CHAPTER 5
WHY LIVE HOLY?
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
ROMANS 6:1
One of the most common questions that arises when the true gospel is preached is “If God is not holding sin against us, then why should we live a holy life?” The apostle Paul faced this very same issue during his ministry, about which he wrote in chapter 6 of his letter to the Romans. Apparently, it had been reported throughout the region that Paul was preaching a message that encouraged sinful behavior so that good may come (Romans 3:8). Because of the fact that the true gospel is so almost unbelievably too good to be true news, when it is preached, this is the conclusion most people draw when they hear it—and for good reason.
The reason being is that we have grown up knowing only the bondage of a performance-based life. As children we were taught by our parents that if we misbehave we get punished, and if we behave we are rewarded. Guilt and shame are placed upon us for poor performance, and praise and honor are given to us in positive behavior. If you recite your A-B-Cs, then you get a praiseful pat on the head, but if you wet the bed you get a spanking. This begins a cycle of performance that grows into our “formative” years where we are seeking acceptance from not only our parents, but our teachers and friends, placing further demands on the level of our performance in order to be “accepted”. And although our parents say their love is unconditional, their actions speak a different message—the message saying, “I’m ashamed of you” among other things when we mess up; and “I’m proud of you” only when we do something worthy of this praise. It’s not their fault though. Our parents had parents just like them; and their parents had parents too.
It doesn’t end there, however. As we grow into young adults, all the years of competitive sports, beauty pageants, class elections, and striving to be the best student, getting the best grades, and getting into the best college, turns us into what I call “performance-aholics”. We want to be a part of the best fraternity, have the best looking girlfriend, throw the best parties, have the coolest car and clothes, all in combination with striving to excel in such a way that we can get the most prestigious and high-paying job after graduation. Then after entering the workforce, we are slung deeper into the performance pit where our salaries and promotions are based on our performance, and how we compare to our peers. Our friends and love relationships are only to the extent of how we make each other feel; and as soon as someone is wronged, the friendship no longer exists. Love is something we “fall in” instead of it being a choice. Our romantic relationships are based mostly on emotion and physical attraction instead of commitment and the biblical truth that teaches us that we can be taught how to love one another (Titus 2:4). We submit to what we see on television and in the movies, and in the lives of people we exalt to such a high degree as being how life really is. We devote our lives to living in competition at work, then we involve ourselves in competitive sports or efforts to keep up with the Joneses to further boost our fragile little egos, so that we can, when before we wanted to impress our parents, now we are out to impress a potential mate, and perhaps win a little influence among friends and colleagues.
And this is only one end of the spectrum of performance. The other side involves a constant barrage of negativism the keeps a person under constant condemnation and under the control of life’s circumstances. The old saying, “You are a product of your environment” gives rise to the notion that you are not worthy to receive any more than what you see. Instead of striving to excel to greater heights, these folks are kept in such a state that they cannot even look up. They hear words like, “You’ll never measure up. You’ll always be poor and live in the ghetto” never truly knowing anything else.
Typically both ends of the spectrum are exposed to a knowledge of God and religion in some way, but for the most part, this exposure only scratches the surface of the gospel message, teaching a watered-down, and mostly legalistic version of Christianity that relates perfectly with our performance mentality in order to please God.
The way most of us have grown up, it is no wonder why this conclusion was drawn when Paul preached the gospel, and still is when the true gospel is preached. How hard must it be to strip the years of conditioning from our minds and accept that we no longer have to perform in order to please the only One who matters—especially when we have been wrongfully taught that God also deals with us proportionate to our performance.
Nevertheless, the gospel is what it is, which is the power of God that leads to salvation. In its utmost simplicity, the true gospel strips away all of our own sense of self-worth, and self-degradation, putting all of us, Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, white or non-white, slave or free, neurosurgeon or janitor, moral or immoral, at the same level, leaving us only to trust in what Jesus did on the cross to make us right with God.
