choose to prevent sin’s setting itself up as king in his or her
life. This is where the action of the will comes in.
“What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This
is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision,
or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will.
The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise.
You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God
its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him
your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to
His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under
the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered
upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.”—Ellen G.
White, Steps to Christ, p. 47.
The Greek word in Romans 6:12 translated as “lusts” means
“desires.” These desires may be either for good things or for bad; when
sin reigns, it will make us desire the bad. The desires will be strong,
even irresistible if we fight against them on our own. Sin can be a cruel
tyrant, one who never is satisfied but who always comes back for more.
Only through faith, only through claiming the promises of victory, can
we overthrow this unrelenting master.
The word therefore in Romans 6:12 is important. It goes back to that
which has been said before, specifically to that which has been said in
Romans 6:10, 11. The baptized person is now living “unto God.” That
is, God is the center of his or her new life. The person is serving God,
doing what pleases God, and, therefore, he or she cannot serve sin at the
same time. He or she is “alive unto God through Jesus Christ.”
Go back over the quote from Ellen G. White in today’s study.
Notice how crucial the concept of free will is. As moral creatures
we must have a free will—the power to choose right and wrong,
good and evil, and Christ or the world. Over the next 24 hours, try
to keep track consciously of how you are using this moral free will.
What can you learn about your use, or abuse, of this sacred gift?
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T uesday November 14
Not Under the Law but Under Grace
Read Romans 6:14. How are we to understand this text? Does it mean
that the Ten Commandments are no longer binding on us? If not,
why not?
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Romans 6:14 is one of the key statements in the book of Romans.
And it’s one we often hear quoted in the context of someone telling us
Adventists that the Seventh-day Sabbath has been abrogated.
Yet, that’s obviously not what the text means. As we asked before,
how could the moral law be done away with and sin still be a reality?
The moral law is what defines sin! If you were to read all that came
before in Romans, even in just chapter 6, it would be hard to see how,
in the midst of all this discussion about the reality of sin, Paul would
suddenly say, “The moral law—the Ten Commandments, which define
sin—has been abolished.” That makes no sense.
Paul is saying to the Romans that the person living “under the
law”—that is, under the Jewish economy as it was practiced in his
day with all its man-made rules and regulations—will be ruled by
sin. In contrast, a person living under grace will have victory over
sin, because the law is written in his or her heart and God’s spirit
is allowed to guide his or her steps. Accepting Jesus Christ as the
Messiah, being justified by Him, being baptized into His death, hav-
ing the “old man” destroyed, rising to walk in newness of life—these
are the things that will dethrone sin from our lives. Remember, that is
the whole context in which Romans 6:14 appears—the context of the
promise of victory over sin.
We should not define “under the law” too restrictively. The person
who supposedly lives “under grace” but disobeys God’s law will not
find grace but condemnation. “Under grace” means that through the
grace of God, as revealed in Jesus, the condemnation that the law
inevitably brings to sinners has been removed. Thus, now free from this
condemnation of death brought by the law, we live in “newness of life,”
a life characterized by and made manifest through the fact that, being
dead to self, we are no longer slaves to sin.
How have you experienced the reality of a new life in Christ?
What tangible evidence can you point to that reveals that which
Christ has done in you? What areas are you refusing to let go,
and why must you let them go?
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W ednesday November 15
Sin or Obedience?
Read Romans 6:16. What point is Paul making? Why is his argument
very black and white here? It is either one or the other, with no
middle ground. What lesson should we draw from this very clear
contrast?
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Paul comes back to the point again that the new life of faith does not
grant liberty to sin. The life of faith makes victory over sin possible;
in fact, only through faith can we have the victory that is promised us.
Having personified sin as a king ruling over his subjects, Paul now
returns to the figure of sin as a master demanding obedience of his
servants. Paul points out that a person has a choice of masters. He can
serve sin, which leads to death, or he can serve righteousness, which
leads to eternal life. Paul doesn’t leave us any middle ground or room
for compromise. It’s one or the other, because in the end we face either
eternal life or eternal death.
Read Romans 6:17. How does Paul expand here on what he said in
Romans 6:16?
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Notice how, interestingly enough, obedience is linked to correct doc-
trine. The Greek word for “doctrine” here means “teaching.” The Roman
Christians had been taught the principles of the Christian faith, which
they now obeyed. Thus, for Paul, correct doctrine, correct teaching, when
obeyed “from the heart,” assisted in the Romans becoming “servants of
righteousness” (Rom. 6:18). We sometimes hear that doctrine does not
matter, just as long as we show love. That’s a very simplistic expression
of something that’s not so simple. As stated in an earlier lesson, Paul was
very concerned about the false doctrine to which the Galatian church had
succumbed. Thus, we need to be careful about statements that somehow
denigrate the importance of correct teaching.
Servants of sin, servants of righteousness: the contrast is very
stark. If after baptism we sin, does this mean that we are not
truly saved? Read 1 John 1:8–2:1. How does this passage help us
to understand what it means to be a follower of Christ and yet
still be subject to falling?
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T hursday November 16
Free From Sin
Keeping in mind what we have studied so far in Romans 6, read
Romans 6:19–23. Summarize on the lines below the gist of what
Paul is saying. Most important, ask yourself how you can make real
in your life the crucial truths that Paul is addressing. Ask yourself,
what issues are at stake here?
