The New Freedom in Messiah
6: 12-14

The new freedom in Messiah DIG: Is Paul talking about individual sins or our [sin nature]? In what sense are believers under subjection grace? What is the difference between the yoke of Messiah and the yoke of legalism? What is the purpose of the Torah?

REFLECT: Now that you are saved, how do you see things differently? Do you feel like you are under bondage? How free are you? What does “offering your body as a living sacrifice” mean to you? Who do you know that lives under bondage that you could help this week?

We should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, set apart for God, and not let our [sin nature] reign as king in our mortal bodies.

We have to live in these mortal bodies the rest of our lives on earth. Just as Yeshua carries scars on His hands (the hand in ancient times was measured from the elbow to the tip of the fingers) and feet, sin, even when confessed and forgiven and cleansed by His blood, often leaves an indelible mark. One day we will look upon Messiah’s scars and realize that we participated in putting them there because of our [sin nature].¹⁵⁷

Dear Heavenly Father, How wonderful that You provide the power for us to conquer the [sin nature] in our mortal bodies. I give You great praise that the key to consistent victory is You living within us. Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:15a). As we stay focused on Your love and power, we do not need to worry but rather to pray to You and Your peace will fill us. Do not be anxious about anything – but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the Shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua (Philippians 4:6-7).

Praise You for the great joy to know that You live in all who love and follow You (John 14:16-17, 23). Thank You that You were willing to not only come and suffer a terrible death for our sins (First Peter 3:23) and then go back to heaven (Hebrews 1:3); You also promised to live in and be with those who love You forever (Hebrews 13:5)! I love to meditate on Your word and listen to Your Spirit within me which prepares me to win any temptation battle (Corinthians 10:13). You are wonderful to have within! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, do not let your [sin nature] rule (Greek: basileuo, meaning reign as a king) in your mortal bodies, so that it makes you obey its desires (6:12). The verb is a present imperative with the negative me, which construction forbids the continuance of an action already in motion. So, Paul is saying, “Stop allowing the [sin nature] to reign as king in your mortal body.” The [sin nature] is a dethroned monarch. We have the responsibility of keeping it from mounting the throne of our heart, the place where only the Lord Yeshua should occupy. We are surely able to do this. Our will is free. We have the divine nature and the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to urge us on, and give us the desire and power to refuse the [sin nature] and obey the Word of God. Paul says, “Order your behavior in the sphere of, by means of, the Ruach, and you will not fulfill the desires of the [sin nature].

It is obvious that the [sin nature] can reign as king in our mortal bodies, or else Paul’s warning would be pointless. But it is also obvious that the [sin nature] does not have to reign there, or the warning would be equally pointless. Therefore, he commands: Do not offer any part of yourselves to sin as an instrument for wickedness. On the contrary, yield (Greek: paristemi, means to place beside or near, to present, to put at one’s disposal) yourselves to God as people alive from the dead, and your various parts to God as instruments for righteousness (6:13). Paul does not warn about our [sin nature] reigning in our souls or our spirits, but only reigning in our mortal bodies, because that is the only place in a believer where our [sin nature] can operate.

Paul, later in his letter, laments that it was impossible for him to obey God’s Torah because he had a [sinful nature] that was rebellious. For in my inner self, I delight with God’s Torah; but within me, I see a stubborn “torah,” one that battles with the God’s Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin’s “torah,” which is operating within me (7:18, 22-23). Here, sin is personified as having, so to speak, organized its own Mount Sinai, and there, given its own “torah” which we find ourselves devotedly obeying as a result of our old [sin nature].¹⁵⁸ He then concludes: What a miserable creature I am! Who will rescue me from this this wrestling match, this body bound for death? Thanks be to God [He will]! – through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord! To sum it up: with my mind, I am a slave of God’s Torah; but with my old [sin nature], I am a slave of sin’s law (7:24-25).

Dear Wonderful Heavenly Father, Praise You for the glorious riches of the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His holy ones. God chose to make known to them this glorious mystery regarding the Gentiles – which is Messiah in you, the hope of glory!  (Colossians 1:26-27). How fantastic that Messiah lives in all, Jew and Gentile, who love and follow Him

It is so wonderful to be “In Messiah,” which gives us power over our [sinful nature] now, and for eternity it guarantees our inheritance of living in heaven with God, our Holy Father. Praise You that before the creation of the world You decided to choose to put “Messiah in” all who would love and follow You as their Lord and Savior. He chose us in the Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love . . . In Him we also were chosen (Ephesian 1:4 and 11a).  Praise You that our redemption is not by anything we could do, but is “In Messiah”. In Him we have redemption through His blood – the removal of trespasses – in keeping with the richness of His grace (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:20-22). Praise You for sealing Your children with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Ephesians 1:13). 

Praise You not only for the power to conquer our [sinful nature] by our living “In Messiah” but also that enables us to inherit heaven. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise (Ephesians 1:14, Philippians 3:9)! I rejoice in Your gracious offer of life for all who love and follow You to live/be “In Messiah,” and I choose to listen to the indwelling Ruach Ha’Kodesh and to put to death my [sinful nature]. In Your Holy Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, when Paul says: Do not offer any part of yourselves to sin as an instrument for wickedness (6:13a), it is an offer that is by faith . . . moment by moment. Your body will fight against a righteous walk with YHVH until it is brought into submission to God’s will. This means we have to choose, carefully, what we look at, what (and how) we touch, and what we listen to.¹⁵⁹ This is a difficult task in our present society. But we should live our life every day with this in mind. According to Romans 12:1, our bodies should be presented to ADONAI as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God. Sacrifices in the TaNaKh were dead sacrifices. The Lord may ask some of us to die for Him, but He asks all of us to live for Him!¹⁶⁰

When we obey the instructions laid down in these verses, Paul says: the [sin nature] will not have authority over you. Since being saved, you now have a choice whether to sin or not because you are not under legalism but under grace (6:14). Paul had gone into detail about this with the believers in Galatia (see the commentary on Galatians, to see link click Bm – The Torah Became our Guardian to Lead Us to Messiah). The word legalism is literally nomos in the Greek text, and is often translated Torah, as in Matthew 5:17. But here, in this context, it must be rendered legalism because no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands. What Torah really does is show people how sinful they really are (3:20b). The legalistic observance of Torah commands is actually a perversion of the Torah into a system of rules for earning God’s praise without trusting in YHVH, the giver of the Torah.