While the world teaches self-esteem, the gospel teaches Christ-esteem. Religion teaches what you must do to earn God’s acceptance, but the gospel points to what Jesus did to make us not just accepted in the beloved, but highly favored. It does not matter what you have done or are doing, whether good or bad, but what matters is that you have come to the end of yourself and realized you have no power at all to be right with God, and that through faith in the righteousness of Jesus that is imparted to all who believe, you are righteous in the eyes of God.
Religion teaches that you must do A, B, and C to become worthy of salvation. But the gospel teaches that God only justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). Religion teaches that holiness is a route to salvation, but the gospel teaches that holiness is a fruit of salvation.
If this is the message you have heard before, then you have heard the true gospel and perhaps you have drawn the same conclusion as those in Paul’s day. If the question, “If we are under God’s grace by faith, then why should we live a holy life?” hasn’t ever been asked by you (whether inwardly or outwardly), then perhaps you haven’t heard the true gospel. Furthermore, for those who have shared the gospel with anyone and this question hasn’t been raised, then maybe you should reconsider what gospel you are sharing.
Other than witnessing the power of God confirming the true gospel message, this conclusion is a telltale sign that you are preaching the same gospel that the Lord Jesus and Paul preached. Paul had asked two rhetorical questions in verses 1 and 15. The first question arose from what Paul had taught in chapter 5 concerning the abundant grace in comparison to sin. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Paul’s answer?
You Have a New Nature
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Do you not know that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. [Romans 6:2-5]
Plain and simple, Paul’s answer is, “Because you have a new nature; you don’t have to live in sin anymore.” Before you were born again, you were under the control of your sinful nature—the nature of the devil—that compelled you to lie, cheat, steal, curse, envy, lust, hate, and judge others. Your old nature was crucified with Christ, and now, being dead to sin, your new nature gives you the desire to live holy before God and man.
In my opinion, this is perhaps the most important teaching of the New Testament. Once we understand who we are in Christ, having a new godly nature, we can begin the journey of the victorious life Jesus died to give us. Then we can confidently quote this verse from Romans 8:37: We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
The letters of Paul, Peter, James, and John express their frustration with the sinful behavior of believers, not fully understanding that they were no longer compelled to do such things, and that their sinful actions actually opened the door to the devil to come in and destroy. I think James said it well, My brothers, these things ought not to be so. [James 3:10] Why? Because they have a new nature—one that lives for God and not for sin. Consequently, this entire book’s purpose is to firmly establish the truth of who we are in Christ.
The Bible says, He that is dead is freed from sin. [Romans 6:7] In this context the word freed means that you have been set free from the power and control of sin through the death of the Lord Jesus. Being set free doesn’t necessarily mean that you are free however.
Let me give you an example of how someone can be freed, but not be free. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave freedom to all the slaves in the United States. Legally from that moment on, every slave had been set free, but not all slaves were actually free. Why? This occurred for several reasons. Firstly, because word had not yet reached all the slaves and slaveholders that they had been set free. Secondly, while word had been received of the emancipation, many either did not believe it, or refused to obey it. Consequently, if a slave was happy being a slave, although he had been set free, he could still have remained a slave.
The same is true of us in Christ. Jesus said, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. [John 8:31-32] Not until you receive knowledge or word of the truth and act upon it (faith) will you be truly free. Just as the fact that God, through Jesus, has provided salvation for all mankind, but not all men (or women) will be saved. Religion has taught for so long that although you have been set free from sin, you still have this old sinful nature lurking and lingering around, forcing you into sinful behavior. That’s simply not what Scripture teaches although we have Bible translations that do. Unfortunately, the devil has translated some of the versions of the Bible, which have proven to blind the eyes and minds of the truth.
