How to Have Victory Over Sin:

A Study of Romans 6:1-22 and 8:1-14

Copyright 2000
Printed October 2020

Published by Indian Hills Community Church

Systematically Teaching the Word
1000 South 84th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510-4499

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
or reviews.

Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Lockman Foundation 1960,
1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. All quotations are used by permission.

Based on the following messages: GRM 648 and 649

Web Site: www.ihcc.org

E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: (402) 483-4541
 How to Have Victory Over Sin
How does a person deal with sin in his or her life? This is an impor-
tant question and one in which there is much confusion in the Church
of Jesus Christ. That is why, in this booklet, I want to examine what the
Bible has to say about how to deal with sin.
Any discussion that centers on dealing with sin must take us to the
biblical issue of sanctification. This five-syllable word may seem in-
timidating, but it does not need not be. It is a word used several times
in Scripture. Clearly, its meaning is something that God wants us to
understand. So what does sanctification mean? The word, “sanctify”
means “to be holy” and comes from a word that means “to be set apart.”
The issue of sanctification, then, deals with how Christians can separate
themselves from sin and live lives that are pleasing to God. In essence,
this issue involves how Christians can live godly lives.
Unfortunately, though, the Church has all but abandoned the doc-
trine of sanctification. In fact, I am convinced that many of the prob-
lems in the Church today are directly linked to its failure to understand
and properly implement what the Bible teaches about sanctification. The
Church has not come right out and said, “We no longer believe in the
biblical doctrine of sanctification.” It has, though, abandoned the doc-
trine by ignoring it and substituting it with other approaches for dealing
with sinful behavior. These approaches, however, are not scriptural. In
fact, they often contradict the Word of God.

Behavioral Psychology
The use of behavioral psychology among Christians is one example
of how the world’s thinking has infiltrated the Church. Put simply, the
Church has adopted the world’s ways of dealing with sinful behavior.
The world sees man’s problems as stemming from his environment and

1
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

not from his sin nature. The world presents men and women as victims
instead of individuals who are responsible for their actions. The world
tells us that in order to help people, there needs to be multiple counsel-
ing sessions between a professional counselor and a patient. That is the
pattern the world sets forth because it thinks that talking about a prob-
lem will make it go away. This thinking of the world has now become
the thinking of the Church. Instead of offering real spiritual solutions to
man’s problems, the Church is now offering the same stuff that the world
has been offering for years. By integrating psychology into the Church,
however, the Church has subtly denied the Gospel and its power to set
people free from sin.

Demon Possession
The current fascination in the Church with demons has also under-
mined the biblical doctrine of sanctification. The Bible tells us that men
sin because they are sinners who have depraved hearts (see Mark 7:20-
23). Thus, whenever a person sins it is not due to some external influ-
ence such as demons. Christians today, though, are being told that sinful
activity is often the result of indwelling demons. People are being taught
that the influence of demons may, in fact, become so strong that a Chris-
tian cannot help but commit evil acts. As a result of this teaching, many
Christians are buying books and rushing off to spiritual warfare confer-
ences to learn how to deal with the demons that are supposedly causing
them to sin. This approach, too, is a denial of the power of the Gospel.
As God’s people, we cannot be conformed to the thinking of the
world. We must be transformed (Rom. 12:1-2). God’s people need to get
back to what the Bible says about sanctification. To do this I believe we
must go to the truths found in Romans 6 and 8.

Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification

As mentioned earlier, the subject of dealing with sin must include a
discussion of the issue of sanctification. What Romans 6 and 8 has to say
about this subject is particularly important. But before looking at these
key chapters, I want to make some comments concerning sanctification
and other areas related to God’s salvation plan.

2
 Gil Rugh

Theologians often refer to three aspects of salvation. In addition to

sanctification there are also justification and glorification. Justification
refers to the act by which God declares a believing sinner to be righ-
teous. When a person believes the Gospel, God immediately declares
that person to be legally righteous in His sight. This declaration of righ-
teousness is based not on inherent righteousness of the believing sinner
but on the righteousness which God imputes or credits to the believer
based on the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. It is important to note
that justification is a once for all declaration by God. Though its results
continue on, it is a single action that is non-repeatable. The concept of
justification can be found in Romans 3:24, 28; 5:1, 9.
Glorification refers to the transformation of the body that will take
place when Jesus Christ returns again for His own people (see Romans
8:17, 30). According to Philippians 3:20-21, when Jesus comes again, He
will “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the
body of His glory.” At the return of Jesus, those who are believers will
receive glorious bodies that will never again experience death or decay.
The salvation package of God, therefore, contains three aspects.
When a person believes in Christ he is declared righteous by God (jus-
tification). The believer then begins a process of becoming more and
more like Jesus Christ in his actions and attitudes (sanctification). Fi-
nally, when Jesus comes again, He is given a transformed, perfected
body (glorification).

Does the Bible Teach Two-step Sanctification?

I would also like to make one more point before we actually look at
what God says about sanctification in Romans 6 and 8. Contrary to what
some Bible teachers have claimed, there is an inseparable relationship
between justification and sanctification. Those who are justified by God
are immediately put on the road to sanctification. There is no gap of time
separating these two concepts. Some have mistakenly taught that a per-
son can be justified but that his sanctification may not begin until some
later point. This view is often referred to as “two-step sanctification.”
This erroneous belief has often led to the unbiblical view that a person
can be saved but still live according to the flesh. The Bible, however,
does not teach this concept. It knows of no such thing as people who

3
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

have experienced justification but who have not also been placed in the
process of sanctification. The two elements go together. When a person
is declared righteous by God he is automatically put on the road to sanc-
tification. These two concepts are distinct but are necessarily related.

The Bible knows of no such thing as people who

have experienced justification but who have not
also been placed in the process of sanctification.

Romans 6
We now come to our study of the great chapter on sanctification—
Romans 6. This is a chapter that deals directly with living our lives for
God. After showing that all men are sinners (chapters 1-3) and that sal-
vation is solely by God’s grace through faith (chapters 4-5), the Apostle
Paul, in chapter 6, addresses how Christians are to deal with personal
sin. In this chapter we find out that those who have been forgiven of
their sins and justified by faith are now set apart from sin and are free
to serve God.
6:1
Romans 6:1 states, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue
in sin so that grace may increase?” The question that first must be ad-
dressed is the relationship between sin and grace. Does the presence of
God’s wonderful grace in our lives mean that we are now free to sin?
The answer to this question comes in 6:2. But first we must understand
the context of this question.
Paul’s inquiry at this point comes on the heels of what he has just ex-
plained at the end of chapter 5. In that chapter he declared that all people
were in bondage to sin, but, in Christ, righteousness had been provided
for all sinful beings. In 5:20 Paul wrote, “The Law came in so that the
transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded

4
 Gil Rugh

all the more.” What is Paul saying here? He is saying that the Mosaic
Law functioned as a magnifier of sin. In itself the Law was not sinful,
but it did show very clearly that men were violators of God’s holy stan-
dard. The more commandments that God gave, the more men rebelled
and showed themselves to be sinners. In spite of this, however, even
when sin increased, God’s grace “abounded all the more.” No matter
how sinful men are, God’s grace is shown to be sufficient for repentant
sinners.
The grace of God is a marvelous thing. It is even greater than our
sin. But Paul realized that some individuals might take this wonderful
truth and try to pervert it. He knew that some might say, “Well, if sin
magnifies God’s grace, then sin must not really be that bad. In fact, let’s
sin even more so that God’s grace can be displayed.” He knew that some
people might say, “I’m immoral, I’m a liar, I’m a thief. But God forgives
me. I can sin all I want.” Paul challenges this type of thinking: “Are we
to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” The answer is a strong
one, as will be seen in the following verse.
6:2a
“May it never be!” This phrase, “May it never be!” is very strong. In
fact, in Paul’s day this was the most emphatic use of terms that could be
used to deny something. The King James Version translates this phrase,
“God forbid.” This shows the force of Paul’s denial. To Paul, the idea of
sinning to make God’s grace evident was repulsive and inconceivable.
6:2b
Paul then says, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” This
rhetorical question is foundational to the argument he will be making
throughout the rest of the chapter: How can a person who has died to sin
continue to still live in sin? The answer is that he cannot. It is no more
possible for a Christian to live a life of habitual sin than it is for a person
who has died physically to continue to engage in physical activity. If a
person has died to sin because of his relationship with Christ, he cannot
still live in sin as the pattern of his life.

5
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

6:3
In verse three Paul continues his point, “Or do you not know that
all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized
into His death?” The reason true believers cannot continue to live in
sin is because of their intimate relationship with Christ. The baptism
Paul is referring to in this verse is not water baptism— it is Holy Spirit
baptism. The main idea associated with baptism is identification. At sal-
vation the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into a union with Christ. They
become partakers in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Because of
this baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit all believers are now identified
with Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:13).
6:4
This reality of Spirit baptism must influence the way Christians live,
as Paul demonstrates in verse 4: “Therefore we have been buried with
Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness
of life.” As will become very evident in this study, death is a primary
subject in Romans 6. In fact, every verse from two through thirteen uses
some form of the word “death.” We could say, then, that “death” is at the
heart of the biblical doctrine of sanctification. It is at the center of under-
standing how we, as children of God, can live free from the bondage and
power of sin. Death to sin is not simply to be an end without a goal. The
purpose of our baptism into Christ’s death was so that we might share in
His resurrection life. This is accomplished through the glory and power
of the Father. It was the Father’s power that raised Christ from the dead.
It is also the Father’s power that is at work in the lives of those who have
placed their faith in Jesus Christ. His power causes Christians to “walk
in newness of life.” The term, “walk,” refers to the pattern or character-
istic of a life. Paul is saying that our old way of living is gone. If a person
has died with Christ he has received a new life, and he will inevitably
display habits and behavior that are in accord with this new life.

6
 Gil Rugh

How can a person who has died to sin continue

to still live in sin? The answer is that he cannot.

6:5-8
Paul goes on to state:
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, know-
ing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our
body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be
slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.
The word “united” in verse five denotes a personal, intimate connec-
tion. This uniting with Christ in His death and resurrection applies to
every believer. No one has received salvation from Jesus Christ who has
not also received new life from Him as well. In other words, God does
not leave people dead if they have trusted in Christ. If they died with
Christ they are also raised in the likeness of His resurrection.
Verse 6 states that, our “old self was crucified with Him.” The “old
self” literally reads “old man.” Some translations of the Bible even say,
“old man.” What is the “old self” or “old man”? The “old self” is every-
thing we were in Adam. This “old self” is our old nature, committed to
and enslaved by sinful tendencies. But the “old self” was crucified with
Christ. As believers we are so united with Christ that when He died, we
died. When Jesus died He was paying the penalty for our sins. As 1 Pe-
ter 2:24 states, “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Second Corinthi-
ans 5:21 states that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” By
His death Christ paid the penalty for our sin; by our death with Him, we
have been set free from the control of our old nature.
So the “old self” was crucified with Christ. Notice the result of this:
“in order that our body of sin might be done away with.” What is “our

7
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

body of sin?” The “body of sin” is a reference to our physical bodies as

they are dominated and controlled by sin. Obviously, our physical bod-
ies did not cease to exist when we trusted Jesus Christ. But sin, as the
ruler of our bodies, was rendered powerless when we became united
with Christ. This does not mean that sin was annihilated or that it ceased
to exist. But its power over us was broken. We no longer have to use our
bodies as instruments for unrighteousness (see 6:13).
The Greek word for “done away with” is katargeo. This word means
“to make ineffective or powerless.” This word is used in Hebrews 2:14
to describe the devil: “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and
blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death
He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil” (emphasis mine). Because of the work of Christ, the devil was
rendered powerless. This does not mean that the devil ceased to exist or
that he has been removed totally. What it does mean is that his power
and authority in the life of the believer has been broken. His hold over
believers has ended because Christ has set believers free from the bond-
age of Satan.
As Romans 6 indicates, the power that sin had over our bodies, to
rule and direct us, is now broken. It is not annihilated but its authority
over us is forever gone. Galatians 5:24 teaches this as well: “Now those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires.” The “flesh” in this verse is synonymous with the “old man”
mentioned in Romans 6:6.
Galatians 6:14 reads, “But may it never be that I would boast, except
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world.” Note how completely Jesus Christ’s
death on the cross and His resurrection to new life has dealt with the
effects of sin for those who believe in Him. Sin is no longer master. The
devil is taken care of. The power of the world is broken. All of these
things are accomplished for the believer who is identified with Jesus
Christ. The last part of Romans 6:6 states, “So that we would no longer
be slaves to sin.” This is a tremendous and exciting truth. Christians are
set free from the power and dominion of sin. We no longer are bound to
serve sin.

8
 Gil Rugh

Sin is no longer master. The devil is taken care of.

The power of the world is broken. All of these
things are accomplished for the believer who is
identified with Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:7 reads, “for he who has died is freed from sin.” This is
put in a beautiful way. The Greek word translated here as “freed” is a
word that is usually translated as “justified.” Literally it reads, “He who
has died is justified from sin.” The picture here is that of a courtroom
scene. We are standing before a holy God and the penalty for our sin
is eternal death. But we have died with Christ, and in Christ He has
declared us righteous. God therefore pronounces us not guilty. We have
been set free. Why? Our penalty has been paid in full by Jesus Christ
who is our righteousness.
As I analyze these great truths of Scripture I become alarmed at
what is happening in the Church of Jesus Christ. Today we have many
people in the Church who claim to be saved but are controlled by sin.
Christians today are saying that they are enslaved to sin because of how
they were raised or because of some indwelling demons. But in claim-
ing these things they have denied the very Gospel of Jesus Christ. They
have denied that identification with Christ results in being raised to
newness of life. There are only two possibilities open to us: If a person
has believed in Jesus Christ, he has been set free from the power of sin.
Conversely, if a person is controlled and dominated by sin, then he must
not have been set free by Christ. We need to leave the issue as black and
white as Romans 6 does. I am not saying that believers never sin or that
they never struggle with sin. At times we still find sin alluring and ap-
pealing. And occasionally we do indeed sin. But since the power of sin
has been broken in the life of the one who has believed, there must be a
changed life. The point of Romans 6 is that we never have to sin. If we
do sin, it is not because we could not help ourselves. It is because we
have willingly chosen to do so.

9
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

When we sin we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is a lib-

erating truth. There are many things about us that we cannot control. I
cannot, for example, do anything about the way my parents raised me.
But if what happened to me in the past determines how I act now, then I
am a helpless victim who cannot control my actions. But the issue of sin
is something we now have control over. In Christ we can say “no” to sin.
The solution to sin is believing in Jesus Christ. When you do this
you become identified with Him and the stranglehold of sin is broken.
Now the battle with sin will go on, but anytime you are faced with the
temptation to sin, the reality of the matter is that you do not have to sub-
mit. It is an exercise of your will.

Does God have Different Plans for Different Sins?

In the world it is common for specific sins to be treated in
a special way. Notice in Romans 6, though, that there are no
instructions for dealing with special or specific sins. There are
no special instructions for dealing with homosexuality, buli-
mia, or drunkenness. God does not say, “This is how I want
the homosexuals to deal with sin.” Or, “Here is the special
plan for dealing with drunkenness.” The answer is the same
for all sinners—die to sin. If someone claims they are a ho-
mosexual, what is the answer? Die to sin. What if someone is
immoral? Die to sin. What if a person has trouble with steal-
ing? Die to sin. Identification with Christ takes care of the sin
issue. This truth is both beautiful and liberating. In spite of
what the world is telling us, Christians do not have to search
for “experts” to help them deal with certain kinds of sins.

Too often we have people in the Church who are living in habitual
sin, but we do not give them the right solution to their problems. We get
them signed up for multiple, drawn-out counseling sessions. But that
is not the true answer. Instead of taking them to a psychologist and the

10
 Gil Rugh

empty philosophies of the world, we should take them to the cross (see
Colossians 2:8-10). When the person trusts in Jesus Christ, God will nail
the old man to the cross. He will bury the old man and raise up a new
person. That is why Christians do not need to delve into their past. Our
past life is left behind at the cross. There is no need to go rummaging
around in the garbage cans of the past. We can leave all of that behind.
As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have
come.”
6:9-10
In this next section, Paul is talking about Christ’s life on earth and
His dealing with sin.
“Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never
to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He
died, he died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to
God.”
Christ died for our sins. The penalty for sin is death and Christ paid
that penalty. Christ came under the authority of death when He bore the
penalty for our sins. But now that He has been raised, He will never die
again. There was one death and one resurrection. That dealt with all sin
for time and eternity. When we became identified with Christ through
faith, our sins were also dealt with for time and eternity. If you have be-
lieved in Christ you have been permanently set free. This does not mean
that sin does not have its allurements or attractions, even to the believer.
Hebrews 11:25 states that Moses chose not to enjoy what are called “the
passing pleasures of sin” (emphasis mine). Sin is enticing and, even for
a time, pleasurable. But it is not an overpowering force to the believer.
When you decide to sin, it can only be concluded that it was your own
willful choice.
How do we practically apply Romans 6 to our lives? When the
temptation to sin arises, we must remind ourselves that the authority
of sin has been broken in our lives. Because of our identification with
Jesus Christ we do not have to respond to those temptations. We need
to tell ourselves that we are dead to sin and walk away from it. When

11
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

we choose to give in to the temptation we rebel against God. In essence

we are saying, “God I know I am free from the power of sin, but I have
chosen to rebel against you with this particular sin.” We are not victims.
We cannot say, “I just could not help it. I had no control.”
6:11
Paul continues, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus.” We are to face sin with this formula: We
have died to sin; we are dead to sin—now we are alive to God in Christ
Jesus.
6:12
The fact of the matter having been stated, the application now comes
in the form of a command: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal
body so that you obey its lusts.” This is given as a strong directive, with
a personal responsibility implied here. According to Paul, if sin reigns in
a believer’s life it is because he allows it. It is not because the power of
sin is so uncontrollable that he can do nothing about it. Sin can only use
our bodies if we give it our permission. But Paul says that this permis-
sion is something we should not grant.
6:13
“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 righteous-
ness to God.” As unbelievers, all we did was use our bodies for sinful
purposes. We used our lips to lie, our hands to steal, our bodies for im-
morality. Simply put, we used our physical members as instruments for
unrighteousness. Now that we are saved, though, we do not live that way
any longer. From now on we are to present ourselves to God as those
alive from the dead (see Romans 12:1).
6:14
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but
under grace.” The Mosaic Law had the ability to reveal sin, but it did
not have the power to enable anyone to live a holy life. It exposed man
as a sinner, but was unable to free him from his sin. But now Christians

12
 Gil Rugh

are no longer under the Law because we are under grace. In grace, God
took us to the cross with Christ and nailed us there. He then buried our
wretched selves and raised us up as new people. He now empowers us to
live for Him. We are totally different. A changed nature is the solution
for sin.

In grace, God took us to the cross with Christ

and nailed us there. He then buried our wretched
selves and raised us up as new people. He now
empowers us to live for Him. . . . A changed
nature is the solution for sin.

We should not be surprised that the people of the world are domi-
nated by sin—that is the mark of unbelief. The solution, though, is not
to try and clean up the world, as if the real problem was environmental
rather than spiritual. In fact, if we were to take an individual lost in his
sin out of a negative environment and transfer him to a positive one, he
would still be just as lost in his sin. The only solution is the power of
God, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:16). Why? Be-
cause, through the Gospel, God takes the sinful person and nails him to
the cross. The believer has died with Christ and in this action (or identi-
fication) the power of sin and Satan has been broken. When we tell the
people of this world to live good and righteous lives apart from the Gos-
pel, we are telling them to do what God says they cannot do. Instead, we
must tell them that apart from the Gospel they are lost and on their way
to hell. They are enslaved to sin and without hope unless they believe in
Christ. Only in Christ are they free to do what is righteous.

13
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

Taking Responsibility for Sin

I once read a magazine article called, “Help For Sexually Ad-

dicted Clergy.” In it the author described sexual addiction as “a
sickness involving any type of uncontrollable sexual activity.” Note
that in this article sexual addiction is described as a “sickness.” It
is not considered a sin. Why is this important? It is important be-
cause a “sickness” is something that people have no control over
while “sin” implies responsibility and accountability. When I get
the flu, for example, the members of the Board of Elders at Indian
Hills Community Church do not place me under church discipline.
Why not? I am not responsible for getting the flu. We usually are
not held responsible for things we have no control over. When “un-
controllable sexual activity” is deemed a sickness instead of sin it
is implied that the person has no control over his behavior. He is a
victim. This thinking, however, goes contrary to Scripture, which
tells us that we are responsible for all of our actions.
The author of this article went on to state that there are cer-
tain “building-block behaviors” that contribute to sexual addiction,
such as sexual fantasy, pornography, and other things that can cre-
ate a vicious cycle and trap the addict. These insights, though, are
not profound at all. If a person does not think on pure things and
allows himself to be caught up in immoral thoughts, he will inevi-
tably become consumed by lustful thoughts, and will most likely
end up committing immoral acts. As Galatians 6:8 states, “For the
one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.”
This writer of the article, who has a doctorate in religion, states
that sexual addiction has existed since the beginning of history, but
that “it has been misnamed, mistreated, ignored, or completely un-
diagnosed.” He believes that most sexual addicts have been abused
and are responding to their abuse with destructive activities. To
escape the shame that accompanies their immoral behavior, addicts
attempt to escape the realization that their behavior is bad or harm-
ful. The author then proposes a twelve-step process for recovery.

14
 Gil Rugh

Does the Church need books and articles like the one on page 14 to
help Christians deal with immoral behavior? If we believe the Bible the
answer must be no. These kinds of books are destroying the Church’s
concept and understanding of sin. Of course sin is addictive. The Bible
says the unbeliever is enslaved to sin. Any sin is addictive from the
standpoint that it has the potential to control and dominate a person.
Several years ago the former mayor of Washington, D.C. admitted that
he was addicted to sex and drugs. He said his addiction was something
he could not control. He served some jail time but after he was released
he was promptly voted into another term in office. After all, he was
viewed not as a responsible sinner, but as one suffering from a “sick-
ness” beyond his control. It should not be a surprise to see where the
world stands on these issues. The real tragedy, however, is that the world
has greatly influenced the Church’s thinking on this issue.
I believe that the Church is on the verge of totally discarding the
Bible on the issue of sanctification. If the Word of God does not provide
the solution for dealing with sin, it is a totally worthless book. From
Genesis through Revelation, the Bible claims to be sufficient for dealing
with the issue of sin. But now we are being told that it is neither adequate
nor sufficient.
In today’s church, the Bible has been relegated to a supporting po-
sition. It has not been completely discarded, but it is not the primary
source to which people look. If present trends continue, it will not be too
long before the Church will try to operate without the Bible altogether.

6:15
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under
grace? May it never be!” Once again we are told in clear language that
believers are no longer under the Mosaic Law. This truth, though, brings
up an interesting question: Does this freedom from the Law now mean
that we are free to do whatever we want? The response Paul gives is
strong—“May it never be!” The very thought is repulsive. No matter
how it is presented, any talk about a Christian being free to sin because
he is no longer under the Mosaic Law is repulsive. The idea that grace
encourages us to sin is abhorrent.

15
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

Sin and God are mutually exclusive masters.

We cannot be the slave of both.

6:16
“Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as
slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of
sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” As
Jesus said in Matthew 6:24a, “No one can serve two masters.” When a
person has a master, he is under the total control of his master. And, in
a real sense, the master we obey shows whose slave we are. We cannot
say, “I’ll serve one master part of the time and another master the rest
of the time.” It does not work that way: “For either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other”
(Matthew 6:24b). The same principle holds true in the spiritual realm.
If a person is a slave of sin, he will serve sin. If he is a slave of God, he
will serve God. Sin and God are mutually exclusive masters. We cannot
be the slave of both.
The Bible tells us that those who are enslaved to sin are on the way
to death. In Romans 6:23 Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death.”
James 1:15 states, “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin;
and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” Death includes
three elements: (1) spiritual death, which is the alienation from God ex-
perienced by an unbeliever; (2) physical death; and (3) eternal death,
which is final separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
Sin and death go together. They entered the world through Adam
(see Rom. 5:12). The moment Adam rebelled against God and ate of
the tree, the process of death set in. When Adam disobeyed God, he
died spiritually and the process of physical death began. Apart from the
intervention of God, he was also on his way to an eternal death in the
Lake of Fire.

16
 Gil Rugh

Slave of Sin or Slave of Obedience?

There are only two categories of people, and every person
falls into one of these two categories. Every person is either a
slave of sin resulting in death, or a slave of obedience result-
ing in righteousness. Regarding the latter designation, one might
have thought that Paul would have said, “You are a slave of God
resulting in eternal life.” But Paul wanted to draw our attention
to the basic issue he has been focusing on in chapter 6—our con-
duct. What we do is either sinful or it is righteous. We are either
serving sin and thus rebelling against God, or we are serving
obedience which produces righteousness in the life. Thus Paul
inseparably identifies true believers with obedience, because the
one who serves sin is in rebellion against God. Sin is a transgres-
sion against God’s law, and so it is rebellion against Him. Those
who are the children of God are slaves to obedience.
The obedience resulting in righteousness begins at the mo-
ment of salvation. We obey God by believing the Gospel. We
believe that we are sinners and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
died to pay the penalty for our sins. But that is not the end. In
fact, it is only the beginning. We are set free at that point from
slavery to sin, and we become a slave of obedience. It is not pos-
sible to say, “Oh, I have believed in God—now I can go on and
live in rebellion against Him.” Or, “I have believed God, but I’m
still a slave to sin.” A saved person has become a slave of righ-
teousness. His life, then, must be characterized by obeying God
and living under His authority.

6:17-18
“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you be-
came obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.” Notice the contrast, you were slaves of sin but now you

17
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

are slaves of righteousness. There is no such thing as a person who has

been set free from sin so that he can now follow sin as he pleases. We are
set free from sin so that we can serve the living God and do righteous-
ness. That is very encouraging. It does not leave us in limbo concerning
what we should do. This does not leave us on the edge wondering if we
might fall back into continual sin. We have been set free from the power
of sin. “But thanks be to God!” Paul says. This is God’s work alone. No
credit is given to man.

The “Decision” Mentality

Part of our problem in the Church today is that we present
a gospel that is flawed and unbiblical. We present the Gospel as
though God were hanging on the edge of His seat just hoping that
we would give Him a chance. Today we give people the idea that all
they have to do is make a “decision” for Christ. Terminology such
as this indicates to some that they are in control from the begin-
ning. Scripture, however, presents the fact that a person must be
beaten down with the reality of his sin. He is in despair and must
cast himself upon the mercy and grace of God for deliverance from
his sin. Salvation involves a radical submission to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ. I fear that many today have made a “decision” but
they have not recognized the reality of their sin and the need for
God’s grace and mercy in their lives.
People may claim to be saved, but are their lives characterized
by obedience to the Word of God? Are their lives characterized by
righteousness? Is there evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in
them? If these indications are not present, then you can put their
“decision” right next to being baptized as an infant. It means noth-
ing and has no more ability to save than does infant baptism.
The salvation the Bible talks about transforms lives. It kills the
old man. It produces new life. It makes the believer a slave of righ-
teousness. You were slaves of sin but you became obedient from
the heart. On the inside you were changed by the work of the Spirit
of God.

18
 Gil Rugh

As verse 18 has stated, believers become slaves of righteousness by

“having been freed from sin.” How are we freed from sin? By obeying
the Gospel. Is the act of obedience a human work? No—it is a free gift
from God. But that free gift is not experienced in the life until a person
obeys the Gospel by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior. Behind all of
this is the work of the Holy Spirit which is discussed more fully in Ro-
mans 8.
The fact that Christians are freed from sin should be fixed in our
minds. This truth is simple and clear and leaves no room for excuses.
Anyone who says he is a believer but says he cannot do anything about
his sinful conduct is deluding himself—he is an unbeliever. When an
unbeliever says he is controlled by sin he is telling the truth since he
cannot do anything about his sin. But for the true Christian that is not
the case. The Gospel has set him free from the power of sin.

Should We Try to Reform Society?

Too often, the Evangelical Church of today is caught up in
trying to change society through political and social means. But
true transformation only takes place through the Gospel. That is
why trying to reform society by means other than the Gospel is
so futile. It is a waste of time to try to clean up the lives of unbe-
lievers. What they really need is the Gospel, not some personal
or social reform.

I see many Christians today who get upset over the actions of politi-
cal leaders who are immoral, or with politicians who are pushing legis-
lation making homosexuality more acceptable. I do not deny that these
things are awful. But that, however, is not the real tragedy of our society.
The real tragedy is that men have rejected the living God. They are con-
sumed by their sin—and given the opportunity they will immerse them-
selves in sin. What do we need to do? Do we need to convince them of
how terrible homosexuality or abortion is? No. Even if we successfully
convince them in those areas, it will not change the fact that they are still
headed to hell. What we need to do is present them with the power of

19
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

God. It is the Gospel that changes lives. True reform occurs when people
are changed from the inside by the power of God. When people are freed
from sin and have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within
them, only then will they evidence true righteousness in their lives. That
is why we must preach the Gospel, and not political and social reform.
6:19
Verse 19 states, “I am speaking in human terms because of the
weakness of your flesh.” Put simply, Paul is using human analogies be-
cause we need help in understanding these truths. “For just as you pre-
sented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, result-
ing in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to
righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Notice the contrast between
“just as you presented” and “so now present.” It is a contrast between
the past and the present. We were slaves to sin but now we are slaves
to righteousness. The unbeliever is powerless. He is bound to all types
of impurity and lawlessness. We should not be surprised when he acts
sinfully.
There is a cycle of deterioration with sin. This is evident from the
example of our society. As people turn their bodies over to sin, the re-
sult is more and more lawlessness and more open displays of rejection
of God and His authority. Sin is their lord and master—they serve it
with one-hundred percent of their being. We, as believers, should not be
shocked with what we are seeing in our society.
6:20
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righ-
teousness.” This verse describes our lives before we were saved. When
we were enslaved to sin we were free from the things of righteousness.
We never did anything that was truly righteous in God’s sight. Being a
slave of sin meant that we were not even able to do anything righteous.
We often forget how awful our sin really is. We act like something
unusual has happened when people go on television and parade their sin.
We say, “How can they do this?” But we should not expect fallen, sinful
beings to do anything but sin.

20
 Gil Rugh

6:21
“Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of
which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.”
The ultimate end of sin is eternal death in the Lake of Fire. This eternal
death is contrasted with the “eternal life” that is spoken of next in verse
22.
6:22
“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you
derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal
life.” Praise God! That is the process. His salvation provides His righ-
teousness. It provides deliverance and forgiveness. It provides new life
and freedom from the domination of sin. We need to be preaching and
teaching this doctrine of biblical sanctification. We need to put it into
operation in our lives. We do not need any counseling system that has
been borrowed from the world. Our real need is to implement the truths
found in Romans 6.

Practically Dealing with Sin

Before ending this discussion on Romans 6, I would like to say
a few words about sin and the Christian. First, Christians do sin—to
deny this would be to deny the Word of God. Christians, though,
do not live in sin as a way of life as the unbeliever does. If a person
claims to be saved but sin still dominates his life, then that person
has not experienced the transforming power of the Gospel.
Second, even for the Christian, sin can be an entangling venture.
That is why believers must be careful. A Christian should not say, “I am
free in Christ, therefore I’ll dabble in some sin and then step back from
that sin.” When we willingly step over the line to the old master of sin,
it is as if he puts a little rope around us. If we back away from sin but
then come again to him, he puts yet another rope around us. Pretty soon
we may find it harder and harder to step away from sin because we have
willingly chosen to allow ourselves to be entangled by this old master.

21
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

If you have fallen into this trap the solution is still the same. You do
not have to be under the authority of the old master. You can take the
ropes off and be free again. Sin has no power over us, but often the prob-
lem is that we have become so ensnared that we do not want to leave our
sin. The pleasure begins to consume us. The solution is to go to Romans
6 and say, “God, You have said that I am free. But by my foolishness
and the exercise of my own will, I have willingly ensnared myself to sin.
By Your grace and strength I will not indulge in sin any more. I will say
‘no’ to sin because I have died to it.” That is the answer. This is not to
say that it will be easy or that sin will not still be alluring. But we can
have the victory.

The Puritans called those sins that we hold dear to us, “bo-
som sins.” Bosom sins are those sins that we most cherish and
tenaciously cling to. Even when we have rid ourselves of most
other sins, there may be some that we like to hold on to. But
do not be deceived. Sin is a terrible master, even though it is a
master whose power has been broken. You do not want to go
backwards and give him any rope to entangle you.

The answer to sin is simple. It is black and white. Die with Christ.
Live in light of that fact. You have died with Him and have been raised
to newness of life. That is the message of Romans 6.

Romans 8:1-14
At this point we will turn our attention to what Paul has to say about
sanctification in Romans 8. In our survey of Romans 6 we saw the lib-
erating truth that all Christians have died to the power of sin because
of our identification with Christ. Though we did not look specifically at
Romans 7, Paul makes clear in this chapter that believers have died to
the Mosaic Law (Rom. 7:6). Thus we are freed from both sin and the
Law.
When we come to Romans 8 we come to a section of Scripture that

22
 Gil Rugh

is absolutely essential for understanding the doctrine of salvation. In

this chapter Paul discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in regard to our
salvation. In fact, the Holy Spirit is referred to about twenty times in this
chapter. Thus, this is a chapter about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in
the lives of true believers.

There is no condemnation of any kind for the

person who has believed in Jesus Christ.

8:1
Romans 8:1 states, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.” Let’s focus on the word “condemnation.”
This word was used twice previously by Paul in Romans (5:16, 18) when
we were told that all mankind is condemned because of our identifica-
tion with Adam and his sin. But in contrast to this, Romans 8 tells us
“there is now no condemnation” of any kind for those in Christ Jesus.
In the original Greek word order, the term “condemnation” is emphatic.
Thus, there is no condemnation of any kind for the person who has be-
lieved in Jesus Christ. This is one of the most encouraging verses in the
Bible. We who are fallen, guilty, and sin-cursed people, can now have
the comfort and assurance of knowing that we are no longer under any
type of condemnation from God. This is all because of Jesus Christ, the
One who loved us and died for us.
8:2
Verse two states: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Note that the term,
“law,” used here, is not the usual reference to the Mosaic Law as seen
throughout most of Romans 6 and 7. In this verse it is used of a govern-
ing principle that is the authority in a person’s life. In this case, the law
that controls us is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” It is a ref-
erence to the work of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification. In Romans 6

23
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

we were told that we were identified with Christ in His death, burial, and
resurrection, resulting in newness of life. Now we are told that it is the
Holy Spirit of God who has given us that new life. It is the Holy Spirit
who gives us an existence in Christ and also sets us free from the law of
sin and death. In sum, this includes freedom from the Mosaic Law and
the bondage to sin that goes back to Adam.
8:3
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,
God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an
offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.” The “Law” in this verse
now refers to the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law demanded and required
perfection. There were no flaws in the Mosaic Law, but the problem (as
far as we were concerned) was that it did not provide us with the power
to keep its commands. All the Law could do was reveal our sin, but it
could never help us break free from the power of sin. But God inter-
vened with His Son. God sent Jesus Christ in the likeness of sinful flesh.
And in doing this, He condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus did not come in
sinful flesh because He was without sin, but He was real flesh. He was
truly human and was born into the human race. Thus He was truly hu-
man flesh, though He, Himself, was not sinful. The reason He came in
the likeness of sinful flesh was for the purpose of dealing with sin. First
Peter 2:24 states, “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the
cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” That is how
He condemned sin in the flesh and dealt with sin.
8:4
“So that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who
do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Jesus
Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf. The Law demanded perfect righ-
teousness. Because we were sinners we could not live up to the perfect
requirements of the Law. But Jesus Christ, through His death, met the
perfect demands of the Law. He was the Lamb of God without spot or
blemish. He paid the penalty for our sin which was death.
Note that there are two purposes for Christ dying for us. One, obvi-
ously, was to save us from hell. But in the immediate context of Romans

24
 Gil Rugh

8, Christ’s death was a provision for us so that we could live new and
transformed lives, different from what we were living before. In other
words, Christ’s death not only saves us from hell, it provides for us the
ability to live godly lives. Before we believed we used to “walk accord-
ing to the flesh.” Our lives used to be under the domination of sin. But
now we walk “according to the Spirit.” Our lives are now characterized
by the righteousness that the Holy Spirit produces in us.

There are not two kinds of Christians—those

who have trusted Christ but walk in the flesh
and those who have trusted Christ but walk
in the Spirit. Only those who walk
according to the Spirit have truly trusted
in Jesus Christ for salvation.

The righteous requirement of the Law is met for those whose lives
are under the control of the Spirit. Thus a true Christian is not only one
who has believed in Christ as Savior—a true believer is also one who is
walking according to the Spirit. This is an important principle to grasp.
This must mean that those who walk according to the flesh are not truly
saved and have not had the requirement of the Law fulfilled for them.
There are not two kinds of Christians—those who have trusted Christ
but walk in the flesh and those who have trusted Christ but walk in the
Spirit. Only those who walk according to the Spirit have truly trusted in
Jesus Christ for salvation.
8:5
Verse five states: “For those who are according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Paul makes a clear contrast here. There
are people who live sinful lives according to the flesh and those who live
righteous lives according to the Spirit. How can we tell the difference

25
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

between people who set their minds on the flesh and those who set their
minds on the Spirit? After all we cannot read people’s minds. The an-
swer is simple: Look at the life. Look at how a person lives. That reveals
where their mind is.
8:6
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit
is life and peace.” Paul now furthers his description of the two different
types of people. There are those whose minds are set on the flesh and
those whose minds are set on the Spirit. For the former there is only
death. For the latter there is life and peace. The Holy Spirit gives life,
and that includes life in all its dimensions—spiritual and physical. We
have spiritual life which is a relationship with God. We are assured of
eternal life in the presence of God. Ultimately even physical death will
be taken care of. That is what Paul will discuss in Romans 8:18 when he
addresses the issue of glorification.
Notice that Paul, in this verse, is drawing special attention to the
“mind.” When God brings new life to a person He also brings His peace
to the mind of that person. Isaiah said, “ ‘There is no peace,’ says my
God, ‘for the wicked’ ” (Isa. 57:21). But the child of God who has been
given new life in Christ has the “peace of God, which surpasses all com-
prehension” (Phil. 4:7).
8:7
“Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does
not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” This
is a very important verse to understand but it is also one that has been
misinterpreted. Some have erroneously taken this verse to mean that
there are two kinds of Christians pictured here—Christians who are in
the flesh and Christians who are in the Spirit. But that interpretation is
totally contrary to the context. Examine the first part of this verse: “the
mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.” The word, “hostile,” is a
strong word. The person who is hostile, in this context, sees God as his
enemy. There is an active hatred toward God. The person who is hostile
has an attitude that says, “I am opposed to Him; I stand against Him.”
This is a description of every person who is in the flesh.

26
 Gil Rugh

Now there are some people who, humanly speaking, are very nice.
They may even be religious. But when you share the truths of the Gos-
pel with them—that they are sinful and need to believe in Jesus Christ
to avoid an eternal hell—all of a sudden hostility surfaces. They begin
to see you differently. Their resentment toward God becomes manifest.
Much of the time this hostility and resentment is kept below the surface
but when they are confronted with God’s truth it quickly arises.
The unbeliever has a mind that is hostile toward God. He is in a con-
stant state of rebellion against God. He does not subject himself to the
righteous demands of God. He does not and will not. If he did, he would
no longer be in the flesh. He would be in the Spirit because he would
have placed his faith in Jesus Christ.
Notice, also, that the unregenerate man “is not even able” to subject
himself to the law of God. He does not even have the capacity to serve
God on his own. That is why it is futile to tell unregenerate people to
do things that are pleasing to God. They are not even capable of doing
that. The unregenerate person is still accountable to God, but he does
not have the ability to obey God because he was born in sin and he has
willingly submitted himself to the servitude and lordship of sin. The
unbeliever is in a desperate, hopeless condition apart from Christ.
8:8
“And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” We know from
this verse that the unbeliever never does one thing in his life that is
pleasing to God. He never does anything that is done in true submission
to God.

How can a sinner become right with God? He

must bow his heart and mind before the living
God as an undeserving sinner. He must call out
for mercy through Jesus Christ.

27
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

We must be clear on this issue. We do not want to give the unsaved

person any ideas that he is a Christian simply because he gave up drink-
ing, quit performing abortions, or stopped committing immorality. I am
not saying that there are not benefits for stopping these activities, for
certainly there are, but we do not want to give him the idea that quitting
those things automatically puts him in a right relationship with God.
Only belief in the Gospel can do that. It is never an act of submissive-
ness to God for a sinner to stop a certain sin apart from repenting and
believing the Gospel.
How can a sinner become right with God? He must bow his heart
and mind before the living God as an undeserving sinner. He must call
out for mercy through Jesus Christ. This is the very message, though,
that draws out the antagonism of those who refuse to serve our God—
those who are hostile toward God.
8:9
“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he does not belong to Him.” As we have seen, those who are in
the flesh walk according to the flesh. They set their minds on the things
of the flesh. They are hostile to God and do not submit to Him. But in
contrast, those who are in the Spirit walk according to the Spirit. Their
mind is set on the Spirit. Only this group of people can be said to belong
to God. The indwelling of the Spirit is what sets them apart. It is this
same work of the Spirit which enables them to believe the Gospel. With-
out the Spirit of Christ, however, it is impossible to truly believe in Him,
let alone belong to Him. We can conclude, then, that a person who does
not walk according to the Spirit is an unbeliever.

Being a Christian and living according to the

flesh are mutually exclusive. . . . Those who live
according to the flesh are not of the Spirit.

28
 Gil Rugh

Being a Christian and living according to the flesh are mutually ex-
clusive. The failure of many Bible teachers to be clear on this issue has
led some people to base their assurance of salvation on a “decision” they
made in the past instead of a Spirit-led life. They may say, “I know I am
not living for the Lord now but I did make a decision for Christ when
I was a child. So then, I have assurance that I will go to heaven when I
die.” But this type of thinking does not line up with Romans 8. Those
who live according to the flesh are not of the Spirit. No matter what they
think, they are not going to heaven.
Now I am not saying that Christians never sin because, as we have
seen earlier, they clearly do. When a Christian does sin he does not cease
to be in the Spirit, but he sins while he is in the Spirit. That sin stands
out as an irregularity—a blot or a black mark against the backdrop of his
overall character. When a Christian sins he is acting against his nature.
David, for instance, committed adultery and murder. But when we look
at David’s life we see those actions as being out of character with who
David was. The basic trait of his life was that he was a man after God’s
own heart. Yes, Christians may sin, but that sin is wholly out of charac-
ter with who they are in Christ.
8:10
“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the
spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Notice that Christ is now de-
scribed as being in you. Earlier, in verse nine, the Apostle stated that the
Holy Spirit is in us. I do not think that Paul is equating Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit, though their ministries are inseparably related. They
are distinct members in the triune Godhead. All members of the God-
head—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—can be said to indwell the believer.
Usually the Holy Spirit is the focal point for the indwelling presence of
God, but it is also true that Christ abides in us as well.
In this verse Paul is telling us that our physical, mortal bodies are in
the process of dying. This is similar to what he wrote in 2 Corinthians:
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying,
yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). We know
that our physical bodies are dying. In fact, if Jesus Christ does not return
during my lifetime, I will die and my body will be buried. In that sense

29
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

the impact of sin is still felt within us. Believers over the last two thou-
sand years have died physically. At Indian Hills, for instance, we have
had funeral services for many precious saints.
I want to draw attention to one detail about this verse. I think that
the New American Standard translation of “spirit” with a small “s” is
a poor one. A capital “S” should have been used, designating the Holy
Spirit. The verse should really read: “the Spirit is life, because of righ-
teousness.” Paul is saying that even though our bodies are experiencing
the process of physical death, we have the Holy Spirit, who is life itself,
within us.
8:11
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Here is the good
news. Though our present physical bodies are in the throes of death,
there is coming a day when the Holy Spirit will overcome death and this
physical body will be raised and transformed. This is the third aspect
of salvation that we call “glorification” (justification and sanctification
being the first two).
8:12-13
What is the significance of all this? Verses 12-13 tell us: “So then,
brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to
the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but
if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will
live.” Notice the pattern here. Paul again shows us that the penalty for
sin is death. If a person is living according to the flesh, his mind is set
on the flesh. The mind set on the flesh is the enemy of God. It is not
subject to God, and is not even able to be subject to God. We who are
in the Spirit, though, have no obligations to the flesh. We do not have to
live according to the flesh or be controlled by our sins and our passions.
As Colossians 3:2 states, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the
things that are on earth.”
There is a balance in these verses. I do not live the Christian life in
my own strength but neither do I live the Christian life passively and

30
 Gil Rugh

have a “let go and let God” mentality. That may sound spiritual but it
is not biblical. We are called to an active obedience. The Spirit of God
indwells us. He is our sufficiency. He is the power of God in our lives
and now we are able to apply ourselves with all diligence to deal with sin
as it confronts us. We are to be “putting to death the deeds of the body.”
We refuse to sin. We are dead to sin. When we are tempted to sin we
say, “I’m dead to that sin.” We put into practice the reality of what has
happened to us.

Salvation is not by works, but those who are

truly saved will give evidence of their salvation
by doing good works.

In this section Paul has consistently identified God’s children by how

they live their lives. I am amazed that the Evangelical Church has ac-
cepted the foolishness that people who are living in the flesh can right-
fully be called Christians. Salvation is not by works, but those who are
truly saved will give evidence of their salvation by doing good works.
Those who do not show good works have no reason to believe that they
are saved.
8:14
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God.” Who, then, is a Christian? According to Romans 8:14 it is those
who are being led by the Spirit of God. How does a person get to the
point where he is a son of God who is being led by the Spirit of God? Is it
by the power of positive thinking or by enrolling in a 12-step program? It
is not. A person becomes a son of God by being born again—by believ-
ing the Gospel. Believing the Gospel means turning from your sin and
placing your faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is hard for
human beings to humble themselves and to admit that they are sinners
deserving of God’s wrath. Most people think they are just fine the way
they are. They do not want to admit their sin and embrace Jesus Christ.

31
 How to Have Victory Over Sin

Conclusion
The salvation that God gives does more than save a person from
hell—it transforms his life. The Spirit of God indwells the believer giv-
ing him the ability to live for God. At times we will sin, but that sin
will not characterize our lives. Praise God that He has provided for our
deliverance not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of
sin! We have died to sin. We are free from sin’s dominion and mastery.
This is the clear message of Romans 6 and 8.

32