In our continuing study of the mandates of the PPOG for believers we are presently 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, to ponder, to have in mind, to be of the opinion. It is a verb of application.
So the mandate is for the believer to logically consider that they are "dead to sin" because of the retroactive positional truth of their identity in union with TLJC at salvation by grace through faith alone in TLJC alone.
Because of this mandate, we started a study regarding just what the singular of the Greek word "hamartia" that is translated "sin" in this passage means and why there is a mandate for the believer to consider themselves dead to it.
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 through the 23 male chromosomes at conception and that it resides in the cell structure of the body until physical death.
Last time we were discussing just how it was possible for the humanity of TLJC to come into the world without an OSN so he could fulfill the will of the Father.
Because God the Holy Spirit provided the 23 male chromosomes for the virgin pregnancy followed by the virgin birth, our Lord was born in a state of perfection that He maintained through his residence, function, and momentum inside the prototype spiritual life.
Throughout his life on earth, our Lord had to remain perfect inside the prototype spiritual life so that He would be qualified to go to the cross, and receive the imputation and judgment for the sins of the world.
"He was tempted in all points as we are, yet apart from sin (sin nature)." He never acquired a sin nature from personal sin like Adam did in the garden.
The doctrine of impeccability teaches that the humanity of Jesus Christ was tempted far beyond anything anyone has ever known, but He resisted all temptation because His deity was not able to sin and His humanity was able not to sin.
Paul describes how the OSN fragments and disintegrates the believer's life in Rom 7:14-25.
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)."
Rom 7:15, "For that which I am doing, I do not understand. For I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing that I hate."
Rom 7:16, "But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the law that it is good."
(In 1Tim 1:8-10;, Paul tells us what the purpose of the law is.)
Rom 7:17, "But as the case really stands, I am no longer the one doing it, but the sin nature which is indwelling me."
Rom 7:18, "For I know that nothing good of intrinsic value dwells in me, that is in my flesh (sin nature), for the desire is present in me to attain the good (virtue), but I cannot do it."
Rom 7:19, "For the good of intrinsic value that I desire to do, I do not do, but the evil which I do not desire to do I keep practicing."
Rom 7:20, "But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish to do (and I am), I no longer accomplish it, but the sin nature residing in me."
Rom 7:21, "Consequently, I discover this principle, that when I desire to do the good (virtuous, noble), evil is present with me."
Rom 7:22, "For along with other believers, I delight in the law of God (protocol plan) with reference to my inner man (doctrine in mentality)."
Rom 7:23, "But I see a different law (principle) in the members of my body, making war against the law of my mind (function under the OSN), and making me a prisoner to the law of the sin nature which is in the members (cell structure) of my body."
Rom 7:24, "I am a miserable (wretched) person! Who will rescue me from the body of this death (the old sin nature)?"
Rom 7:25, "Grace belongs to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, on the one hand, with my mind I am myself serving the law of God; but on the other hand, with my flesh (old sin nature in control of the soul), I am serving the law of the sin nature."
There are at least six categories of fragmentation and disintegration that are produced by the old sin nature.
Personal fragmentation is related to the sin nature's area of weakness and it's area of strength.
It is generally easy to see when the fragmentation occurs from the weak side because that generally involves immoral sinning. It is often very difficult to see fragmentation from the strong side because it would not generally involve any immoral sins.
Heb 6:1, "Therefore, leaving behind (graduating from) the elementary teachings about Christ (basic doctrines of Hypostatic Union, Christology, salvation), let us advance to maturity (execution of protocol plan, the manufacture of invisible the hero, and the glorification of God), not laying again the foundation ( the doctrines of salvation and spirituality) of repentance away from dead works, and of faith toward God, . . ."
Dead works are human good production from the area of strength of the old sin nature.
When under the control of the OSN, all the good works the believer produces are dead from God's point of view, they are motivated by the OSN and therefore are not recognized by God as rewardable.
The believer's fragmentation and disintegration can also be related to the trends of the OSN. The sin nature has a trends that are polar opposites. one is toward self-righteous arrogance and legalism the other is toward lascivious lawlessness and antinomianism.
Disintegration that results in chronic legalism results in moral degeneracy. Disintegration that results in chronic lawlessness results in immoral degeneracy.
All presalvation sinning is solved by faith in Christ. Jesus Christ was judged on the cross for both the sins of legalism and the sins of lawlessness.
At the moment anyone believes in Christ, the problem of presalvation sinning is solved, for those sins are all blotted out, Isa 43:25, Isa 44:22; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14.
Post-salvation sinning requires the use of problem solving device of acknowledging any known sin per 1John 1:9; 1Cor 11:31;
When believers in any organization fragment and disintegrate along the opposite poles of the OSN, tremendous conflict is created. Those with a tendency toward legalism have no tolerance for those with tendencies toward lawlessness and visa-versa.
This kind of conflict can drive believers away from the teaching of doctrine in the local assembly.