According to some translations, you are just a prisoner out on parole, still under the control of your old warden who can bring you back to prison at any time. This is the truth and I pray that you will receive it. You were a prisoner and slave to your sinful nature, but Jesus has unlocked the cell door to freedom and we must, through faith, push open the door to freedom. Once we receive the gospel, our sinful nature dies, and God imparts His nature into our new spirit (new wine into new bottles), making us new creatures in Christ. Therefore, you are not forced to submit to the temptation to sin and consequently, you have no excuses like “I just couldn’t help myself” when you blow it.
Now some of you may be asking, “Why then, after being born again, do I sin, if I now no longer have a sinful nature?” When you are born again, your spirit is changed—not your mind. Your mind is like a computer, which will operate according to its programming. Your mind was programmed by your “old man” (sinful nature) and consequently, it needs re-programming. Romans 12:2 says, Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God. A lifetime of sin has left a residue of sinful behavior that can change through a commitment to renewing your mind through God’s word.
A great illustration of this truth occurs when a person’s physical body dies. For a period of time, although being dead, the body can appear to be alive. Having been in law enforcement, I saw many dead bodies, and some of those dead bodies moved and even uttered sounds. I heard the story about a man who worked in a hospital morgue, and late one night he was processing a dead body when all of sudden the body just sat up with its eyes open. Needless to say, the worker was wrought with fear, and went to get help.
He summoned a doctor, and after examining the body, the doctor pushed it back down on the table. The man was still dead, but sometimes the body can bear signs of life when in reality they are dead. This same thing is true with our old sinful nature—it is really dead, but it can display signs of being alive.
Although signs or appearance of life in a dead body are generally short-lived due to decay, the manifestations of the old nature seem to linger longer than they should in comparison. The reason for this is because most Christians have been taught that their old sinful nature has not died, but still exists and thrives. If a person believes this deception, then it makes sense that the effects of the old sinful nature would continue as long as they continued to believe it.
The main character in the movie Psycho illustrates this point accurately. Although his mother had died years before, the son kept her body dressed and sitting in a chair, believing she was still alive to encourage him to kill people. You can keep the manifestation of your old nature alive if you continue to believe it is alive, and this is why it is so very important for you to know that the old sinful nature is dead.
The title Psycho fits perfectly with the behavior of the main character—not the killing, but the way he was thinking. The difference between a sane person and an insane person is the way they think. The character in Psycho had been deceived in his mind that his mother was telling him to do these terrible acts. Similarly, when you believe the old sinful nature is still alive, you can be deceived into doing things you shouldn’t (Galatians 5:17). Psychotic behavior is changed not by focusing on the behavior, but on changing the way a person thinks. This is why the Scripture teaches that you are transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. [Romans 12:2]
The two most important verses in Romans 6 convey what Paul truly wants every believer to know. Through this revelation, we can destroy any teaching that suggests that a Christian is still under the power and control of sin. Moreover, these passages are absolutely vital to walking in the newness of life and the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:4-5). Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise reckon (or conclude also in yourself) yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:6, 9-11]
Verses 6-11 support the apostle Paul’s conclusion he made in verses 4-5 that we should be walking in the newness of life and the likeness of His resurrection. However, he stresses that in order to walk in the likeness of His resurrection, we must first know (and accept by faith) that our old man has been crucified with Him, and we are dead to sin, being freed by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, because Jesus died to sin once, we should conclude that we must die to sin only once as well.
I simply cannot stress this enough because these passages illustrate the theme of this book—knowing and submitting to who you are in Christ. The Bible is teaching that it is impossible for a Christian to walk in the newness of life and the likeness of His resurrection without first laying the foundation of your old sinful nature being crucified and dead. This truth is a daily meditation for me, as it should be for all Christians. Because when temptation comes, the Spirit can bring this one truth back to your remembrance, knowing that since you are dead to the old sinful nature, you do not have to obey, but, as the Scripture teaches, yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [Romans 6:13]
Many Christian churches teach that you must die to sin daily, but this is not what Scripture teaches. Again, I point to Romans 6 that says that you must conclude that as Jesus died to sin once, you must consider yourself dead without a doubt to sin once and for all. This is what the word “Likewise” means—in other words, “in the same way.” Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:30, I die daily, and many teachers of the Bible have inferred that he means that Paul died to his sinful nature on a daily basis. Again, this violates what Paul taught in Romans 6, and actually refers to the sufferings he was facing on a daily basis, which oftentimes led to near death. Paul is actually justifying his sufferings, proving that he was fully persuaded that the word of God was true in that he would rise again in the resurrection.
