Is sin still a problem?

 The question I want to address in this article is this: “Is sin still a problem?”  

This is an important question, and how one answers it reveals whether they believe the evangel of the grace of God.  This is the evangel of the grace of God given to the apostle Paul:

1Cor 15:1-4: "Now I am making known to you, brethren, the evangel which I bring to you, which also you accepted, in which also you stand, through which also you are saved, if you are retaining what I said in bringing the evangel to you, outside and except you believe feignedly. For I give over to you among the first what also I accepted, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been roused the third day according to the scriptures,"

I underlined the phrase I want to focus on in the above passage: “Christ died for our sins”.  What does this really mean?   In christianity, this phrase means almost nothing.  Their “good news” essentially begins with this, “you are a sinner and your sins still stand against you!”  To the majority of christians, nothing of merit happened at the cross of Christ.  If you can get them to admit it, Christ’s sacrifice only made it possible to be saved from sin.  I want to show you from the scriptures that Christ dying for our sins means so much more than just a mere possibility of being saved from sin.

Let’s start here: Rom 5:6,8: "For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the irreverent, died. ... yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes."

Paul makes it clear here that Christ died for the sake of (the betterment of) those that are infirm, still in accord with this wicked eon, and irreverent.  We know from Romans 3:9-18 that this is describing all of humanity.  Why did God sacrifice His son for our (all humanity) sakes?  He did it to commend His love for us.  Knowing that we are infirm sinners who could never be justified or righteous on our own, God sent His son to do what we could not. 

Rom 3:21-24: "Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus"

God, through Jesus Christ’s faith ^[1] is currently reckoning believers in Paul’s evangel righteous, but this righteousness is for all.  This righteousness is also God’s own righteousness.  All have sinned, and all will be justified gratuitously (without cause in themselves) in God’s grace, through the deliverance in Christ Jesus.  This is affirmed in 2 Cor. 5:21:

2Cor 5:21: "For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him."

Jesus Christ, who had God’s spirit without measure (John 3:34), being righteous and knowing no sin, was made a sin offering for our sakes.  Was this sin offering successful? Most definitely.

Rom 5:18-19: "Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one righteous [effect] for all mankind for life's justifying. For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just."

All humans are constituted sinners through Adam’s disobedience:  Rom 5:12: "Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and thus death passed through into all mankind, on which all sinned --"  In like manner, Jesus Christ’s act of obedience (Phil. 2:8) will constitute all righteous.  Adam’s sin will not have a more powerful effect on humanity than Christ’s sacrifice as a sin offering, quite the opposite: Rom 5:15-16: "But not as the offense, thus also the grace. For if, by the offense of the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and the gratuity in grace, which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many superabounds. And not as through one act of sinning is the gratuity. For, indeed, the judgment is out of one into condemnation, yet the grace is out of many offenses into a righteous [effect]."

Alright, so we know that God purposed His Son to be a sin offering for our sakes to show His love for sinners.  What does this prove?  It proves that God acted first, (in fact, God purposed this from the disruption of the world, Rev. 13:8) while we were His enemies, God removed the enmity between Himself and humanity:  Rom 5:10-11: "For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life. Yet not only so, but we are glorying also in God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom we now obtained the conciliation."   This message of conciliation is an essential part of Paul’s evangel, as the heart of the evangel is what God through Christ has done on behalf of sinners.  Paul expands on the message of conciliation in 2 Cor. 5:

2Cor 5:18-21: "Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation. For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us. We are beseeching for Christ's sake, "Be conciliated to God!" For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him."

This passage encapsulates what a true ambassador of Christ will be sharing with the unbelieving world.  Christ died for your sins.  God sent His Son to die on your behalf. God is not reckoning your offenses to you because Jesus Christ died as a sin offering for your sakes.  God loves you and has proven it by taking care of your sin through His son Christ Jesus.  Be conciliated (be at peace with) to God!  He is at peace with you!