Under legalism . . . under grace. The word twice translated under (Greek: upo) means controlled by or in subjection to, and opens the door to a slavery metaphor coming up next (see Bv – The New Master in Messiah). But what sense are we in subjection to grace? In the sense that we have accepted Yeshua’s yoke, which is easy and light to be under (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ee – Come to Me, All Who are Weary and Burdened, and I Will Give You Rest), in contrast with the yoke of legalism, which is not. As Paul himself said at the Jerusalem Counsel: Why do you challenge Gentile salvation and put God to the test by putting a yoke on the neck of the [Gentile] disciples – which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear (15:10)? Being under grace, is a subjection which, because of the very nature of grace itself, does not have the usual oppressive characteristics of subjection.

Since the Torah was never intended to be a means of salvation, but as our blueprint for living (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words), we are never to live in subjection to legalism. ADONAI’s children, the people who are in a faith relationship with Him, are, and always have been, under grace.¹⁶¹

Slaves of God
6: 12-23

In the Roman Empire people became slaves in a number of different ways. One way was to be born into a slave family. Another way was to be captured in battle, and still another way was to be forced into slavery if one’s nation was taken over. One final way was if an otherwise free person went into another’s household and acted like a slave. The idea was, “A man is as he does.”¹⁵⁶ It was as if Paul was saying to the believers in Rome, “Since you have been freed from the old [sin nature], don’t act like a slave.” Paul expounds on Yeshua’s saying: No one can have two masters (Mt 6:24). There are only two options: slavery to sin, or slavery to God.The slaves to sin (6:17) get no benefit (6:21), but earn their wages of death (6:23). But when enslaved to righteousness (6:18), eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from ADONAI (6:23). Such slavery is true freedom.

The Application of the Messianic Mikveh
6: 8-11

The application of the Messianic mikveh DIG: Why is it important for believers today, that Messiah was raised from the dead, never to die again? Why doesn’t sin have any authority over us? How and why are we to consider ourselves dead to sin? Why do we have a choice?

REFLECT: When sin suddenly makes its reappearance, do you recognize it, and consider yourself to be dead to it and alive to God? What sin have you died to, that in the past would have been a real temptation? Looking back at your life, how have you become a new creation?

The one death of Messiah was a death to sin; anyone united with Messiah is a new creation
– the old has passed, the new has come.

The argument (6:8-11): In the previous file (to see link click Br – The Significance of the Messianic Mikveh), Paul presented the negative aspect of the surgical operation God performs in the sinner when he believes, namely, the separation between him and his [sin nature]. Now, Paul gives the reader the positive aspect. Now since we died with the Messiah, we trust that we will also live with Him (6:8). That is, all of Messiah’s righteousness was transferred to his spiritual bank account at the moment of salvation. What was true of Messiah becomes true of the believer, minus His deity. Hence, we live by means of Messiah.

We know that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, never to die again. Yeshua raised people from the dead, as did Elijah and Elisha; but the people that they raised from the dead all died again. For example, Lazarus was raised from the dead (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah), but later, he died again. Yeshua’s resurrection, however, is the firstfruits of a new creation (First Corinthians 15:20 and 23), in which believers have a share (Second Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; James 1:18), a new creation from which death has been removed (First Corinthians 15:50-57; Revelation 20:14 and 21:4). The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael in a midrash halakha to the book of Exodus 20:19 says, “If it were possible to do away with the angel of death, I would. But the decree has long ago been decreed. Rabbi Yosi says, ‘It was on this occasion that Isra’el stood before Mount Sinai, on the condition that the angel of death would not rule over them.’ For it said, ‘You are gods (Elohim), etc.’ But you corrupted your conduct, ‘Surely you will die like men’ (Psalm 82:6-7).” But Yeshua has gone beyond this; He has conquered death, so that death has no authority over Him. And because death has no authority over Him, it has no authority over us (6:9).¹⁵²

And because Messiah lives forever, we will live forever with Him. For the death He died, He died to sin once and for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God (6:10). Because death is the penalty of sin (6:23), to break the authority of sin is to break the authority of death. Two extremely important truths should be emphasized here. First, Messiah died to sin. Having lived a perfectly sinless life during His incarnation, Messiah obviously never had the same relationship to sin that every other human being has. Not only did sin never have any authority over Him, but He never committed a single sin.

How then, we wonder, could the Messiah have died to sin? The Bible teaches that He died to the penalty of sin by taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world. Messiah’s death on the cross satisfied every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that Ha’Shem is free to act on behalf of sinners. This is not cheap grace. It was very expensive. It cost God the Father the unspeakable death of His one-and-only Son (John 3:16). Not only that, but Messiah also died to the power of sin, forever breaking its authority over those who belong to Him through faith. Paul assured even the immature and sin-prone believers in Corinth that ADONAI made this sinless man to be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God’s righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21).

The second crucial emphasis in 6:10 is that Messiah died to sin once and for all. He achieved a victory that will never need repeating. Day after day the Levitical priest (Hebrew: cohen) stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this Cohen, Yeshua Messiah, had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:11-12 quoting Psalm 110:1). Messiah’s sacrifice was better because it removes sin, which the Levitical sacrifices could never do. The B’rit Chadashah went from daily sacrifices to one sacrifice, from many ineffective sacrifices to one perfect sacrifice. These two verses are a series of contrasts – the many priests to the one Priest, the continual standing of the Levitical priests with the sitting down of the Great Priest, the repeated sacrifices with the once-for-all-time sacrifice, and the ineffective sacrifices that only covered sin with the effective sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah that completely removes sin. The Levitical priests always stood because their ministry was never finished. But Yeshua didn’t need to stand up because His work was completed. The Levitical priests, with all their repetition, could never take away sins, however, Yeshua’s one sacrifice took away sins of believers for all time.¹⁵³

Therefore, we are to continually consider ourselves to be dead to our old [sin nature], but alive for God by your union with Him (6:11). Paul isn’t telling us to feel as if we are dead to the old [sin nature], or even to understand it fully, but to act on God’s Word and claim it for ourselves. The Greek word consider (Greek: logizomai, meaning to take into account, to calculate, to estimate). This kind of thinking is faith in action. It is like endorsing a check. If we really believe that the money is in the bank account, we will sign our name to it and collect the money. Continually considering, here, is not merely claiming a promise, but acting on it as a fact. YHVH does not command us to become dead to our old [sin nature]; He tells us that we are dead to it and commands us to act on it.¹⁵⁴ That means that we now have a choice. We can say “No!” to it. But we are also to take into account the fact that we are alive for God, that is, the divine nature has been transferred to our spiritual bank account, so that we now have both the desire and the power to live a holy, separated, life.