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Paul’s words here show that he fully understands the fallen nature of
humanity. He talks about the “infirmity of your flesh.” The Greek word
for “infirmity” means also “weakness.” He knows what fallen human
nature is capable of when left on its own. Thus, again, he appeals to the
power of choice—the power we have to choose to surrender ourselves
and our weak flesh to a new master, Jesus, who will enable us to live
a righteous life.
Romans 6:23 often is quoted to show that the penalty for sin—that is,
the transgression of the law—is death. Certainly sin’s penalty is death.
But in addition to seeing death as sin’s penalty, we should see sin as
Paul describes it in Romans 6—as a master dominating his servants,
duping them by paying them off with the wages of death.
Notice, too, that in his development of the figure of the two masters,
Paul calls attention to the fact that the service of one master means free-
dom from the service of the other. Again we see the clear choice: one or
the other. There is no middle ground. At the same time, as we all know,
being free from the dominion of sin doesn’t mean sinlessness, doesn’t
mean we don’t struggle and at times even fall. It means instead that we
are no longer dominated by sin, however much a reality it remains in
our lives and however much we must claim daily the promises of vic-
tory over it.
Thus, this passage becomes a powerful appeal to anyone who is
serving sin. This tyrant offers nothing but death as payment for doing
shameful things; therefore, a reasonable person should desire eman-
cipation from this tyrant. In contrast, those who serve righteousness
do things that are upright and praiseworthy, not with the idea of thus
earning their salvation, but as a fruit of their new experience. If they are
acting in an attempt to earn salvation, they are missing the whole point
of the gospel, the whole point of what salvation is, and the whole point
of why they need Jesus.
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F riday November 17
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Victory Appropriated,”
pp. 105, 106, in Messages to Young People; “The True Motive in Service,”
pp. 93–95, in Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing; “Appeal to the
Young,” p. 365, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3; pp. 1074, 1075, in
The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6.
“He [Jesus] did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield
to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ’s humanity was united with
divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are
united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches
for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of
Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.”—Ellen G. White, The
Desire of Ages, p. 123.
“At our baptism we pledged ourselves to break all connection with
Satan and his agencies, and to put heart and mind and soul into the work
of extending the kingdom of God. . . . The Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit are pledged to cooperate with sanctified human instrumentalities.”
—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1075.
“A profession of Christianity without corresponding faith and works
will avail nothing. No man can serve two masters. The children of the
wicked one are their own master’s servants; to whom they yield them-
selves servants to obey, his servants they are, and they cannot be the ser-
vants of God until they renounce the devil and all his works. It cannot be
harmless for servants of the heavenly King to engage in the pleasures and
amusements which Satan’s servants engage in, even though they often
repeat that such amusements are harmless. God has revealed sacred and
holy truths to separate His people from the ungodly and purify them unto
Himself. Seventh-day Adventists should live out their faith.”—Ellen G.
White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 404.
Discussion Questions:
Although we have all these wonderful promises of victory over
sin, the fact is that we all—even as born-again Christians—are
aware of just how fallen we are, of just how sinful we are, and of
just how corrupt our hearts can be. Is there a contradiction here?
Explain your answer.
In class, give a testimony as to what Christ has done in you, as to the
changes you have experienced, and as to the new life you have in Him.
However important it is that we always remember that our
salvation rests only in that which Christ has done for us, what
dangers arise if we overemphasize that wonderful truth to the
exclusion of the other part of the salvation: that which Jesus does
in us to transform us into His image? Why do we need to under-
stand and emphasize both these aspects of salvation?
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i n s i d e
Story
From Mafia Men to God’s
Messengers: Part 3
One day, while walking in the forest, Vasily saw one of the men who had
tried to kill him. Glancing at his potential killer, Vasily quietly breathed,
“OK, I will forgive him.”
Six months later, Vasily learned that the man died of a drug overdose. The
second person who tried to kill him became permanently disabled and the
third was shot and killed.
As the new year drew near, Vasily geared up for the big parties that would
take place—two weeks of drinking vodka and smoking.
But this year, it wasn’t the same. Vasily no longer enjoyed the partying. At
the end of two weeks, he had had enough. Was I born for such a dirty life?
he asked himself. The answer was a decided, No! I need a new life!
Falling to his knees, he prayed that God would help him. Somehow he
was able to obtain a Bible, and with the Bible in hand, he went to each of
his friends, inviting them to come with him to the forest for three days. Two
friends decided to join him.
“We went to the forest, where we were quiet for three days, just reading
the Bible,” Vasily said. He prayed, asking God to “give me one month to live
this new life.” And He did. Then Vasily asked God for a second month of
clean living, and it was given to him. He asked his wife for forgiveness, and
by God’s grace, he is continuing to live a clean life.
When Vasily and Igor met, they realized that they had much in common.
“In every place there are some people who like the truth,” Vasily said.
Vasily and Igor are now close friends who work together spreading truth
through a special newspaper that is delivered throughout the region of
Kazan. The newspaper is filled with information about how to obtain better
health and offers spiritual insights. It is one of the most popular newspapers
in Russia. The two former mafia men also work together finding sponsors
so that thousands of Seventh-day Adventist books can be ordered and dis-
tributed around Kazan. “Our stories seem to be terrible,” Vasily said. “But
actually it is our world. Igor and I just want to help people find a better way.”
The two former mafia men are delighted to have a new church and center
of influence in the center of Kazan, made possible in part through your
generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2014. Thank you for supporting
this important offering.
Read more exciting stories from the Euro-Asia Division in the Mission
Quarterly online at [Link].
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: [Link] 63
