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" Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."— Rom. 6:11. My text leads us out on experimental and practical lines of thought. In chapters 3 and 4 of this epistle, Paul, in a very clear and logical manner, has discussed the doctrine of justification by faith. Having fully established the doctrine, he proceeds, in the 5th chapter, to speak of some of the blessed results that flow from salvation by grace through faith. We are brought into a state of peace with God ; we have freedom of ac- cess to the Father; we glory in life's tribu- lations. Having thus spoken of some of the abiding fruits of justification, he now proceeds in thip, sixth chapter to consider the bearing of justification by faith on a holy life, or, in other words, to consider the relation of justification to sanctifica- tion. The apostle is led, very naturally, to discuss this point at this stage of his argument. In almost the last verse of the preceding chapter we read: "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Having made this statement, Paul seems to hear some objector to this way of salvation ex- claim: "If we are justified freely by God's grace and not by works, if where sin abounded grace has much more abounded, then may we not continue in sin that grace may still more abound ?" The apostle can hardly wait for the objection to be raised, so eager 'is he to show what a monstrous perversion of the truth such an objection is, and to seek to crush it forever. "What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein ?" So in this chapter in whicn my text is found, we ha\e Paul answering this objection, and proving most clearly and conclusively that the doctrine of justification by faith is utterly incompatible with living in sin, that it not only does not give license to sin, but pleada most forcibly for a holy and righteous life. He sho\ws that justifying faith is sanctifying faith, and that the motives for a godly life are far stronger than if we were justified by works We have before ul then in this sixth chapter of Eomans a short treatise on sanctification, or, as it may be teimed, the practical outcome of justification by fait'i. My text is found at about the middle of this chapter. "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed un- to sin," &c. I believe the greatest need of the church to-day is for its members to exemplify in their daily lives the truths contained in the above passage. Having looked at the setting of the text, let us prayerfully examine its teaching. We have two leading thoughts presented— death to sin and life toward God. We will simply seek to unfold, illustrate and enforce these. I. The believer's relation io sin. "Even so reckon ye yourselves to be dead in- deed unto sin." We must go to the context in order to get at the full force of these words. See the close reasoning of the apostle. In the preceding verse he speaks of the death of Christ : " For in that He died. He died unto sin once for all" (see margin). Did Christ once in the end of the world appear to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself? Was this death of Christ for sin once for all f "Even so reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." The believer then, in that act of faith and full sur- render by which he is jastitied, dies with Christ unto sin once for all. Death to fin and resurrection to a life of holiness B not a mere theory, but a fact based on the most vital truths of the Word of God, viz. : the death and resurrection of Christ. Justifying faith, then, does something for the inward life of the believer. It brings him into vital union with a cru- cified and risen Saviour. This union is set forth by tlie apostle in such language as "planted together," or more literally, "grown togeth^vr." The union of the be- liever and h: s Lord is so organic that Jesus Himself compares it to the vital connection tb at exists between the vine and the branches. Paul, in his letter to the Qalatiaiis, gives utterance to the same truth v/hen he says, " I have been crucified wUk, Christ." When was Paul crucified with Christ? Was it many years after lie had been a believer? No, he evidently refers to a definite time in the past ; t<) the hour when, on his way to Damascus, he surrendered himself fully to his Lord and asked, "What wilt Thou have me to do ?" What toe great apostle declared is true of evsry Christian, even the very weakest aud youngest. This fadt of death to sin or of a com- plete sepiration from it, is developed and enforced by Paul by the use of three illustrations. (1) The ordinance of bap- Ham, by which the believer professes his faith in Christ, proclaims in unmistake- able langut^e the fact of death to sin. "Know ye not," exclaims Paul, "that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death ?" "Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death." By this sacrea rite the Christian declares that he is buried as to his past life of sin and selfishness. Baptism is not the procur- ing cause of this crucifixion to sin, but the sign of that fact. As Andrew Fuller has well said, the soldier's uniform does not make a man & soldier, but is the sign that he is already a soldier in heart and purpose. No other mode of baptism save immersion can symbolize death to the old and resurrection to a new life. The symbol is important, inasmuch as it keeps continually before the eye and mind of the world the fundamental truths of vhe gospel. A symbol is worthless without the fact behind it, and the fact loses much of its power and significance without the symbol. The British flag is but a symbol, but when it floats in the breeza from some hill top, with what enthusiasm and de- votion is it greeted ! Why ? Because it stands for power, freedom enlight- enment, and Christian civilization. If I want to impress upon you the fact and the value of freedom and of the high- est type of civilization, I hold up be- fore you the British ensign. So Paul, when he would emphasize the fact of the believer's death to sin, and would press this fact upon the hearts of the Christians at Kome, turns at once to baptism, the symbol of this death, and holds it up before their eyes, exclaim- ing, "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death." My brother, your baptism means somethiiag ; your baptism has a tongue, and it distinctly proclaims to the world your fellowship with Christ in His death. But how many believers, forgetting the signifi- cance of this solemn and impressive ordinance, fall back again into the arms ol the world, and like the chil- dren of Israel after their deliverance from bondage, pine after the leeks and garlic of their old lives of sin and selfishness. How many need to have sounded afresh in their ears the start- ling words of Paul, "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death ?" (2) This separation from sin is further set forth in verses 16-19 under the figure of a servant who has changed^ masters. " Know ye not to whom ye yield your- selves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto right- eousness. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants (literally bond servants) of righteousness." This figure gives us a very graphic picture of complete separation from sin as our old master, and of entire surrender to righteousness as our new master. " Be- ing Uieu made free (emancipated) from A ij Bin, ye became the bond servants of rigbteousness." There is no middle ground here. It is not half breaking with the old master and entering into half service under the new, but it is a complete emancipation from the service of the old, to be fully possessed and con- trolled by the new master. In fact it is not only a < hange of masters, but a change of kingdoms as well, for we are said to be delivfred from the powers of darkness and to be translated (carried over) into the kingdom of God's dear Son. It is the poor crouching slave of Africa com- ing out from undfer the whip of his old master to serve, as a freeman, a new master in the land of the free. Breth- ren, if we have changed masters and changed kingdoms, we are dead then to the old life and to the old service under the galling yoke of sin. We are volun- tarily and gladly the bond servants for- ever of a new master, even the Lord Jesus Christ. How many there are in our churches who do not realize what justifying faith has done for th«m I How many are trying to break away from their old master little by little, forget- ting that in that act of faith by which they were united to Christ, they parted with the old master and his service once for all ! Tnere is no such thing as breaking with sin by degrees, keeping one foot in the kingdom of Satan and the other in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear the words of the apostle on this point : " For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness " (ver. 20). -No half-way ground there. Listen again, " But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness " (ver. 22). No mixture of fruit there. No half-way meeting place for the child of God and the man of the world to grasp hands, and say our masters are on good terms ; we will each help the other a little. Brethren, there is too much between the church and the world of what is known among farmers as "changing works." The world comes along, locks its arms into that of the church, and says, come, put your neck under my yoke for a while ; come, con- form to our customs ; come, go with me to the dance hall, to the theatre, to the horse race, to the circus ; come, take a social glass, &o., and then I will pull with you for a time ; I will help you in your bazaars, your fairs, and your tea meetings ; I will sing in your choir and teach in your Sabbath-school. Put alongside of this the inspired words, "Ye cannot serve two masters ; " "Being made free from sin, ye became the bond servants of rfghteousness" ; and again, "Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sm." These passages give no uncertain sound. They clearly declare that we have changed masters, and that we have said farewell forever to the old life and its service. (3) Again this death to sin or separa- tion from it is emphasized by the apos- tle under the figure of the marriage re- lation. He cites the oaso of the woman whose husband has died. The death of the husband has loosed the wife from the obligations of the marriage law. Henceforth she is at perfect liberty to be married to another. This woman has become dead to the marriage law, and that by virtue of her union with the husband. When the husband died, the wife virtually (JAed in the eye of the marriage law. So says Paul, "We have become dead to the law by the body of Christ" (through His slain body). The phrase "dead to the law," is used with nearly the same meaning as " dead to sin," and the apostle is pursuing the same thought, only it is a step in ad- vance. The believer then, by reason of his faith, has become united to Christ, and the old sin-condemned life is laid down and slain with Christ ; hence the Christian is looked upon as being dead to the law or to sin, as stated m my text. It is the old truth of the believer's crucifixion with Christ viewed in a new light. We are slain with Christ, that is to say as to our old man, and so dead to the law, that we may be married to a risen Saviour and walk in newness of life, bringing forth f.-uit unto God. (a) We note in passing that this death to siri is the starting point with the be- liever and not the goal. This death is symbolized in the very first act of obedi- ence on the part of the believer. We do not become dead to sin after yean li 155^0 and years of struggling and of Christian service, but God puts us there at a sin- gle bound, evon by the faith that justi- fies. This is our standing in the eye of the law and in the mind of God the moment we believe. Further, it is true of all Cljristians whether they realize it or not. It is not simply a truth for a few illustrious saints like Paul, or a Baxter, or a Spur- geon. It is the privilege df every Chris- tian, even the weakest, to put the lan- guage of thR great apostle into his lips and say, "I have been crucified with Christ.'"' We say, then, that in the mind and purpose of God, the believer be- romes dead to his old carnal life in the hour when he is united to Christ by faith. God's plan tor us is, then, to be- gin the Christian life believing that we are crucified with Christ, and so from this high vantage ground to fight our battles and win our victories. As we recognize this fact and claim it by faith, we will find it made real to us in our daily experiences. So says Paul, "Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." This teaches that Christians are to understand what they are as Christians. That isto say, start out be- lieving it is a fact, and as you go for- ward you will find it true in your daily lives. Just as the captain takes his course by the compass for some foreign port, and steers on day after day, be- lieving that what he now accepts by faith will be realized one day, and after weeks of sailing the harbor is safely reached. It makes a great difference with us whether, when we set out on the Christian course, we recognize the fact that we have been crucified with Christ, or whether we are all the time seeking to be crucified. We get strength, we get courage for the mortifying of the old man in our daily experiences, when we remember that our standing in the sight of God is dead already to sin, by reason of our fellowship with Christ. (6) Observe, further, that it is the be- liever that becomes dead to sin and not ain to him. This distinction must not be lost sight of. Erroneous views of sanctification have been advanced just because this fact has been overlooked. The believer is dead to sin, in that he separates himself from it, puts it away from him as a thing of the past, is no longer a slave to it ; but nevertheless the most devoted Christians iind that sin is not dead in them or toward them. The old man will seek y£t again to get upon the throne; but, says Paul in verses following our text, "Let not sin th'^refore reign in your mortal bodies that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." Again, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace." These passages clearly teach that sin is not dead toward ♦-he believer, though the believer is dead to- ward it, and must treat it accordingly. The above and kindred paosageo go to prove that the old master is not taken away root and branch, but is to be daily mortified through the indwelling Spirit. For confirmation of this fact see Romans 8 : 13 : " But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Let no one think, however, that the scriptural stand- ard of sanctification is a low one. On the contrary, it is very high. "Sin shall not have dominion over you " is strong language, and means that you shall have dominion over sin. No less than this is God's purpose for the be- . liever, viz., continual victory over sin in every form and shape. The old man is to be daily and hourly put off, and the new man daily and hourly put on. (c) Before leaving this part of our subject, I would impress upon you the practical conclusion that the apostle draws from the fact of the believer's death to sin. " Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteous- ness unto sin." The word " members" as here read, seems to represent all of the powers and faculties of our entire being. " Dead to sin *' then must be written on the head, on the hands and on the feet of every Christian. Sup- pose an angel should be commis- sioned to visit our churches, and sing- ling out every member, should write on the forehead, " dead to sin," on the ear " dead to sin," on the eye " dead to sin," on the tongue "dead to sin," on the hands and the feet " dead to sin," and having done so, say, " Now, go forth to life's work." An angel is not sent to do > I I ; j I \ I I ! this, but the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, declares that that should be the attitude of the believer towards sia in ail its varied forms. If every follower of Christ realized his position in the sight of God and his relation to God and to the world, what a stupendous power for good there would be in a single church, and what a separation from the world would follow ! Let "dead to sin " be written on that little member the tongue ; and let every Christian feel that God has written those words there, and then let every church mem- ber go forth to life's duties and to the work of the master, and what a trans- lormaiion there would be in the state of affairs in the community, in the church and in the family. From what heart- aches, from what alienations, discords, bickerings and schisms would the church be saved if every believer realized that God had written on the tip of his tongue, ''Dead to sin." "Likewise reckon ye also yours^^lves to be dead indeed unto sin. II. We now pass to conrider the second thought contained in our text— the be- liever alive unto God. Life is imparted to the soul by the same faith by which we die to sin. Alive unto holiness is jijst as much a fact as is Christ's rtsnr- rection, and, indeed, rests on that truth. "For in that He died, He died unto sin once for all, but in that He liveth, He livett unto God. Even so account your- selves to be dead unto sin and alive un- to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Does Christ live unto God no more to die ? Even so is the soul that is united to Him by faith made alive unto God for evermore. The great characteristic of a Christian, then, is life. It is this that primarily and radically distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever. There is a broad chasm between a regenerate and an un- regenerate man ; a chasm so broad that no effort of man, however arduous and persistent, can bridge it. To bridge this gulf is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. "And you hath He quickened (made alive) who were dead in tres- passes and sins." Here, again, this life toward God is the starting point with the believt?r and not the goal. He works from life and not for life. This life toward God, as well as the death unto sin, is impressively sym- bolized at the threshold of the Chris- tian course by the sacred rite of bap- tism. "Buried with Christ in baptism, that like as He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Without seeking to develop this thought more fuHy, we come now to notice the practical outcome of this truth, "alive un- to Ood." We have it stated in verse thirteen : " Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members a« instruments of righteousness." Consecration follows life. We do not consecrate ourselves to God to get life, but because God has given life. "Yield yourselves as those that are alive,^' &o. Because the be- liever has been set free from sin's heavy yoke, because all the powers of his be- ing have been ransomed by the precious blood of the Son of God, out of gratitude and love to his Emancipator, he comes to Christ, la, s all down at His feet, and exclaims, "Let me use all these powers in Thy service and for Thy glory." Like the Hebrew slave spoken of in the Old Testament, whose day of free- dom had come, who goes to his master and nays, as he puts his ear against the wall, "Pierce it through ; let me be thy bond servant for ever." I think it is Miss Havergal who has said that there iti no bondage about true consecration. It is not a torced surrender. It is the voluntary, the glad response of a soul that has been made alive and set free by the blood of the Lamb. Brethren, this consecration that fol- lows life means a great deal. Here is holiness enjoined in daily living. If the believer seeks faithfully and diligently to put into practice that command, we will have a high type of Christian life, and a practical exemplification of sanctification as taught in the Word. Lx>k at the teaching of this passage. It means that head of yours is set apart unto God. You henceforth are to think and plan for God. Did every Christian man and woman fully believe and recog- nize this fact, from how much scheming in business life, from how much intrigu- ing, from how much unrighteous think- 6 ing would the brain be naved I Thin passage sweeps away the gulf that is frequently placed between secular and religions work. How many Christians in reality say, on the Habhath, reckon yourselves "dead unto sin and yield your members as instruments of right- eousness ;" on the Sabbath "use your brain, your lips, your hands tvx God" : but from Monday morniug till Saturday night do not realize that their members are to be surrendered to God as instru- ments of righteoubDfHB ! The teaching of this passage is, that those hands of yours, once for all, are to be yielded as weapons of holiness. That makes all your work sacred. Those hands with the blood mark on them dare not en- gage in any dishonest business, or do what would be displeasing to God. The hand that holds a plough, that drives a plane, that plies a needle, that scours knives and kettles, or measures calico should be.j'ist as much consecrated to God as the hand that writes a sermon, or carries the torch of Divine truth into the darkness of India. Rev. Dr. Cuyler telis of a woman who always worried and complained about the drudgery of the kitchen. OaeSibbath she heard a sermon from the text, "Whether, there- fore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." She went bark to the scouring of pots and kettles with a light and joyful heart, be- lieving that she was all the Lord's and that she was to gl "rify Him in the work of the kitchen. Brethren and sisters, life is a failure, life's work a hardship and life's duties are robbed of their glory, unless we believe that our brains and bands and feet are redeemed as well as our souls, and that they are to be yield- ed to God as instruments of righteous- ness. You remember in olden time when the priest was set apart to bis sacred office, blood was put upon his right ear, his right hand and his right foot. Thus was it shown that he was completely redeemed and consecrated to the service of God; from head to foot he was the Lord's. We are all now priests unto God. The blood of Cal- vary's Lamb has touched our ears, our hands, our feet. "Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your bodies and in your spirits, which are His " If a believer is entirely the Lord's, then it follows, if in God's providence he is placed in a position where he can accumulate wealth, he holds it for God. It cannot be doubted that God raises up some men to make money, no less than He calls others to preach the gospel. When shall we fully believe, brethren, that our money is consecrated to the Lord, no lees than the hands that toiled to gather that money ? If consecration follows life, as we have seen, let me say, inclosing, that praying and giving follow consecration ; or, to put it in other words, praying and giv- ing are two of the channels through which this life toward God must flow out to the world. I speak first of pray- ing. I believe it wis Dr. A. T. Fierson wdo said, when spenking of the greatest need of the day for the bringing of the world to the feet of Christ, that the greatest need was not so much men to send to heathen lands, nor money with which to send them, but prayer, beli'ving prayer. For the prayer that takes hold of God will bring men and women to lay themselves on the altar of service, and the prayer that moves the arm that moves the world, will speedily unloose the purse strings of God's people and cause the silver and gold to flow into the Lord's treasury. During the past year the truthfulness of Dr. Fierson's statement has been fully proved by a consecrated band of Chris- tian workers in the city of New York. At the beginning of the year God laid it upon the heart of the pastor, the Rev. A. B. Simpson, and some of the members to ask that they might send out to foreign fields 50 missionarif s. At that time they knew not where the mission- aries or the means for sending them were to come from. They laid hold of God's promises in believing prayer. There was no agent in the field to make appeals ; they simply looked to God for afl, and He did not disappoint them. Before the close of the year the fifty missionaries were accepted and sent forth— some to the Congo, some to India and some to China. Here was a body of Christians, with probably not nearly so I i t ■ '4 \ \ I i, ft" ♦ i ►■i Inge a membership as that of this Western Association, and yet they have ■eat out and are supporting more mis- sionaries in one year than the Baptists of the Maritime Provinces have sent forth in twenty years. I do not wish to speak disparagingly of our work, but as I have read about this great and ag- gressive missionary movement, I have been profoundly impressed with the idea that the greatest need of the church to-day is earnest, believing prayer, and a more entire dependence on Qod. What was the secret of the marvellous success of this missionary enterprise? We again reply, prayer that was born of souls who had given themselves to God in unreserved consecration. Further, this life toward Qod must manifest itself in giving. Giving is the fruitage of this life; giving is one of the truest tests of this life in the soul. When the sap circulates freely in the tree from root to twig, then the buds must burst and the branches must bow themselves under the ripening fruit. Where the currents of Divine life flow deep and strong in the soul, the fruitage of giving will be rich and abundant. The pastor of this band of Christian workers to whom I have referred, had his heart deeply stirred on different occa- sions; as some brother or sister in some- what straitened circumstances laid on the altar ot foreign missions some article of jewelery or some highly prized keep- sake. A returned missionary, at the Baptist anniversaries at Denver, spoke of the self-deny ins; spirit of some oi the converts from heathenism. As an illustration he referred to a woman who brought to the missionary a silk dress, the proceeds of which were to aid some of her poorer brothers and sisters. The missionary at first remonstrated, think- ing she could not spare the dress, but she replied she had a calico at home and that was good enough. He also told of a young man who brought his first month's wages, in order to help bring relief to some of the destitute. Verily, brethren, the heathen wilt rise up in the judgment to condemn us. We have many professing Christians who spend more annually in cigars and tobacco than <.hey give in five years for the evangelization of the world. We have money enough among the Baptists of these provinces to do five times the amount of work that we are doing. But we do not believe that we are all the Lord's. This life toward God is not abounding, else we would be constrained to greatly enlarge our offerings for the carrying on of the Lord's work. Qod M calling for a people who shall show to the world, by their living and by their giving, these two fundamental truths, death to sin and life toward God. "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord ; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord' 8.^' \ 1