Class Notes: 10/7/2009

The mandate found in Rom 6:11 for believers to consider themselves "dead to sin"


In our continuing study of the mandates of the PPOG for believers last time we started looking at the imperative moods found in Rom 6:11-13.

In verse 11 we have the present middle imperative from the Greek verb" logizomai" that is translated "consider" in the NASB. We saw that it means to calculate, to take into account, to evaluate, to estimate, to think, consider, ponder, have in mind, to be of the opinion. It is a verb of application.

So the mandate is for the believer to logically calculate that they are "dead to sin" because of the retroactive positional truth of their identity with TLJC at salvation by grace through faith alone in TLJC alone.

So we started a study regarding just what the word "sin" that the passage is instructing the believer to consider themselves dead to means. We have found that it is referring to the OSN that all of mankind except for TLJC has inherited from Adam as a result of the fall.

Biblical Synonyms for the Old Sin Nature include the singular use of the Greek word "hamartia" that generally refers to the old sin nature, as in Rom 5:12, Rom 7:14; 1Cor 15:66; 1John 1:8; and our passage Rom 6:11; The plural of "hamartia" generally refers to personal sins.

The Greek word "hamartia in the singular can also refer to Adam's original sin.

Rom 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man (Adam), sin (the sin nature) entered into the world, and (spiritual) death through sin (the sin nature), so (spiritual) death spread to the entire human race because all sinned (when Adam sinned)."

Rom 7:14, "Certainly, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of (belonging to the realm of) the flesh (sin nature), sold in bondage to sin (sin nature)."

The law is spiritual, because it came from God. It is God's establishment mandate for the entire human race.

All of mankind is sold into bondage at birth, when the imputation of Adam's original sin to the old sin nature occurs.

Another Greek word that is used for the OSN is the Greek word "sarxz" that is often translated "flesh", it emphasizes the location of the old sin nature in the cell structure of the body.

It is called the "flesh" because it is related to the biological life.

Gal 5:16, "But I say, walk by means of the Spirit and you will not execute the lusts of the flesh."

Eph 2:3; mentions the lust of the flesh; as does 1John 2:16; Rom 6:6, Rom 7:14.

Another synonym is. "The old man" translated from the Greek "palaos anthropos" that emphasizes the origin of the old sin nature.

Adam's original sin is perpetuated through the twenty-three male chromosomes that fertilize the female ovum at conception.

Eph 4:22, "With reference to your former lifestyle (self- fragmentation through post-salvation sinning), you yourselves lay aside (through acknowledgement of sin) the old man (sin nature), you who are becoming degenerate or corrupted on the basis of the lusts of deceit."

The sin nature is classified as the old man because it originated in the Garden of Eden making it older than anything else, Col 3:9.

The phrase "You who are becoming degenerate or corrupted" refers to being corrupted by the disintegration that comes from the trends of the sin nature.

The "lusts of deceit" include power lust, lust, for money, approbation lust, sexual lust, chemical lust, and emotional lust such as fear, worry, and anger.

Another word that is used for the OSN is the Greek word "sarkinos" that is translated "carnal" and means "fleshly," of the flesh," or "belonging to the flesh."

This refers to the believer under the control of the old sin nature and therefore out of fellowship with God through personal sin that results in the believer conducting their life in one of satan's cosmic systems.

The Greek word "sarkinos" referring to the OSN is translated "flesh" in the following passages of the NASB.

Rom 7:14, "Certainly, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of (belonging to the realm of) the flesh (translated from "sarkinos" referring to the sin nature), sold in bondage to sin (the sin nature).

1Cor 3:1-3, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual persons (believers living the spiritual life), but as to belonging to the sin nature (carnal believers controlled by the sin nature), as to babes in Christ (childish believers).

v2. I gave you milk, and not solid food (advanced doctrine), for you were not able to receive it; in fact, you are not yet able.

v3. For you are still belonging to the sin nature. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not belonging to the sin nature, and keep walking in conformity with men?"

The Corinthians believers were still not able to learn advanced doctrine because they were under the control of the old sin nature, which limits what believers can learn.

The fact that they are still carnal means they don't acknowledge their sins in order to recover fellowship.

What Paul mentions as an example of carnality. He mentions jealousy that is one of the mental attitude sins.

The Corinthian believers are therefore described as being "of the sin nature", or, carnal, and as a result conducting their lives as unbelievers.

In Rom 6:6; the words translated "Our body of sin" emphasizes the old sin nature's headquarters where it resides in the cell structure of the body. Its genetic home is in the cell structure of the body.

In Rom 1:23; the words translated "Corruptible man" refer to the sin nature. Corruption means the old sin nature and the result of the old sin nature. Man is corrupted physically, spiritually, and therefore morally.

"Corruptible seed" in 1Pet 1:23;KJV refers to the transmission of the old sin nature.

There are passages that describe sin, good or evil as coming from the "heart." The heart, or right lobe of the soul, has nothing to do with the old sin nature, but the old sin nature gets to the soul of man by attacking the heart.

This is the old sin nature influencing thought so that sin, good and evil are motivated in the thinking as we have seen previously in Jer 17:9; Matt 12:34-35, Matt 15:19; Mark 7:21-23.

There are three references to the old sin nature in Rom 6:6. "Knowing this, that our old self (old sin nature) was crucified with Him (retroactive positional truth), in order that our body of sin (old sin nature) might be rendered powerless, in order that we should no longer be slaves to sin (old sin nature)."

The implication of this verse is that apart from the retroactive positional truth that occurs at second birth we are in slavery to the OSN.

When the old sin nature gains control of the soul, it is referred to as being "desperately wicked." Jer 17:9,KJV "The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."