This same conflict can occur in a client nation and we see this in our country today where the democrats for the most part take up the cause of those in immoral degeneracy and the republicans for the most part take up the cause of moral degeneracy. Both are wrong and both involve sin and evil.
Fragmentation and disintegration that is related to subjective arrogance includes unrealistic expectation and role model arrogance.
Unrealistic expectation comes from subjective preoccupation with self and role model arrogance comes from subjective preoccupation with others.
The OSN can also cause human relationships of marriage and Christian fellowship to disintegrate.
The emotional sins of fear, worry, anxiety, hatred, and anger, that lead to violence, and if left unchecked, ultimately to murder perpetuate this fragmentation.
The relationship between believers and God can also be disintegrated when believers fail to understand the integrity of God, or God's plan and purpose for mankind or fail to understand and utilize the problem solving devices or fail to execute the PPOG.
We have seen that believers continue to possess the OSN and use their volition to commit personal sin after salvation.
1John 1:8 tells us that believers continue to possess the old sin nature after salvation. "If we say (contend, maintain, assert) that we have no sin (nature), we deceive ourselves, and doctrine is not in us."
1John 1:9 provides the solution for all personal sin.
1John 1:10, "If we say (contend, maintain, assert) that we have not sinned (committed personal sin after salvation), we make Him a liar and His doctrine is not in us."
Since the believer continues to possess the old sin nature after salvation, they are subject to fragmentation and disintegration, but the believer can control this through their volition.
This is why in 2Cor 10:5; believers are commanded to make every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Being tempted by the sin nature is not sin. It is only when the believer chooses for the temptation that sin committed. God provides the grace provision of 1John 1:9 that was purchased by TLJC on the cross for recovery.
The choice to sin is always related to some form of arrogance. The many manifestations of arrogance that are presented as temptation by the OSN include jealousy, bitterness, hatred, vindictiveness, implacability, self-pity, self-righteous arrogance, motivational and functional revenge, slander, maligning, gossip, and judging others.
Under the control of the OSN the disintegration of one's life moves in the direction of the trends of each individuals sin nature.
If the individual's trend is toward self-righteous arrogance and legalism, the fragments of the life include slander, gossip, maligning, judging, Christian activism and criminal sins.
If their trend is toward lasciviousness and lawlessness, the trend is toward chemical, sexual and criminal sins.
The trend toward self-righteousness and legalism produces such heresies as the idea that a person cannot commit certain sins and still be a Christian.
That is wrong because a believer can commit any sins an unbeliever commits.
This trend results in several categories of heretical teachings that include salvation by works and spirituality by works.
It comes from a misunderstanding of our Lord's teaching in Matt 7:20; that "you shall know them by their fruits.". The misinterpretation of this verse leads self- righteous Christians conclude that a person is not really saved unless they show the proper manifestation of their salvation.
An OSN trending toward lasciviousness and lawlessness leads to antinomianism that often reacts against Bible doctrine because it falsely associates Bible doctrine with the self-righteous arrogance of legalism and religion.
OSN control of the soul always results in the believer functioning in some form of arrogance.
The arrogant believer who rejects the doctrine of eternal security thinks a believer can do something to lose their salvation assuming that there are sins and failures that are greater than what God provided for through the saving work of Christ on the cross and the forty things that are received from God at salvation.
Arrogant believers also erroneously conclude that they must add something to faith alone in TLJC alone for salvation.
The arrogant believer erroneously assumes that dead works of legalism and morality are greater than the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit inside the PPOG and thinks that dead works are spirituality.
The arrogant believer who succumbs to the pressures of discipline, suffering, adversity, and injustice erroneously assumes that the suffering is greater than God's provision of the portfolio of invisible assets and the problem solving devices of the protocol plan that God has provided access to at salvation.
The arrogant believer who depends on emotional activity, such as dedication ceremonies, tongues, inspirational speakers, and personal attention from the pastor or evangelist, falsely assumes that their personal feelings and experiences are greater than perception of doctrine.
The arrogant believer who is involved in the demand syndrome, has unrealistic expectation and role model arrogance and assumes that their relationships with people must precede their relationship God and his Word.
The believer is arrogant when they listen to the teaching of Bible doctrine with preconceived ideas and thereby distort their acquisition or perception of doctrine.
The believer is arrogant when they use Spirit taught doctrine that has been retained for the attainment of their own objectives rather than allowing it to lead them along God's plan for their life.
Believers are arrogant when they apply doctrine to justify themselves or to establish themselves in a system of self-righteousness.
This is all summarized in 1Tim 6:3-4; "If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not concur with sound doctrine, those doctrines from our Lord Jesus Christ, even the doctrines pertaining to godliness (life in the PPOG),
v4. he has received arrogance (fragmentation from self absorption), understanding nothing. Furthermore, he has a morbid obsession about controversies and verbal conflicts, from which originate jealousy, discord, and evil speculations."