Paul states his evangel, the evangel of the grace of God in another way here:  Rom 4:24-25: "but because of us also, to whom it is about to be reckoned, who are believing on Him Who rouses Jesus our Lord from among the dead. Who was given up because of our offenses, and was roused because of our justifying."  Jesus was given up because of our offenses, he died for our sins, and the resurrection of Christ by God absolutely seals the deal of our justification.  If Christ had not been roused, we could not share the good news of the conciliation:  1Cor 15:17: "Now, if Christ has not been roused, vain is your faith -- you are still in your sins!"  The death of Christ for sin and the resurrection of Christ go hand in hand, as the two major parts of the evangel.  God roused Christ because of our justifying. 

When one truly understands what the evangel means (that Christ died for our sins, was entombed and roused the third day),  we will know and understand this along with the apostle Paul:  2Cor 5:14-15: "For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently all died. And He died for the sake of all that those who are living should by no means still be living to themselves, but to the One dying and being roused for their sakes."  When one understands the evangel, they will know that Christ (the One) died for the sake of all, and consequently all died.  We will come back to what it means to be “living” later.  Paul expands on the truth that all died with Christ in Romans 6:

 Rom 6:6-7: "knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of Sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for Sin, for one who dies has been justified from Sin."  The old humanity was crucified with Christ.  It’s dead.  The body of Sin has been nullified.  We know from 2 Cor. 5:14 that since Christ died for the sake of all, all died.  “One who dies has been justified from Sin.”  Young’s Literal Translation has this for Romans 6:7: “for he who hath died hath been set free from the sin.”  Young’s has “the sin” and the Concordant version has “Sin”.  As James Coram puts it, sin “personified” has been completely taken care of.  

Back to our original question: “Is sin still a problem?”  I pray that the scriptures we have gone over have shown you the truth that no, sin is absolutely not a problem because of Christ dying for our sins.  Sin is a not a problem for anyone.  One that has been given faith to believe the evangel (Rom 12:3), that Christ died for our sins, was entombed and resurrected the third day will know that sin is not a problem.  

Rom 4:5: "Yet to him who is not working, yet is believing on Him Who is justifying the irreverent, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."  Believers believe God when He says He will justify the irreverent (again, that’s everyone) gratuitously in His grace.  God is currently reckoning believers righteous.

Rom 5:1: "Being, then, justified by faith, we may be having peace toward God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ,"

Believers, understanding the evangel that Christ died for their sins, and roused because of their justifying are able to embrace the conciliation, having peace with God.  

Rom 6:3-4: "Or are you ignorant that whoever are baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His death? We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life."

A believer is able to walk in newness of life, with the knowledge they were baptized into Christ’s death. 

Rom 6:5-7: "For if we have become planted together in the likeness of His death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also, knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of Sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for Sin, for one who dies has been justified from Sin."

A believer knows they are free from Sin, for they know the body of Sin has been nullified.

Rom 6:8-11: "Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, being roused from among the dead, is no longer dying. Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to Sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God. Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

A believer knows they died with Christ, and like Christ, died to Sin once for all time.  This allows us to reckon ourselves dead to Sin, completely ignoring it, and living to God in Christ Jesus.  Believers are living to God, walking in newness of life.  Believers are the living mentioned in 2 Cor: 5:15 referenced above, and are able to live “to the One dying and being roused for their sakes.”  

Rom 7:24-25: "A wretched man am I! What will rescue me out of this body of death? Grace! I thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Consequently, then, I myself, with the mind, indeed, am slaving for God's law, yet with the flesh for Sin's law."

A believer, with the knowledge of the truth of the evangel in their mind, is able to slave for God’s law, which is a reference to the evangel itself and the grace of God it represents.

Rom 8:1-4: "Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death. For what was impossible to the law, in which it was infirm through the flesh, did God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sin's flesh and concerning sin, He condemns sin in the flesh, that the just requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who are not walking in accord with flesh, but in accord with spirit."

A believer knows that because of the evangel, nothing is condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.  The spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus is the evangel (same as God’s law mentioned in 7:25), the truth that they have been freed from the law of sin and death.  God sent his own Son to condemn sin in the flesh, nullifying the body of Sin (Rom 6:6).  Sin is done.