Dear Marvelous Heavenly Father, You are so Awesome! Words cannot thank You enough for transferring your divine nature to our spiritual bank account, so that we now have both the desire and the power to live a holy, separated, life. You designed the caterpillar to change from a crawling insect into a beautiful flying butterfly. The body and nature of the creature has totally changed. The butterfly’s nature causes it to fly. It will never go back to being a caterpillar and crawl around to voraciously nibble on leaves.

In a similar, yet quite different way, those who choose to love and follow God as Lord and Savior, are given God’s new nature inside of them. They can fly away from temptation when it knocks for the Ruach ha-Kodesh lives within them and gives them both the desire and the power to live a holy, separated, life. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper so He may be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him. You know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17). I praise, love and worship You. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, they are a new creation – the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new (Second Corinthians 5:17)! And the reason why God is totally free to accept us, is because we are so identified with Yeshua Messiah. But there is a difference between our position in Messiah and our experience in the world. Positionally, what God says about us at the moment of salvation (justification) is true, that we have died to our old [sin nature], because of our union with Messiah. Our experience, however, is to continue to grow in our relationship with Messiah, being conformed into the image of Messiah (8:29) for the rest of our lives (sanctification).¹⁵⁵

The Significance of the Messianic Mikveh
6: 3b-7

The significance of the Messianic mikveh DIG: When did the first Messianic mikveh take place? The idea of death is mentioned fifteen times in Chapter 6. How does Messiah’s death and resurrection tie into our relationship with sin? When we stumble, what do we do when we find ourselves listening to the [sin nature] once again? How have we been cleared from sin?

REFLECT: How does God want our bodies? How might knowing this, change how you live your life? What does it mean to practice the teachings of these verses? What do you do when you hear voices from your former life? What specifically will you do this week to count yourself dead to sin but alive in Messiah? If you could bury one thing, what would it be?

We were immersed into Messiah’s death and resurrection, and because He was raised from the dead, likewise, we also will be raised to newness of life.

Shortly after the resurrection of Yeshua, mention is made of what might be called the first “Messianic mikveh.” On the day of Shavu’ot (Pentecost), thousands of Jewish people from all over the world had gathered to celebrate the feast. After the outpouring of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh on the righteous of the TaNaKh (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Al – The Ruach ha-Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot), Peter gave his powerful message about the messiahship of Yeshua. The result was that three thousand people were saved. This was the first “Messianic mikveh” because they were immersed into the Body of Messiah by faith.¹⁴⁶

Dear Great Living Father, What joy that we do not have to wait for heaven to fellowship with the one eternal God-the Father, Yeshua and the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. Right now on earth, Your children (John 1:12) can rejoice in Your indwelling us.  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper so He may be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him. You know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you . . . Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:16-17, 23).

I praise and thank You for Your eternal cleansing that you offer to all who will turn from their selfish ways and loving look to you as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). I will boldly confess Your name – no matter what trials it brings me for I have been washed by Your blood and rejoice in the joy of spending all eternity praising You in Your holy heaven. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The argument (6:3b): We were not only placed in Messiah by God the Ruach Ha’Kodesh in order that we might share His death and thus be separated from our [sin nature], but we have been immersed into his death (6:3b) in order that we might share in His resurrection, and thus have divine life imparted to us. This Messianic mikveh, therefore, is not by water because water doesn’t have that much power. It is an internal-spiritual mikveh at the moment of salvation, and an outward-physical mikveh, afterwards, which is an outward sign of that inward conviction.

Through immersion into his death, we were buried with Him; so that just as, through the glory of the Father, the Messiah was raised from the dead, likewise we too might live a new life (6:4). The Scriptures make both statements: the God raised Messiah (Romans 6:4 and 8:11; Matthew 16:21, 17:23 26:32) and that Messiah Himself arose (Mark 9:21 and Luke 18:33). In both expressions the act is due to the divine power which is Messiah’s equally with the Father. Yeshua has the power to lay down His life and take it back up again (John 10:18). The newness of life here does not refer to a new quality of experience, but a new quality of life given to the believer. Romans 6 does not deal with the believer’s experience or behavior. Paul deals with that in Chapters 12-16 (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI). It is because of our union with the death, burial and resurrection of Messiah, that we are dead to our [sin nature]. When He died, we died; when He was buried, we were buried; when He was resurrected, we will be resurrected. So, the reason we are considered dead to our [sin nature] is because we are considered co-crucified with Messiah.

This tremendous spiritual lesson is illustrated in the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah). When Yeshua arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days, so there was no question about his death. By the power of His words: Lazarus! Come out! Yeshua raised His friend from the dead. But, when Lazarus appeared at the entrance of the tomb, he was wrapped in grave-clothes. So, Messiah commanded: Unwrap him, and let him go! He had been raised to walk in newness of life. We next see Lazarus reclining with Messiah at a table, in fellowship with Him in John 12:1-2. Dead – raised from the dead – set free to walk in newness of life – fellowshipping with Messiah. All these facts illustrate the spiritual truths of our identification with Messiah as given in Ephesians 2:1-10.¹⁴⁷