Most importantly, however, the phrase I die daily can be related to our walk in Christ and carrying the cross. We must die to ourselves on a daily basis so that the character of Christ can be revealed in our lives. This is what humility is, my friends—to trust completely in what Jesus did on the cross to make us right with God; trust in what the word of God teaches, and then apply it to your daily life.
Therefore, you must live according to the fact that you died (were crucified with Christ) to sin once, and were risen in the newness of life (having the nature of Christ living in and through you). The apostle Paul wrote, I am crucified (past tense) with Christ; nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ lives (present tense) in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. [Galatians 2:20]
The typical Christian, after being born again, makes a commitment to pursuing holiness. However, most often it is done through his or her own strength, which amounts to living under the law. Holiness is a fruit or byproduct of your relationship with the Lord and cannot be achieved in your own strength. In fact, the moment you begin trying to live according to the law, you will find yourself under the dominion and control of sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under the law, but under grace. [Romans 6:14] Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace. [Galatians 5:4]
Embracing the truth of the new creature will help keep you living according to grace—and not of works. The Bible says, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. [Galatians 6:15-16]
In Romans 7, Paul addresses them who are trying to live according to the law. Do you not know, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? After illustrating the bondage to sin by comparing it to marriage, Paul begins to describe the effects of living by the law through what occurs before we are born again, and then the struggle that ensues once a person attempts to live by the law. I discuss this issue in greater detail in the chapter entitled “Spirit vs. Flesh.”
After relating the frustration involved in legalism, Paul concludes his point by saying, I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. [Romans 7:22-25]
What many people do not realize is that sin actually derives its power from the law. The Bible is so very clear concerning this truth, but many of us have been blinded by it. The Bible says, the strength of sin is the law. [1 Corinthians 15:56] The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:9: For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. What Paul is saying is that when he was a child, he did not understand that disobedience was not only against his parents, but against the commandments of God. Sin, although present, was not imputed or counted against him, and the sinful nature existed, but had no power to condemn because as the Scripture teaches, For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [Romans 5:13] Therefore, the sinful nature was in essence lying dormant, waiting for the power of the law to come and kill. But when he understood with his heart that he had offended God (the commandment), the sinful nature came back to life, and by the law, it killed him.
Many people have been taught that we became sinners after we first committed sin (and understood it by the commandment) and that sin did not dwell in us until we submitted to it. This is false and contrary to what the Bible teaches in Romans. We were all born into sin because of the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12), but according to Scripture, sin is not counted against us when we do not understand the law (Romans 5:13). Therefore, we can truly embrace the fact that since we did nothing to make ourselves sinners, and consequently, we can do nothing to make ourselves righteous, other than submit ourselves to the righteousness of Jesus, we, being made righteous by faith, can do nothing to make ourselves sinners again, short of rejecting the righteousness of Jesus, hoping that our own righteousness will be enough. Paul wrote a powerful truth to anyone who is trying to impress God by his or her own good works or holiness: I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. [Galatians 2:21]
If you think you are righteous by what you have done or are doing, then you are telling God that the suffering of His precious Son was for nothing. It is either all Jesus or all you, my brothers and sisters. It is either all grace or all works—not a little bit of each. Grace doesn’t make up the difference; it is all you need. The Bible says: And if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work. [Romans 11:6]
Keep the Devil at Bay
Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. [1 Peter 5:8-9]
In addition to understanding that in Christ we are now dead to sin, having a new nature, the Bible teaches that we should also live holy in order to hinder the devil’s destructive work in our lives. However, it is only because of our understanding and belief in the truth of our old sinful nature having been crucified with Him (Romans 6: 6) will we ever be able to fully resist the devil’s temptations and deceptions. This means that Paul’s answer to the second question posed in Romans 6:15 (What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?) is dependent entirely upon our revelation of being dead to sin once and walking according to the likeness of His resurrection or the new creature.