Col 2:10-14: "And you are complete in Him, Who is the Head of every sovereignty and authority, in Whom you were circumcised also with a circumcision not made by hands, in the stripping off of the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ. Being entombed together with Him in baptism, in Whom you were roused together also through faith in the operation of God, Who rouses Him from among the dead, you also being dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He vivifies us together jointly with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses, erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross,"

Believers can know that they are complete in Christ.  The old humanity was crucified with Christ, in believing this, God rouses us into newness of life (a new creation, 2 Cor 5:17), understanding we are dead to our offenses and the old humanity.  Anything that could have been hostile or condemning to us was nailed to the cross.

Rom 8:31-34: "What then, shall we declare to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Surely, He Who spares not His own Son, but gives Him up for us all, how shall He not, together with Him, also, be graciously granting us all? Who will be indicting God's chosen ones? God, the Justifier? Who is the Condemner? Christ Jesus, the One dying, yet rather being roused, Who is also at God's right hand, Who is pleading also for our sakes?"

A believer can know, through the evangel, that God is for them.  God is so for them that He gave His Son up for us all.  No one will or can condemn them, with God reckoning them righteous because of Christ’s faith unto death and His subsequent resurrection by God for our justifying.  

Eph 1:13: "In Whom you also -- on hearing the word of truth, the evangel of your salvation -- in Whom on believing also, you are sealed with the holy spirit of promise"

Believers are sealed with the holy spirit of promise upon hearing and believing the evangel.  

There are so many benefits and blessings that a believer can enjoy now, and will enjoy in the future.  Believers in Paul’s evangel are promised the snatching away, eonian life, ruling and reigning with Christ among the celestials and more.  In this article I wanted to focus on sin being taken care of, and how that message is a key component of Paul’s evangel and the many blessings that knowledge bestows on the believer.

Eph 4:17-18: "This, then, I am saying and attesting in the Lord: By no means are you still to be walking according as those of the nations also are walking, in the vanity of their mind, their comprehension being darkened, being estranged from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the callousness of their hearts,"

2Cor 4:3-4: "Now, if our evangel is covered, also, it is covered in those who are perishing, in whom the god of this eon blinds the apprehensions of the unbelieving so that the illumination of the evangel of the glory of Christ, Who is the Image of the invisible God, does not irradiate them."

Unbelievers either have not heard the true evangel or have had there apprehensions blinded and are thus ignorant of the fact that God, through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection has taken care of sin and secured the eventual justification of everyone’s life.  Their ignorance in the fact does not make it any less true, but they are “estranged from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them.” Believers are not estranged from this and are able to walk in newness of life.  It is absolutely true that God has chosen believers to be believers before the disruption of the world (Eph. 1:4), but we are not God and live in the relative.  We do not know who is chosen to believe, so we, like Paul, share the evangel with anyone and everyone, telling them the evangel, the good news of what has been accomplished.  

Believe the evangel!  Sin is no longer a problem! Christ died for our sins and was resurrected because of our justifying!

Rom 5:20-21: "Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should be increasing. Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds, that, even as Sin reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through righteousness, for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

1Tim 2:3-6: "for this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Saviour, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras),"

Rom 1:16-17: "For not ashamed am I of the evangel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who is believing -- to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well. For in it God's righteousness is being revealed, out of faith for faith, according as it is written: "Now the just one by faith shall be living.""

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[1] - Jesus Christ’s faith is the faith in view here.  These are other scriptures that mention Jesus Christ’s faith and the fact that His faith is the basis on which we are justified: Rom 1:17, Rom 3:26, Gal 2:16, Gal 3:22, Phil 3:9.  

Also, Dean Hough has recently published an article in Unsearchable Riches Magazine titled “God’s Righteousness Manifested Through Jesus Christ’s Faith For All”.   I highly recommend you read this, I found it very edifying.  It is the very last article and starts on page 135.