In this passage, the Hebrew word "leb" that is translated "heart" is used for the right lobe of the soul, but here it refers to the right lobe connected with the old sin nature's temptations.

The right lobe is the place where sin is defined before the volition takes it and runs with it. All sin originates from the volition, but temptation originates from the OSN and is presented to soul. When the volition takes the temptation and acts on it the soul is connected to the OSN.

This explains Jer 17:9; that relates the right lobe of the soul to the old sin nature.

Matt 12:34-35; and Matt 15:19; says the heart is the source of certain sins. This doesn't refer to the right lobe by itself, but as it is related to and under the control of the old sin nature.

In other words, the sin nature that is in the cell structure of the body and presents a temptation that goes into the right lobe of the soul where it is defined in terms of language or emotion.

So that once the OSN as the source of the temptation gains entry to the soul, then the temptation is defined. At this point, the person is being tempted according the language of their own soul.

At this point a decision regarding the temptation must be made. Negative volition means the person will commit the sin they are tempted with, whether they know it's a sin or not. Positive volition means they choose not to commit that sin, and the temptation merely remains a temptation it does not become a sin.

A temptation can never become a sin until the volition is involved. This is true of all people. All people are held responsible for their sins before God because they choose to sin in their free volition.

Rom 7:14; has two references to the old sin nature. "For we know that the law is spiritual (comes from God, a Spirit), but I am of the flesh (old sin nature in body), having been sold into bondage to sin (slavery to old sin nature)."

1John 1:8, "If we say (contend, maintain, assert) that we have no sin (nature), we deceive ourselves, and doctrine is not in us."

1John 1:10, "If we say (contend, maintain, assert) that we have not sinned (after salvation), we make Him a liar and His doctrine is not in us."

The old sin nature is the genetic home for the imputation of Adam's original sin at physical birth that causes real spiritual death. Real spiritual death is separation from God in a state of total depravity.

The old sin nature resides in the cell structure of the body and is the source of all inner temptation. Anything that is a temptation must be filtered through the soul.

While the soul of man comes from God, the old sin nature comes from the original sin of Adam in the garden and is propagated genetically through the 23 male chromosomes.

Two imputations occur simultaneously at birth when the fetus emerges from the womb, God creates and imputes human life to the human soul and at the same time, the justice of God imputes Adam's original sin to the sin nature that resides in the cell structure of the body.

The result is human life that consists of biological life and soul life with spiritual death.

There is a vast difference between biological life and soul life. Biological life originates at conception. The soul life that makes human life originates from God at birth.

The sin nature does not become active until birth, when biological life is combined with soul life to form the human being.

Since God can have nothing to do with sin, God cannot and did not create the sin nature. The sin nature originated from Adam's disobedience in the garden. God is not the author of sin or temptation; that is blasphemous to the integrity of God.

Biological life is genetic, originating from one cell, the zygote. Soul life originates from God at birth.

The sin nature is transmitted through biological life. Therefore, the sin nature is transmitted through the body, not the soul. This is why, the word "sarxz" or the flesh is used as a synonym for the sin nature.

Biological life begins with mother dependence in the womb. Soul life begins with God dependence at birth.

While both the man and the woman are carriers of the old sin nature, transmission of the old sin nature occurs only through twenty-three male chromosomes passed down from the man.

The man is the transmitter of the old sin nature because even though Eve committed the first sin, Adam committed the first sin of cognizance. Both incurred the same penalty of spiritual death, but Adam was responsible.

1Tim 2:14, "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression.

Rom 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man (Adam), sin (the sin nature) entered into the world, and (spiritual) death through the sin nature, so (spiritual) death spread to the entire human race because all sinned."

Psa 51:5, "Behold, I was born in iniquity, and in sin (the sin nature) I was conceived." David means that Adam's original sin was imputed to the old sin nature at the point of birth. He is not saying that he was born from a sinful relationship.

The sin nature is genetically formed in the womb, along with biological life. Because there is no soul life in the womb, God is not the author of sin.

The only exception to this genetic perpetuation of the old sin nature is the virgin pregnancy of Mary.

Because of meiosis and polar body, the female ovum, ready for fertilization, throws off twenty-three contaminated chromosomes, leaving twenty-three uncontaminated chromosomes.

The virgin Mary was a carrier of the old sin nature. She was spiritually dead at birth. She was a virgin but not sinless. But at the moment of fertilization of that one pure, uncorrupted ovum by the Holy Spirit, she possessed that one pure cell free of the genetic corruption of old sin nature.

The Holy Spirit fertilized her twenty-three pure chromosomes with twenty-three perfect chromosomes thereby eliminating the genetic formation of the old sin nature. All the other normal genetic functions did occur.

Matt 1:20, "Behold, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, `Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'"

The Holy Spirit provided twenty-three perfect chromosomes that fertilized the ovum of Mary.

The virgin pregnancy of Mary excluded the genetic transmission of the sin nature, so that the biological life of Jesus in the womb was perfect because it was without a sin nature.

At the virgin birth of Jesus, since there was no sin nature, Jesus was born as Adam was created with trichotomous human life, having biological life, soul life, and spiritual life.

With no genetically formed old sin nature, it was impossible for the justice of God to impute Adam's original sin to Jesus Christ at birth because there was no genetically formed home for it.

Therefore, Christ was born perfect, just as Adam was created perfect. Both were perfect in the structure of the body and in the soul, having no old sin nature.

Jesus Christ is the same as Adam was before the Fall (perfect body, soul and spirit). All other members of the human race are the same as Adam after the Fall. (with biological and soul life, but spiritually dead with an old sin nature)

Therefore, Jesus Christ was born into the prototype spiritual life because He was "filled with the Holy Spirit" from birth.


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