The believer’s “willpower” has been made completely free. Before salvation it was not free so far as choosing between good and evil is concerned. It was enslaved to the [sin nature]. But now, our will stands poised between the [sin nature] and the divine nature, with the responsibility to reject the orders of the former and obey the urgings of the latter. To constantly say “No!” to the former, and “Yes!” to the latter becomes a habit, and then victorious living can be achieved. It doesn’t mean that someone may slide-back into sinful actions. That is all part of the sanctification process, being conformed into the image of Messiah (Romans 9:29). But, what do we do if we stumble and listen to the voice of the old [sin nature]? It happens. We’re not perfect. Then, we acknowledge our sins (First John 1:9), get back in the saddle, and start saying “Yes” to the divine nature again.¹⁴⁸

Jewish immersion is total immersion into the water. The rabbis teach that you need at least 120 gallons of living water, like a stream or ocean. But that living water can be dumped into a big swimming pool and then, as the rabbis teach, the whole thing becomes kosher. The kosher helps the non-kosher. A Jewish mikveh is different from a Roman public bath. The Jewish mikveh had two sets of stairs, to walk down into it and then to walk out of it. Why? Because ritually the person was spiritually unclean going down into the water, and if they walked up the same steps, they would, in a sense, re-contaminate themselves. So, they had two sets of stairs. And, as discussed in Leviticus 14 and 15, the mikvah itself was not the spiritual cleansing, it was symbolic of something that had already happened. In addition, infant mikveh was, and is, unheard of. Mikveh always has to have faith.¹⁴⁹

In the 6:1-4, Paul has brought out two major facts. First, that when ADONAI saves a sinner, He separates him from the indwelling [sin nature], and this separation is so effective, that the believer is not compelled to obey it; he has been permanently delivered from its power; second, that YHVH, at the same time, has imparted the divine nature in the believer, which gives him both the desire and the power to do God’s will. Now, in 6:5-11, Paul repeats these great truths in the event that some of his readers may not have caught the full implications as presented in the previous verses.¹⁵⁰

Since we have become united with Him in a death like His, we will also be united with Him in a resurrection like His (6:5). The verb we have become (Greek: ginomai) is in the perfect tense, speaking of a past completed act with continuing consequences. The verb united with (Greek: sumphutos, meaning to grow up together with) speaks of a vibrant union of two people growing up together. The word could be used of congenital twins whose bodies were connected at one point, and whose blood stream flowed through two physical bodies as through one. Likewise, we are now in an entirely new position. The resurrection of Messiah meant a new life for Him. He was no longer limited by His human body, which had been mortal. But then, He had an immortal body. In the same sense, now that we have been co-crucified, co-buried, and co-resurrected, we should also be living a new kind of life.

The [sin nature] is a terrible master, and it finds a willing servant in the human body. But the way we know that we can live a new kind of life is that the [sin nature] has been put to death. We know that our old [sin nature] was put to death on the cross with Him, so that the entire body of our sinful propensities (before being saved) might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to our [sin nature] (6:6). The verb destroyed (Greek: katargeo, means to make inactive). It is as if Paul was saying, “Before salvation our bodies were used as instruments of unrighteousness; but after salvation, we are to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness (First Corinthians 6:19-20). Our old [sin nature] no longer has any authority over us. We may surrender to it (and we often do). But it has no legal rights over us. It cannot demand our actions anymore.”

For someone who has died has been cleared from sin (6:7). Literally, For the one having died has been justified (or declared innocent) from the sin. The deathbed confession in the Siddur includes the words, “May my death be an atonement for all the sins, iniquities and transgressions of which I have been found guilty against You,” following the pattern of prayer in the Talmud (B’rakhot 60a) and the Mishna (Sanhedrin 6:2). Yoma 86a also speaks of death as “finishing” the punishment for sin and quotes Isaiah 22:14, “Surely this iniquity shall not be atoned for (Hebrew: y’khupar, or covered) until you die.” Paul here is drawing on the Jewish tradition that says an individual’s own death atones for his sin. He applies it by affirming that our union with Messiah, and with His death, means that we have effectively died, and that atones for our sin.¹⁵¹

The Background of the Messianic Mikveh
6: 1-3a

The background of the Messianic mikveh DIG: Why is baptism a scary word for Jews? How does the Jewish mikveh differ from Christian baptism? How does Chapter 6 interpret the word “sin?” Why? What should be the believer’s relationship to sin? What does it mean to be immersed into Messiah’s death? Why doesn’t unlimited grace mean unlimited sin?

REFLECT: What does your relationship to sin look like in your life? How can you choose your divine nature over your sin nature? How can you win the battle of the mind? What examples can you think of where you have chosen your divine nature over your sin nature? How can you help someone else? What areas of your life are you struggling with right now?

The key to interpreting the entire chapter is every time the word “sin” is used as a noun, it refers to the [sin nature] in the believer.

Mikveh is the Jewish immersion. Baptizo is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew t’vilah, which means to totally immerse. The Hebrew word mikvah comes from the same root word as hope, and there is some word play between the two in Jeremiah 17:13: Hope of Isra’el, ADONAI! All who abandon you will be ashamed, those who leave You will be written in the dust, because they have abandoned ADONAI, the source of living water. Here mikvah is translated hope, and then described as a fountain of living water, which was the requirement for a mikvah . . . natural flowing water.

The Jewish concept of mikveh is different than the Christian observance. Christians believe in one physical baptism after salvation with no need to do it again. It’s like, “Have you been baptized? Yes, I have.” That’s it. That’s all that needs to be done. One time, and you’re covered. But in Judaism there are several mikvah’s. Lepers had a mikvah (Leviticus 14:1-4, 7 and 9), the priests had a mikvah (Leviticus 8 and 16), women have a mikvah (Leviticus 15), and couples have a mikvah before their wedding. In addition, many Jews immerse themselves before Yom Kippur, or a bar or bat mitzvah, or to mark a celebratory event like a graduation, or to signify a new start after an illness, trauma, or loss, or after having gone through a dry period in their lives and want to rededicate themselves.¹³⁹

The antagonist (6:1): As he frequently does, Paul anticipates the major objections of his critics. He knew that some readers would misinterpret his claim that the Torah came into the picture so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased more (5:20). They would foolishly accuse him of teaching that sin itself glorifies ADONAI by causing His grace to increase. If that were true, they reasoned, then they were not only free to sin, but were obligated to sin more in order to enable YHVH to expand His grace! People who thought like that merely corrupted the Good News by saying that if salvation is all about Ha’Shem and all about grace, and if God is glorified by the providing of grace, then the sinful heart may be inclined to say, “The more I sin . . . the more grace is provided! Therefore, I should sin even more!” Or as some others falsely put it, “If God delights in justifying the ungodly, as Romans 4:5 clearly states, then the doctrine of grace puts a premium on ungodliness, because it gives God more opportunity to demonstrate His grace.”

To this doctrinal error, Paul replied: What then will we say? Should we continue in sin (Greek: ta ‘amaptia) so that grace may increase (6:1)? The first thing we must settle is regarding the word sin. Does it refer here to specific acts of sin committed by the believer, or to the [sin nature] still within him? A rule of Greek syntax settles the question. The definite article (ta) appears before the word sin (‘amaptia) in the Greek text. Here, the definite article points back to a previously mentioned sin defined in its context. And that reference is sin “ruling” as a king: All this happened so that just as sin (Greek: ta ‘amaptia, meaning, sin nature) “ruled” by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord (5:21). Here, in this verse, sin is personified since it “rules” as king. Consequently, ta ‘amaptia can only refer to the [sin nature] still living in the believer. Here is the key to the interpretation of the entire chapter: every time the word sin is used as a noun, it refers to the [sin nature] in the believer. As a result, I will be using the words [sin nature] in brackets to reflect the Greek text.

But the question remains: Should we continually give-in to our [sin nature] so that grace may increase? The word continue (Greek: meno, meaning to remain) is used in the B’rit Chadashah of a person remaining in some one’s house as a guest. It has the idea of fellowship, or even dependence. It is as if Paul were saying, “Should we continue to have the same relationship with our [sin nature] that we had before we were saved? A relationship in which we were fully yielded to, and dependent on, the [sin nature] and all its evil habits?” Therefore, Paul is not talking about specific acts of sin, but the believer’s relationship to his [sin nature].¹⁴⁰

The answer (6:2): Paul now proceeds to deal with his answer to the question of the antagonist: Should we continue in sin so that grace may increase (6:1)? To which he explodes: Heaven forbid (Hebrew: chalilah, meaning that’s a contradiction, it makes no sense)! How can we, who have died to the [sin nature], still live in it (6:2)? For a believer to continually depend upon his [sin nature], and yield to it as if to revert to the same state as before God saved him, is impossible. It’s as if Paul were saying, “How is it possible for such as we, born-again children of God, to do such a thing? It is against our new life in Messiah to habitually yield to the [sin nature].” If anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new (Second Corinthians 15:17)!

We have died to the [sin nature], and death means separation. The Master Surgeon uses His Ruach to cut the believing sinner loose from his [sin nature] at the moment of salvation. From then on, the believer is justified and stands before God as being righteous (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith). The tense of the verb died in 6:2 is aorist, which speaks of a once-and-for-all past action. YHVH has already performed a spiritual operation, separating the believer from his [sin nature]. This surgical operation never needs to be repeated.

But, unfortunately, because of the frailty of mankind, the believer, at times, will yield to the [sin nature], which still resides in our bodies. But the point is . . . we don’t have to. We have a choice! We can hate sin and love righteousness! In addition to this, the Ruach takes-up permanent residence in us and aids us in our battle against our [sin nature], and to live a holy, separated life from the world (First John 2:15-16). It is as if Paul were saying, “How is it possible for such as we, believers, who have been separated once-and-for-all from our [sin nature], to live any longer in its grip.” Yeshua’s death not only frees us from the penalty of the [sin nature], but also from the power of the [sin nature].¹⁴¹

How can you win the battle of the mind? The first thing is to realize that you are in a battle. There is nothing worse than being in a battle, and not knowing that you’re in one. The nature of the battle is presented in Second Corinthians 10:3-5, “For although we live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, [we] have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that rises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah.” The weapons in this passage are different from the defensive armor described in Ephesians 6. The image present here is similar to an offensive battering ram that is designed to tear down strongholds.

No matter what you are struggling with, you don’t have to remain a victim for the rest of your life. But you have to want to renew your mind. But how? Satan is a liar, and is behind every struggle that you have. If he can get you to believe the lie, you can lose some element of control in your life. Because Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him is the truth. Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter; it is a truth encounter. That is why Yeshua said: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). Satan’s lie cannot withstand the truth any more than the darkness of night can withstand the light of the rising sun. We are not called to dispel the darkness; we are called to turn on the light.

There are three ways to win the battle of the mind:

First, prepare your mind for action by being transformed (Greek: metamorphis, meaning to be changed) by the renewing of your mind (12:2)? As the caterpillar prepares to become a butterfly, it hangs tight onto a branch as a chrysalis to begin an internal nature change. Consequently, we must hold tight onto God who gives us his Ruach Ha’Kodesh to live within us and to help us win the battle. Our responsibility to win the battle is to renew our mind by filling it with God’s Word and letting the Shalom which comes from Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, and let the Word of Messiah, in all its richness, live in you (Colossians 3:15a and 16a). As you continue to stockpile your mind with God’s truth, you will equip yourself to recognize Satan’s lies and take them captive.

Second, take every thought captive to obey the Messiah (Second Corinthians 10:5). Evaluate every thought by the truth of God’s Word. Do away with fruitless fantasy. If you tell yourself a lie long enough, you may start to think it is true. Scripture always tells us to use our minds actively, never passively, and direct our thoughts externally, never internally. Satan will seek to bypass your mind, but ADONAI works through it. Don’t even consider tempting, accusing, or lying thoughts. Don’t waste your time, energy, even your life, on negative thoughts. You now have a divine nature, and you can choose the truth, and keep choosing it until it becomes the normal pattern of your life.

Third, turn to YHVH when you are having anxious thoughts. Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). When your thoughts are challenged by the things of the world – the desires of the old [sin nature], the desires of the eyes, and pride of life (First John 2:16), bring them to God in prayer. By doing so, you are acknowledging ADONAI and exposing your thoughts to His truth. Your doublemindedness will dissolve and God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your heart and mind safe in union with Messiah Yeshua Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Messiah Yeshua (Philippians 4:7).

Keep your mind and heart focused on eternity by choosing what you meditate on, and by bringing to mind the joy and peace of life in perfect and everlasting heaven. In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy. Keep doing what you have learned and received from me, what you have heard and seen me doing; then the God who gives shalom will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).¹⁴²

Winning the battle of the mind is a sure victory when ADONAI-Tzva’ot, Commander of heaven’s angelic armies (Joshua 5:13-15; Second Kings 19:31; Psalm 24:10; Second Corinthians 6:18), is followed. Win the mind battle by preparing for battle. First, take every thought captive; second, fill your mind and heart with God’s Word; and third, keep your mind and heart focused on eternity, your citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) – bringing to mind the joy and peace of life there.

Dear Living Heavenly Father, How wise and wonderful you are! By dying as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), You not only took the death penalty for our sin but you also cleansed us like an eternal mikveh cleansing, giving us your complete and perfect righteousness.  He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21).This eternal cleansing opened the door so we can have fellowship with our Holy God. It allows those who love/trust/follow Yeshua to enter into your righteous heavenly home. Yeshua said to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

I lovingly choose to thank You with my life for your eternal mikveh which cleanses Your children. Focusing my eyes on the reward of life forever with you in heaven, makes the trials here seem so small. Sometimes on earth there is much pain and hurt, but it will be over soon and all who have undergone your cleansing will live in your holy heaven forever.  For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). You are our Awesome and Wonderful Father, Amen.

Therefore, don’t let the [sin nature] rule as king in your heart. It is a dethroned monarch. Paul personifies it as a king ruling (5:21). At the moment of your salvation, you sat the Lord Yeshua Messiah on the throne of your heart. And He stays there so long as you are yielded to the Ruach and reject the temptations of the [sin nature]. However, the Adversary is the prince of this world (Ephesians 2:2). He is your enemy, stalking around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (First Peter 5:8). Later, Paul will say: Do not let the [sin nature] rule in your mortal bodies, so that it makes you obey its desires (6:12). When you yield to the dethroned king for a long enough period of time, the [sin nature] mounts the throne and rules in Messiah’s rightful place. These are cold, hard facts; nevertheless, true to the Word of God. The point is, you don’t have to put the [sin nature] back in control. By His death, Yeshua Messiah has made it possible for you to choose between the divine nature, and the [sin nature].¹⁴³

The argument (6:3a): Paul now proceeds to show us how this choice was made possible. He says that it was brought about when YHVH immersed the believing sinner into Messiah so that he would share with the Lord’s death on the cross. Don’t you know that those of us who have been immersed into Messiah Yeshua (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5, 11:16; First Corinthians 12:13), have been immersed into His death (6:3)? The immersion here is not water immersion because water doesn’t have that much power. The death of our Lord had a two-fold effect on our sin. First, in 3:21 to 5:11 He died with reference to our acts of sin (see Ax – The Universal Solution: Justification). He paid the penalty for us which was demanded: The wages of sin is death (6:23a). And secondly, later in this chapter, Paul declares: Consider yourselves to be dead to the [sin nature] once-and-for-all (6:11). His death brought about a separation between the believing sinner and the [sin nature]. We now have a choice.

The Messianic mikveh refers to the act of God introducing a believing sinner into vital union with Messiah (so what is true of Messiah is true of the believer, minus His deity), in order that the believing sinner might have the power of his [sinful nature] broken, and the divine nature implanted through his identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah, thus changing him, and bringing him into the Kingdom of God.¹⁴⁴

The mikvah ceremony is simple yet powerful. A wonderful part of the event can be having the immersed person share a personal testimony of how they found Messiah. A mikvah can take place at any time, but many Messianic congregations observe it at two special times of the year. On the afternoon of Rosh Ha’Shanah, there is a ceremony of repentance called Tashlikh that takes place in a body of water. This is the perfect context for a Messianic mikvah. The second mikvah takes place shortly after Pesach (Passover), as believers reflect on their redemption. Appropriate scripture readings and music can also enhance this joyful time. As the people are immersed, the traditional blessings can be recited with some Messianic adaptations:

Barukh atah ADONAI, eloheynu melekh ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al ha-t’vilah. B’shem Ha’Av, Yeshua Ha’Mashiakh v’Ruakh Ha’Kodesh.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us concerning the immersion. In the name of YHVH the Father, Yeshua the Messiah, and the Ruach Ha’Kodesh.¹⁴⁵

The Messianic Mikveh
6: 1-11

Like a skillful Jewish lawyer building an airtight case, Rabbi Sha’ul has been laying out the remarkable facts of the Good News. After an extensive discussion of our sin nature and our inability to please YHVH, Paul announced the doctrine of justification, which is Ha’Shem’s one-time declaring believing sinners as righteous. Now, Paul moves to the subject of our holiness, or our sanctification, which is living in obedience to God’s Word through the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. In short, Sha’ul sets out to demonstrate the practical ramifications of salvation for those who have been justified. The mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Immersed fully, one is like the fetus in the womb, and coming up out of the water, it is as if one is born again. As Yeshua Himself said: Whoever puts his trust in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his innermost being (John 7:38). So here, Paul specifically begins a lengthy discussion on the doctrine of sanctification, or cleansing, which is the process of becoming holy in Messiah, a process in which we participate with God.

In Chapter 6, Paul is not talking about what kind of life a believer should have, but how he should live that life. Therefore, this chapter doesn’t deal with the experience or behavior. Paul deals with that in Chapters 12-16 (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI). This chapter deals with how believers can live a holy, separated life, separated from their [sin nature], and no longer compelled to obey it. It must be remembered, however, that every believer falls short of the godly standard of these verses. We are all being conformed or molded, if you will, into the likeness of Messiah (8:29). But some of us need more molding than others.

The Comparison to Adam
5: 18-21

The comparison to Adam DIG: Make a list of the comparisons between Adam and Yeshua. What surprises you? What doesn’t? From 5:1-21, what do you see that God has done for you through Yeshua Messiah? How does this help you understand the meaning of God’s grace in verses 1, 15, 17, 20 and 21? How does this chapter illustrate why “Grace and peace to you” (1:7), is especially meaningful to believers? Why was the Torah given?

