"Indeed, sin you will not rule over, indeed not to be under the law but under Grace."1
Under Grace will you rule over sin. This is truth, for those who think people might sin under Grace, it is the opposite, for under Grace people will rule over sin. And is not this the point to rule over sin? Cain, "if you do not well, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."2 Most often we are taught to rule over sin with rules and regulations, but such is a form of godliness that has no power to rule over sin. The Law had power to rule over sin through condemnation, fear of death, but we are not under the law but under Grace.
"The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the Law."3 God made plain His requirements through the Law. The Law is Spiritual but the flesh weak, the Law is good and righteous, but sin took opportunity through the Law to abound. What was meant to produce life produces death, therefore in the new covenant we are released from the law and married to another. Under the Law sin. Under Grace love abounds into righteousness. And we will not have dominion over sin but under Grace. The gates of hell have opened up against Grace because of this.
Paul writes if we return to the Law for righteousness we sever ourselves from Christ and fall from Grace. Under the Law people attempt to rule over sin through rules and regulations, boasting in the flesh, in legalism, which has a form of godliness but no power to overcome sin. "You should not handle, You should not taste, you should not touch!”? These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.…"4
Under the Law there was glory, if you were obedient to the Law you were under righteousness, if disobedient you were under the law of sin and death. Obey or die. "If moreover the ministry of death in letters having been engraved on stones was found in glory... then how much more will the ministry of the Spirit."5 We are Under Grace. These are separate ministries, the old and the new, the letter and the Spirit, one of condemnation the other of righteousness, one of fear the other of power, one kills the other gives life.6 "Indeed, if in the ministry of condemnation was glory much more abounds the ministry of righteousness in glory."5 Under Grace is the ministry of righteousness is given more glory. "just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness, to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."7
Under the new covenant we are circumcised of the heart, not of the flesh. As prophesied, God writes His laws on our hearts and puts them in in our minds. Under Grace, I am subject to the laws written in my inner being. If I return to sin the Law of Sin produces death, in a spiritual sense, a wretched man I am. "You once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed."8 The Law brought death as it exposed sin, and there was a penalty, death. I was a slave to sin. Now, I am a slave to my new nature in my inner being, a slave to righteousness, as Paul writes I have a Spirit of Adoption. The problem is the weakness of our flesh is reality, so we often do not believe.9
"For when you were slaves to sin, you were free from righteousness."10 This word for free means free or delivered from obligation. Before I was free from righteousness, Now, I am obligated, a slave to righteousness, and I am ashamed of sin. Judah under covenant of the Law and seeing its penalty of death being applied to others still disobeyed the Law and left covenant. It is a lesson for us, the power of the flesh and the inability of the law to overcome. The Law was spiritual but Judah left covenant of the law and married the flesh, so sin took opportunity through the flesh to abound. The ministry of condemnation did not produce righteousness as it does not produce eternal life. If I return to the Law I fall from Grace. "What fruit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death."11
I am ashamed of sin. If I have a new nature then I am a wretched man in my inner being, if sin rules over me. As the law within me is Spiritual and I am Spiritual in my inner being. By these laws written not on tablets of stone but on a heart of flesh, I am obligated to righteousness. It is the basis for the new covenant, in my inner being, I am born again, a heart of stone, the Law, is replaced. We clean the inward first as it is what comes from the heart that defiles a person. "Indeed, when slaves you were of sin, free you were from righteousness."12 I had no obligation to righteousness when I was a slave to sin and I was not ashamed of sin. You see? is not the Law of Liberty, under Grace? to look into the perfect law. And what is this perfect law but love? love casts out fear, fear has to do with punishment, by such the Law was a ministry of condemnation.
Love casts out fear, and if fear is cast out then punishment, the sting of death, condemnation, and the ministry of condemnation fades away into a ministry of righteousness. As God said to Cain, you must learn to rule over sin. We learn to rule over sin when we understand that we are under Grace, a new covenant in Christ. I am baptized into His death and raised into newness of life in Him. Sin no longer has dominion. This word for dominion means sovereignty, control. I am not under the sovereignty of the flesh nor of the Law but of Christ. I am released from the Law, to serve in the new living way of the Spirit.