Most Christians have understood the importance of holiness in the context of keeping the devil from getting a foothold in a person’s life. However, many have been attempting to resist the devil without having first understood what the apostle Paul wanted them to know first, which was that their old man was crucified with him—so much that he stated the truth about being dead to sin eight times in Romans 6:1-11.
Paul’s response to the question in Romans 6:15 simply repeats what he taught concerning to whom we should yield ourselves—whether as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin or instruments of righteousness unto God, of which he ties to recognizing that you are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13).
Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [Romans 6:16]
This passage is the foundational spiritual law by which Satan was legally able to hold the human race in bondage because of Adam’s transgression. When Adam and Eve submitted to the deception of the serpent, transgressing the command of God, they legally transferred all the dominion and authority God had given them on earth to the devil.
In relation to our standing in Christ, the Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus has freed us from the bondage of sin by His death, and while we should now consider ourselves to be servants to God in Christ, we can still yield to the devil’s temptations, which continue to bring about death.
God, through Jesus, has already dealt with sin at the cross, and when you are born again, sin no longer separates you from having relationship with God. However, yielding to the devil can hinder, disrupt, and damage your fellowship with God and with other people. There are many Christians who believe that God can only deal with you when you are walking in total purity—without any sin in your life. This is simply not what the Scripture teaches about God’s grace—that it is not dependent upon our performance. Otherwise, God could not deal with anyone because we all fail to live up to the standard of the Lord Jesus in our flesh.
The reason God wants us to maintain a holy lifestyle is because He loves us and wants only the best for His children. By yielding ourselves to temptation, we are giving a place for the devil to come in and to steal, kill, and destroy. Yielding to sin can make your heart hardened toward God whereby you cannot hear His voice and be directed by the Spirit. Yielding to sin can hinder the Lord’s blessings and calling on your life. Yielding to sin can damage relationships with people. Yielding to sin can bring about sickness, and other forces that destroy your body. And finally, yielding to sin can damage your ability to minister to others because of condemnation, or because like it or not, people still look at the outward appearance.
Paul teaches about the fruit that can be produced by the Christian when he or she yields to sin as compared to when he or she yields to God. Because it appeared that the Roman Christians were still yielding themselves to sin, Paul was forced to correct them by writing, I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. [Romans 6:19]
As I mentioned before, holiness is a byproduct of our relationship or right standing with God. Therefore, when we embrace the fact that we are the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), we shall bring forth fruit of holiness (John 15:5).
And this is what the Bible is teaching in these passages. Paul makes the comparison to the fruit produced in sin, and the fruit that should be produced in the Christian who understands the fact that he is dead to sin and alive unto God as it is written, For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit did you have then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:20-23]
Once again, Paul, referring specifically to what he wrote in verse 6, repeats the truth about being dead to sin and being made free from it, saying that the Christian should be bearing fruit in the form of holiness. The final comparison (v. 23) is perhaps the most provocative and simplistic and at the same time, represents what Paul was teaching in Romans 5, which is the stark difference between sin and death by the law, and eternal life by grace through Jesus Christ.
Many Christians have gotten so caught up in the wordiness of Paul’s dictation that they fail to comprehend the basic theme of this teaching—that the grace of God has broken the power of sin brought on by the law, and that by understanding that as Christ died to sin, we too, when we were born again, died to sin, and should now walk in the newness of life and the likeness of His resurrection.
This is Paul’s answer to these compelling questions. As the butterfly and eagle fly, a Christian should live a holy life. Why? Because it is his nature to do so.
Chapter 5--Why Live Holy?