REFLECT: When your “First Adam” is in conflict with your “Second Adam,” what can you do (see First John 1:9)? How is Messiah the “first fruits” of more to come? If you have been declared righteous by God at the moment of faith, why do you still sin? Does your obedience to Messiah have to be perfect? Or should it characterize your life? Why is that important to you? Are you secure in the knowledge that you are eternally saved by Messiah’s blood?

Adam lit the forest fire that devastated the entire human race; however, Messiah not only put it out, but planted a new forest, an eternal one, for all who will receive His gracious gift.

Summary conclusion: In these verses, Paul concludes his analogy between Adam and Messiah which began in 5:12. In other words, just as it was through one offence that all people came under condemnation, so also it is through one righteous act that all [believers] come to be considered righteous (5:18). Paul’s primary teaching here is that the essence of Adam’s sin was disobedience, whereas the essence of Messiah’s sacrifice was obedience. When God commanded Adam not to eat of the forbidden fruit, Adam disobeyed and brought death. When YHVH sent His one-and-only Son into the world to suffer and die, the Son obeyed and brought life.¹³⁶

Adam in Genesis is the First Adam, and Messiah is the Last Adam. The TaNaKh says: The first “Adam,” became a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving spirit (First Corinthians 15:45). Adam was created with a natural body. It was not glorified, but it was perfect and good in every way (Genesis 1:31). Adam and Eve originally were in a probationary period. Had they proved faithful rather than disobedient, their bodies would have become glorified and immortalized by eating the fruit of the tree of life, which they could have eaten (Genesis 2:9). Because they sinned, however, they were put out of the Garden lest they eat of the tree of life and live forever in a state of sin (Genesis 3:22).

The last “Adam,” however, became a life-giving spirit. The last “Adam,” is Yeshua Messiah. For just as through the disobedience (Greek: parakoe, this is one of the nine words for sin in the B’rit Chadashah) of the one man, Adam’s first act of sin, which plunged the entire human race into sin with its accompanying ruin and misery. Through the first “Adam,” we have inherited our natural, sinful bodies; however, through Messiah, we will inherit spiritual bodies in the first resurrection (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Ff – Blessed and Holy are Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection).

Adam’s was a prototype of our natural bodies, whereas Messiah’s was the prototype of our spiritual bodies. All the descendants of Adam have natural bodies, and all the descendants of Messiah will have spiritual bodies. Messiah’s resurrection, therefore, was the prototype of all subsequent resurrection.¹³⁷ Yeshua is the first fruits of more to come (see the commentary on Leviticus Ea – Resheet).

So also, through the obedience of the other man, many will be made, or declared, righteous (5:19, also see 1:17). Adam’s disobedience caused him and his descendants to be made sinners by nature and make-up. In the same way, but with the exact opposite effect, Messiah’s obedience causes those who trust in Him to be made righteous by nature and make-up.

From beginning to end, Yeshua’s earthly life was characterized by perfect obedience to His heavenly Father. Even at the age of twelve, He reminded His parents that He had to be about His Father’s business (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ba – The Boy Jesus at the Temple). Yeshua’s sole purpose on earth was to do His Father’s will (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38; Matthew 26:39 and 42). In His incarnation: He humbled Himself to becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Dear Great and Loving Heavenly Father, You are Awesome! Praise You, that You adopt as Your own children those who love and trust You. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). How comforting that those who love You, You love back and they belong to You. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God (First John 3:1a)! You live within and help and guide in all areas of the lives of those who love You.  If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17).

Praise You for cleansing those who love You by giving them the perfect righteousness of Yeshua Your Son thru His perfect life, death and resurrection. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). To have the Jewish Messiah of the world living right inside of those who love Him is fantastic! How special to have the most wonderful of friends to be right with us. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them (John 14:21 NIV). I love You Father, Yeshua Messiah, Ruach Ha’Kodesh! In the name of Yeshua and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The person who genuinely belongs to Yeshua Messiah will reflect that same spirit of obedience, because he has Messiah’s own life within him. When a person places his trust/faith/belief in Messiah, he not only is declared righteous legally, but is actually made righteous, that is, given an inward righteousness that must, and will, bear spiritual fruit. As long as a believer is in the flesh, he will have shortcomings and weaknesses of the flesh, and his righteousness will not be expressed perfectly. But if a person’s life is characterized by sin and shows no fruit of the Ruach (see the commentary on Galatians Bv – Walk by the Ruach, and Not the Desires of the Flesh), that person has no legitimate claim on Messiah. People who are made righteous by Messiah, live righteously.¹³⁸

Contrast between Torah and grace: And the Torah came into the picture so that the offence would proliferate; but where sin proliferated, grace proliferated even more (5:20). One of the reasons YHVH gave the Torah was to cause us to sin more (see the commentary on Exodus Dh – Moses and the Torah). No matter how great our sin becomes, God’s grace overflows beyond it and abundantly exceeds it. No wonder Paul wrote that God’s grace is enough for us (Second Corinthians 12:9a). The Torah has never been a means of salvation during any Dispensation. Paul has already declared that Abraham was righteous completely apart from any good works he accomplished, and several years before he was circumcised and centuries before the Torah was given by Moshe (see Be – The Sign of Justification).

All this happened so that just as sin (Greek: a ‘amaptia, meaning, sin nature) ruled by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord (5:21). Here, at the end of Chapter 5, we see our [sin nature] being personified, since it reigns as king. Thus, two realms or kingdoms are spelled out. No middle ground is given. This prepares us for our look at Chapter six, and how we, as believers, can live a holy separated life, disengaged from our [sin nature], no longer compelled to obey it.

The Contrast to Adam
5: 15-17

The contrast to Adam DIG: What is the first contrast? What does Paul mean when he says, “The free gift is not like the offense?” What is the second contrast? What two practical truths does Paul teach us there? What is the third contrast? What is the desired result?

REFLECT: Victory over sin doesn’t mean that we never sin again. It means that now we have a choice not to sin? How have your choices been lately? Make a list of the contrasts between Adam and Yeshua. What surprises you? What doesn’t? How are you living to the fullest?

In Adam, all eternally die; so also in Messiah, all shall eternally live.

Paul continues his analogy of Adam and Messiah, showing how the life that was made possible for all mankind by Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice is contrasted by the death that was made inevitable for all mankind by Adam’s sin. It is the truth that the apostle summarized: For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all shall be made alive (First Corinthians 15:22). Just as one man’s disobedience brought sin to all mankind, so the one man, Yeshua Messiah’s act of obedience to the Father, made salvation available to all mankind.

Contrast between the offense and the free gift: The first contrast is clearly stated as being between the free gift of Messiah and the offense (Greek: paraptoma, meaning false step) of Adam. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if, because of the one man’s offense, many died physically and spiritually. By eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam took a false step and fell headlong into sin. And instead of becoming more like God, as the Adversary had promised (Genesis 3:5), mankind became alienated from his Creator, and distant from Him. Instead of bringing mankind into the kingdom of God, Adam’s false step delivered him and all his descendants to the kingdom of Satan.

The heart of Paul’s comparison, however, is the Messiah’s one act of salvation had immeasurably greater impact than Adam’s one act of damnation. Then how much more has God’s grace, that is, the gracious gift of eternal life by the one man, Yeshua the Messiah, overflowed to many (5:15)! Condemnation through Adam is inescapable. But alongside condemnation, or judgment, there is God’s grace, which not only has the power to cancel the effects of Adam’s false step, but to create, positively, life and peace.¹³² Messiah not only reversed the curse of death by forgiving and cleansing from sin, but provided the way for redeemed mankind to share in the full righteousness and glory of ADONAI. God’s grace is greater than the sin of mankind. Not only is it greater than the one original sin of Adam that brought death to all mankind, but it is greater than all the accumulated sins that mankind has ever, or ever will, commit.

Yeshua Messiah broke the power of sin and death, but the opposite is not true. Sin and death cannot break the power of Yeshua Messiah. The punishment of Adam’s sin is reversible, but the redemption of Yeshua Messiah is not. The effect of Adam’s act is permanent if not reversed by Messiah. The effect of Messiah’s one act on the cross, however, is permanent for those who believe, and not subject to reversal. We have the great assurance that once we are in Messiah (Ephesians 1:1-23), we are in Him forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).¹³³

Contrast between condemnation and justification: The second contrast between the one act of Adam and the one act of Messiah is in regard to extent. In that regard, Messiah’s justification is greater than Adam’s condemnation. No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man’s sinning; for from one sinner came judgment that brought condemnation; but the free gift came after many offenses and brought acquittal, not merely restoration, but justification (5:16). That one single sin should be answered in judgment is perfectly understandable, but that the accumulated sins and guilt of all mankind for all the ages should be answered by God’s free gift is the miracle of miracles, utterly beyond our understanding.¹³⁴

Dear wise and Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for in your Almighty wisdom and power, by offering Yeshua as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) as our sin offering, You not only took away the condemnation that our sin brought – but You also opened the door to reconciliation with You. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Wow! Not only did You take our punishment; but You also gave Your righteousness to those who love You so they can have fellowship with You. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them (John 14:23 NIV).

I am so grateful for Your great love that You offer to all who will choose to love and follow You. I want to live my life to please and to praise You. I offer up to You my heart full of love. Your love for me is totally secure and nothing can separate me from Your love. Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . .  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8: 35, 37-39). Also secure is my love for You. Neither troubles nor pandemics will be able to cause me to take my eyes off of how wonderful You are! When problems come, I will focus on eternity and the joy of living with You forever in heaven. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Though trials may seem to last a long time, they are but a blink of an eye compared to the eternal joy of living forever with You in my future home in heaven (John 14:1-3). I delight in worshiping and praising You! In Your holy son Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

This verse contains two very practical truths that are closely related. The first is that YHVH hates sin so much that it took only one sin to condemn the entire human race and separate them from Him. It was not that Adam’s first sin was worse than all the others he committed or worse than others have committed since. It was simply that his first sin was sin. At the time, eating the forbidden fruit was the only sin Adam and Eve could have committed, because Ha’Shem had placed but one restriction on them. But had it been possible, any other sin would have had the same effect. In the same way, any sin that any person has ever committed would be sufficient to damn the whole human race, just as Adam’s one sin did.

The other truth is that it is more amazing and inconceivable, and is as uplifting as the first is sobering. Greater even than God’s hatred of sin is His love for the sinner. Despite the fact that YHVH hates sin so much that any one sin could damn the entire human race, His loving grace toward mankind is so great that He provides, not only for the redemption of one person for one sin, but for the redemption of all mankind for all sins. Messiah took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. God was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them (Second Corinthians 5:19 NASB).¹³⁵

Contrast between life and death: The third contrast between the one act of Adam and the one act of Messiah is in regard to efficacy, or producing the desired result. For if, because of the offense of one man, death ruled through that one man; how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah (Romans 5:17; Genesis 2:17, 3:6 and 19)! It has been established that Adam’s one act of sin brought condemnation to the entire human race. But that was hardly the intent of sin. Neither Adam or Eve sinned because they wanted to die. They sinned because they expected to become like God (Genesis 3:5). Their sin produced the very opposite result from which they desired. As noted above, instead of becoming more like God, they became more unlike Him.

The one act of the one man, Yeshua Messiah, however, provided the desired result. The one-dimensional result of Adam’s one act was death because the wages of sin is death (6:23). Whereas the result of Messiah’s one act is life, which is multidimensional. Yeshua not only offers life, but abundant life: The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; but I have come so they may have life, life in its fullest measure (John 10:10). Believers not only receive life in its fullest measure, but are justified, being considered righteous as a gift, “God made this sinless Man to be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with Him we might fully share in God’s righteousness” (Second Corinthians 5:21).

To rule in life through Messiah is also to have power over sin. Later in Romans, Paul will say: By God’s grace, you, who were once slaves to sin, obeyed from your heart the pattern of teaching to which you were exposed; and after you had been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness (6:17-18). As believers, we know from experience, as well as from Scripture, that we are still infected with the disease of sin, and still clothed in the sinful rags of our old nature (Ephesians 4:22). But sin is no longer our master. In Messiah, we are no longer victims of sin, but victors over sin. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua Messiah (First Corinthians 15:57).