The first Adam was born a mature man, given a commandment, and subsequently sinned. The last Adam, Jesus, was born an infant, trained up in the way He should go, learned obedience through that which He suffered, and offered Himself, blameless and without sin, as a sacrifice for the sins of Adam, the first creation. In His death the old creation, Adam, was done away with for those who would believe; and when He rose from the dead a new creation was born; that is, the body of Christ. There are now two creations, Adam and Christ, one of earth, one of heaven. Those who walk in the sinful nature of the old creation are of Adam, and those who walk in the godly nature of the new creation are of Christ.
Romans 6:2b-7 says, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self (lit. man) was crucified with Him, that our body of sin (the first Adam) might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
Even though our old self was crucified with Jesus, there still remains what is described by Paul as the principle that evil is present in us. We serve the law of God with our minds and the law of sin with our flesh, Romans 7:23-25. The flesh wars against our minds, making us prisoners of the law of sin which is in the members of our body. Paul then tells us we don’t have to feel bad about the evil nature that is within us, for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For since we could not conquer the desires of the flesh on our own, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, Romans 8:3b-4.
Therefore, rather than repenting continually for the evil within our bodies, and rather than beating ourselves to death trying to make it go away, we need only walk by the Spirit. For as Paul says, “So then, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if we are living according to the flesh, we must die; but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the body, we will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God,” Romans 8:12-14.
The principle of evil that is present in us will remain until mortality puts on immortality, but we don’t have to give in to it. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death,” Romans 8:2. We need only believe that Jesus has saved us to the uttermost, and in Him we have our salvation; in Him we have forgiveness of sins; and in Him we have deliverance from sins if we walk, not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, considering the members of our earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God, Colossians 3:5,3. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please,” Galatians 5:16.
“Now those who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires,’ Galatians 5:24. The flesh is the carnal mind; it is our human nature driven by animal appetites, or animal instincts. We crucify it by putting to death the deeds of the body with the help of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:13; and by faith in the Son of God, as Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me,” Galatians 2:20. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
We crucify the flesh by not allowing it to have its way, and by presenting ourselves to God to do His will, and His will alone. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace,” Romans 6:12-14. “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul,” 1 Peter 2:11.
As we diligently put to death the deeds of the body we find that we are becoming conformed to Christ’s death, Philippians 3:10. “And after we have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us,” 1 Peter 5:10. “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God,” 1 Peter 4:1,2.
Dear friends, the righteous shall live by faith, and that faith is in Jesus Christ who has become to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts, Romans 13:14. Let us follow our Lord’s example and learn obedience through the things which we suffer, from one trial to another, until we have persevered to the end.
We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us; for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death, Romans 8:2. Let us conduct ourselves accordingly; let us lay aside the old creation, Adam, and walk in the new creation, Christ Jesus. Amen.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
jondavidbanks.com 