5 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, 6 knowing 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; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
Romans 6:5-7
Here is an interesting thing – a list of other places in the NT where the Greek word translated as “freed” occur, and how they are translated. What do you make of this interesting choice of words by the translators of the NASB?
Matt 11:19 JUSTIFIED
Matt 12:37 JUSTIFIED
Luke 7:29 JUSTIFIED
Luke 7:35 JUSTIFIED
Luke 10:29 JUSTIFY
Luke 16:15 JUSTIFY
Luke 18:14 JUSTIFIED
Acts 13:39 JUSTIFIED
Acts 13:39 JUSTIFIED
Rom 2:13 JUSTIFIED
Rom 3:4 JUSTIFIED
Rom 3:20 SHALL
Rom 3:20 JUSTIFIED
Rom 3:24 JUSTIFIED
Rom 3:26 JUSTIFIER
Rom 3:28 JUSTIFIED
Rom 3:30 JUSTIFY
Rom 4:2 JUSTIFIED
Rom 4:5 JUSTIFIETH
Rom 5:1 JUSTIFIED
Rom 5:9 BEING
Rom 5:9 JUSTIFIED
Rom 6:7 FREED
Rom 8:30 HE
Rom 8:30 JUSTIFIED
Rom 8:30 JUSTIFIED
Rom 8:33 JUSTIFIETH
1Cor 4:4 I
1Cor 4:4 JUSTIFIED
1Cor 6:11 JUSTIFIED
Gal 2:16 IS
Gal 2:16 JUSTIFIED
Gal 2:16 JUSTIFIED
Gal 2:16 SHALL
Gal 2:16 JUSTIFIED
Gal 2:17 JUSTIFIED
Gal 3:8 JUSTIFY
Gal 3:11 JUSTIFIED
Gal 3:24 JUSTIFIED
Gal 5:4 JUSTIFIED
1Tim 3:16 JUSTIFIED
Tit 3:7 BY
Jas 2:21 WAS
Jas 2:21 JUSTIFIED
Jas 2:24 JUSTIFIED
Jas 2:25 WAS
Jas 2:25 JUSTIFIED
Rev 22:11 RIGHTEOUS
Quien es mas macho: the justified man, or the man who is “freed” in the sense of being tremendously successful at being good? Which rings true: are you freed from sin, or justified from sin, in Christ? Which makes sense of the context of Romans 3-8? Mere justification is for little girly-men, right? Maybe, but does anyone know what a sinful girly-man you are in secret?
Not to get too weird here. The leanings of the vast majority of many Christian people is to downplay or ignore the great emphasis of the NT on justification, and to trumpet our newfound freedom from sin in Christ. Except, our freedom from sin doesn’t largely seem to be working. You might say, “my freedom from sin is working! I hardly ever sin. It’s these undisciplined other people that sin all the time.” