Preferable

Romans 6:12 Preferable

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

reign Gk basileuo, to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign, to exercise the highest influence, to control – with the negative to not let control or reign

passions- Gk epithumia: desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust

Therefore Doctrine is always to be applied it is never an end in its self. Knowledge must be applied (Jones) . . . from the past statement to the present one. - sin has no tyranny over us, that sin is not our master, that sin is not our lord.” Sin is still a force to be reckoned with. It just isn’t our lord anymore. It isn’t our master. (Mac Arthur)

Let not sin reign v 12 Here is an imperative, a command, an exhortation. It is in the active tense which suggests continuing action. It tells us that though sin is a dethroned monarch, it’s still around giving orders that don’t have to be obeyed, but sometimes are. And it wants to pull us back under its control, even though it has no right to that. Before we were Christians, indeed sin was our king. Sin was our sovereign. We were its slaves. v 17 If sin is no longer the monarch, then don’t let it act like it was. If it doesn’t have any right to do that, then don’t give it any right. Sin has no dominion. Don’t let it act like it does. . Its power is broken. Don’t let it act like it still has any right at all.

reign He doesn’t say sin must not reign in us. He can’t say that because the old nature has been crucified with Christ, we have already died to sin. As Christians it is impossible that sin should reign in us, but what is possible is that sin could reign in our mortal body. Sin still remains and is left in our bodies; not in us, but in our bodies. As a person we have already finished with it, but not so in our body. This body which sin inhabits and still tries to use still remains. Sin remains in our body if it remains unchecked, if it is not kept under control, it will even reign in our bodies, and it will dominate our bodies. Sin is not in me, but in my body. Sin while left in our mortal bodies, will always be seeking to dominate our body. He never says that sin is dead; what he does say is that we are dead to sin. He says that sin is not only not dead, but that it is still in our mortal body; and if we do not realize that and deal with it, it will soon reign in our mortal body. (Jones)

Mortal Body

There is a distinction between ourselves and our mortal body: you and your mortal body. It doesn’t say do not let sin reign in you, but do not let it reign in your mortal body. v. 6 “the body of sin” is sin as it remains in our physical body or flesh. So the mortal body here doesn’t mean our sinful nature. We died to the realm, reign, rule, and domain of sin when Christ died we died to all of that. Here it is talking about our body not our souls. Another aspect is that it is a mortal or “dying” body. It is temporary and will be discarded. We are saved, but still in this world living in this body and sin is still left in our body. This will be our condition only as long as we are in this body. (Jones)

There is a distinction between our mortal body and our glorified body. This “mortal body” will one day be done away with and we will put on a new body, a glorified body Phil 3:20 We are heavenly citizens. 1 Cor 15:50-54. Until then in this “mortal body” we will be bothered by sin. But a day is coming when we will not be bothered by sin any longer. We are already delivered out of the territory and realm of sin; but it remains in our body. But one day the body will be glorified and we will be finished with sin. It will be left behind and

we will be done with it forever. (Jones) Your mortal body will not dwell eternally with God only your glorified body. Your mortal body is your earthly, cursed, physical organism which encompasses the physical body with all of its members and organs as well as the brain and all of its functions. It is this physical body which sin seeks to rule. Before you were saved, sin reigned not only in your body but in your soul as well. When you were redeemed, the new creation is the soul, and sin is only left with the physical body to rule. This is not referring to our old nature, the soul, the inward man. It is not the new man, the new nature sharing residence with the old vile, sin-ruled soul. It is dead and we have a new soul. The inward man is holy and pure and set for heaven. (MacArthur)

The only beachhead sin has to approach me is the body, our flesh, our mortal body. We are new souls. We are new creations. But sin is still left in our bodies. If we could just get rid of these bodies, we would have instant holiness. Rom 8:21. . He doesn’t say: let not sin therefore reign in your soul. He doesn’t say: let not sin therefore reign in your spirit. He doesn’t say: let not sin therefore reign in you. He says, “Don’t let it reign in your mortal body.” That’s the only place sin can operate, because the real you, the real self is holy now. And that’s why you have this struggle in Romans 7. Rom 7:17 here I am, I’m doing things I don’t want to do. Something in me says I don’t want to do that, but my body wants to do that. v 17, “Now, then, it is no more I that do it.” He says it is not I. What I? The I that is crucified with Christ, nevertheless lives.” And that new incorruptible eternally prepared, and holy new soul that God made, it’s not that that’s doing it, “But it is sin that dwells in me.” v 20, Where does it dwell in you? v 22. “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man,” I mean, the real me, the new me, the new creation. “But I see another law in my,” what? “Members.” Bodily parts. “And it wars against the law of my mind.” v 25 After the first statement he says, “So, then, with the mind,” that’s with the soul, “I serve the law of God but with the,” what? “Flesh the law of sin.” Rom 7:24, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the,” what? “Body.” Just get me out of this body; it’s killing me. Because you’re a new creation, and all you’ve got to do is get out of this body and you’ll know the glorious liberty of the child of God. The struggle then comes at the point of our body Bodily desires and so forth. Rom 12, “present your,” what? “Your bodies.” See, that’s the issue. 1 Cor 9:27 “I, you know, beat my body,” down, body. I beat it into submission because it’s the body that’s the problem. (Mac Arthur)

Passions

Sin turns the natural instincts of the body into lusts. The instincts are good in and of themselves; there is nothing sinful in the natural instincts. But sin tries to turn the natural instincts into lust. Jones The body is lusting, the body has its desires, the body lusts cry out for fulfillment. And they demand obedience. The body is where it’s coming from. And your brain and your thinking processes are part of that body. What it tells us is that sin will dominate you if you let it. If you pamper the body, and you feed the body, and if you entertain the body, and if you entice the body, and if you expose the body to temptation, you’re going to have a problem. Because it’s the body and all of the sensory factors that are exposed to this world become channels through which temptation can draw you into sin and sin can reign over you. So, sin will dominate you if you don’t deal with it. It doesn’t have to dominate you because he says, “don’t let it” It would like to but I don’t have to let it. How? By my will. If my Spirit directed will tells me don’t let it do it, then I’m the guy who has to let it or not let it.” Mac Arthur

Pleasing Delilah Judges 16:4-22 was a legitimate thing for Samson to do while she was a faithful wife. But when she was a secret agent of the enemy, Samson's surrender to her meant destruction. So it is with our desires and sin. If they are faithful desires, loyal desires, reflecting the truth and value of God, then we may please them. But if sin captures them and makes them his deceptive agents, then our pleasing them would be joining the conspiracy and may become treason. Gen 25:29-34, Heb 12:16

The desire for food (hunger) which serves us well, but when sin captures it, the desire becomes gluttony or bulimia or anorexia and it rules us for the sake of the enemy, and our tongue and mouth and stomach become weapons of unrighteousness.

The desire for drink (thirst) which serves us well, but when sin captures it, the desire may become alcoholism or caffeine addiction, and the tongue becomes a weapon of unrighteousness.

The desire for sexual satisfaction which is a good servant of procreation and marriage joy, but if sin captures it, the desire becomes lust for pornography or masturbation or fornication or adultery or homosexual relations, and our sexual organs become the weapons of unrighteousness.

The desire for rest and sleep which serves us well, but if sin captures it, the desire becomes sloth and laziness. (Piper)

False Perceptions of Sanctification: It’s not instantaneous It says that holiness in behavior is not a sudden instantaneous thing; it’s a way of life and you fight it all the way along to be holy, because as long as you’re in this body, you’re going to have problems. Sanctification is a process, and that’s why we don’t know the fullness of sanctification until we get to be with God. Mac Arthur Sanctification is not a sudden experience of deliverance once and forever. Many Christians are miserable most of their lives seeking deliverance from sin. They have sought it, longed for it, tried to get it, but have never succeeded, and so they feel discouraged. Some even feel like they are not Christians because they still struggle with sin. They do not understand the truth of the text. Sin will remain in our “mortal” bodies and will always struggle to gain control. (Jones)