For under Grace we can approach the throne of Grace, as you have an eternal High Priest in Jesus who is your advocate. If I sin I confess it, He is faithful and just to cleanse... "For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness." Reckon sin dead as slaves to righteousness. "Not that ourselves sufficient we are to reckon anything, as of ourselves but the sufficiency of us is of God."14 His Grace is sufficient, to reckon sin dead, for His power is perfected in weakness, I boast in weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.15
I Will Rise
Under Grace will you rule over sin. This is truth, for those who think people might sin under Grace, it is the opposite, for under Grace people will rule over sin. And is not this the point to rule over sin? Cain, "if you do not well, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."2 Most often we are taught to rule over sin with rules and regulations, but such is a form of godliness that has no power to rule over sin. The Law had power to rule over sin through condemnation, fear of death, but we are not under the law but under Grace.
"The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the Law."3 God made plain His requirements through the Law. The Law is Spiritual but the flesh weak, the Law is good and righteous, but sin took opportunity through the Law to abound. What was meant to produce life produces death, therefore in the new covenant we are released from the law and married to another. Under the Law sin. Under Grace love abounds into righteousness. And we will not have dominion over sin but under Grace. The gates of hell have opened up against Grace because of this.
Paul writes if we return to the Law for righteousness we sever ourselves from Christ and fall from Grace. Under the Law people attempt to rule over sin through rules and regulations, boasting in the flesh, in legalism, which has a form of godliness but no power to overcome sin. "You should not handle, You should not taste, you should not touch!”? These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.…"4
Under the Law there was glory, if you were obedient to the Law you were under righteousness, if disobedient you were under the law of sin and death. Obey or die. "If moreover the ministry of death in letters having been engraved on stones was found in glory... then how much more will the ministry of the Spirit."5 We are Under Grace. These are separate ministries, the old and the new, the letter and the Spirit, one of condemnation the other of righteousness, one of fear the other of power, one kills the other gives life.6 "Indeed, if in the ministry of condemnation was glory much more abounds the ministry of righteousness in glory."5 Under Grace is the ministry of righteousness is given more glory. "just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness, to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."7
Under the new covenant we are circumcised of the heart, not of the flesh. As prophesied, God writes His laws on our hearts and puts them in in our minds. Under Grace, I am subject to the laws written in my inner being. If I return to sin the Law of Sin produces death, in a spiritual sense, a wretched man I am. "You once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed."8 The Law brought death as it exposed sin, and there was a penalty, death. I was a slave to sin. Now, I am a slave to my new nature in my inner being, a slave to righteousness, as Paul writes I have a Spirit of Adoption. The problem is the weakness of our flesh is reality, so we often do not believe.9
"For when you were slaves to sin, you were free from righteousness."10 This word for free means free or delivered from obligation. Before I was free from righteousness, Now, I am obligated, a slave to righteousness, and I am ashamed of sin. Judah under covenant of the Law and seeing its penalty of death being applied to others still disobeyed the Law and left covenant. It is a lesson for us, the power of the flesh and the inability of the law to overcome. The Law was spiritual but Judah left covenant of the law and married the flesh, so sin took opportunity through the flesh to abound. The ministry of condemnation did not produce righteousness as it does not produce eternal life. If I return to the Law I fall from Grace. "What fruit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death."11
I am ashamed of sin. If I have a new nature then I am a wretched man in my inner being, if sin rules over me. As the law within me is Spiritual and I am Spiritual in my inner being. By these laws written not on tablets of stone but on a heart of flesh, I am obligated to righteousness. It is the basis for the new covenant, in my inner being, I am born again, a heart of stone, the Law, is replaced. We clean the inward first as it is what comes from the heart that defiles a person. "Indeed, when slaves you were of sin, free you were from righteousness."12 I had no obligation to righteousness when I was a slave to sin and I was not ashamed of sin. You see? is not the Law of Liberty, under Grace? to look into the perfect law. And what is this perfect law but love? love casts out fear, fear has to do with punishment, by such the Law was a ministry of condemnation.
Love casts out fear, and if fear is cast out then punishment, the sting of death, condemnation, and the ministry of condemnation fades away into a ministry of righteousness. As God said to Cain, you must learn to rule over sin. We learn to rule over sin when we understand that we are under Grace, a new covenant in Christ. I am baptized into His death and raised into newness of life in Him. Sin no longer has dominion. This word for dominion means sovereignty, control. I am not under the sovereignty of the flesh nor of the Law but of Christ. I am released from the Law, to serve in the new living way of the Spirit.
For under Grace we can approach the throne of Grace, as you have an eternal High Priest in Jesus who is your advocate. If I sin I confess it, He is faithful and just to cleanse... "For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness." Reckon sin dead as slaves to righteousness. "Not that ourselves sufficient we are to reckon anything, as of ourselves but the sufficiency of us is of God."14 His Grace is sufficient, to reckon sin dead, for His power is perfected in weakness, I boast in weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.15
I Will Rise