Hello To All:
Our text, for today's posting, comes from Romans 6:6, where we find written: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Please note, that the King James Version says: "our old man is crucified with him." All of the contemporary translations, that I am aware of, put this daily and on-going event, in the past tense. Once again, we see the effects of western rationalism.
Western rationalism has robbed us of our victory over our fallen and sinful nature: what Romans 6:6 calls our "old man." Romans chapter six and verses one through eleven, reveals the truth regarding our baptism; and the connection of baptism to the death of Jesus Christ; and the connection of baptism to the resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the connection of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the on-going, ever occurring death of our "old man," and the subsequent victory we can have over sin, on a daily and moment by moment basis.
Western rationalism, and the subsequent influence on the contemporary translations, of the King's Book, puts all of the above revealed truths, in the past tense. By being grammatically correct, the contemporary translations obscure the transcendent realities, regarding our eternal union with Jesus Christ; and, when we embrace being grammatically correct, we find ourselves struggling with sin and not understanding why we cannot find the victory. The rational precepts and commandments of western thinking, have robbed us of the transcendent victory, that we can have in Jesus Christ.
When we embrace the transcendental truths, regarding our eternal and present day, moment by moment union with Jesus Christ, we can have victory over all of the challenges of life. This victory, includes victory over the sin that so easily besets us. Thus, by recognizing, that "our old man IS (emphasis added for clarity) crucified with him (referring to Jesus Christ)," we can find ourselves in a daily and moment by moment position to stand firmly against sin and the challenges of life. Our old sinful nature, our flesh: "is crucified" with Jesus Christ. As it is written in another place: "I am crucified with Christ."
Let us be reminded of Romans 6:7: "For he that is dead is freed from sin." Our freedom, in Jesus Christ, destroys our bondage to the world (please see previous posting); and, our freedom in Jesus Christ, destroys our bondage to our own sinful flesh (our "old man"). In our next posting, we shall remind ourselves of the victory, that Jesus Christ has won, for us, over the third source of temptation. Until then, and forever here-after, let us proclaim the truth of the King's Book: "I am crucified with Christ."
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
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