It’s not simply “Let go and let God.” “Well, I do nothing and God does it all.” It’s not about surrender. In the battle of sin there is nothing to do but to surrender yourself. Or even to look to the Lord and allow him to live his life through you. Some are told, your trouble is due to the fact that you are struggling and fighting against sin and you are defeated. That is where you are wrong in assuming that you just look to the Lord, he will give you victory. Jones The implication here is that your will has to be activated, “let not sin” Your will is involved. Sin would like to rule you and it will dominate you if you let it. You don’t have to let it, and your will is a key factor. Phil 2:12-13 It’s God who’s working in you to will and to do of His own good pleasure, but it will only come to the surface as your will is activated in accord with His. (Mac Arthur)

How the Enemy Does Battle the main way sin does battle against us is to turn servant-desires into conspirators against the throne. Desires which were appointed by God to serve us – like desire for food, desire for drink, desire for sex, desire for rest, desire for friends, desire for approval – are attacked by sin and captured and corrupted and turned into betrayers –Delilah-desires. Then these desires – now in the service of sin instead of God – lure us to obey them. When that happens we hand over our members – eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet, sexual organs, vocal cords, etc. – to serve these desires and their master, sin, and our members become weapons of unrighteousness.

Sin succeeds by making obedience to the desires seem very rewarding. They lie to us with half-truths. "It will feel good." Obeying desires does feel good. But only for a short time. Then later comes the misery and destruction Heb 11:25, Eph 4:22. Sin takes our desires and makes liars out of them. They promise satisfaction and happiness, and they deliver cheap, fleeting, shallow stimulation that leaves us less content and less peaceful and less hopeful and more guilty, more restless, more discouraged, more enslaved. We must fight the way this text tells us to 1 Pet 2:1. There is a war for the soul going on. Sin is fighting for the throne of your soul; it is using your desires as betrayers; and it is turning your members into weapons of unrighteousness. (Piper)

Why must I not let sin reign? 1) Because I am the one who claims to know what God’s purpose is for me (to be holy and blameless before him). Because I know Christ and what he has done for me and is working in me I will not allow sin to reign in my mortal body. The very honor of God is involved in the matter of my behavior. I claim to be a child of God, I claim to be one who has been adopted into his family, of the household of God. So I must say, If I allow sin to reign in my mortal body I am disgracing my Father, my Savior and the family of heaven to which I belong, and I cannot do that. 2) I will be in an utterly contradictory position. As a believer I am in a new position free from the rule, realm, and reign of sin. To let sin reign goes against who I am. 3) It is a complete denial of everything you claim to be looking forward to. On the one had you say you will be glorified, you will be with him, you will be like him, but on the other hand you are living as the old man whp has never heard or believed in these things. (Jones)

Say No . . . and Choose God

The active engagement of our will now in v 12 comes after and is based on all the other strategies of God v.1-10. Sin attacks with desire of lust, we say, No! So yes, there is a real engagement of our will. Choose to say, No! But it is so much more. It is based on what God did in Christ, and what happened to us in Christ, and who God is for us in Christ and who we know ourselves to be in Christ. We embrace all that as our treasure. And because of that, we say, No. But there is one more thing to stress. Notice that sin is attacking through desires. We are called to choose against those desires. "Don't let sin reign." Don't present your eyes and tongue to fulfill that desire. Don't choose those desires.

But what is this choosing? It is preferring. To choose is to prefer one thing over another thing. If God is to get glory in our choosing against sin, it must be because we regard God and what he is and promises as preferable. Choosing is finding one thing preferable to another thing. So you can describe the battle at this point in negative terms: Say no to the Judas-desires of sin on the basis of what God has done and who you are in Christ. You are dead to sin and its desires; they do not look preferable. Or you can describe the battle positively: When sin sends his desires to tempt you, prefer God and his work and his ways and his promises. See God as preferable to the fleeting pleasures of sin. You are alive to God and he looks preferable. If Satan attacks with deceitful desires, counter with reliable desires that will not let you down, and that lead to everlasting joy. In other words, the front-line battle against sin, which glorifies God, is based on what he has done for us in Christ to forgive all our sins and count us righteous in him, and is fought by experiencing death to Judas-desires and life to new desires, new preferences – God and his way! (Piper)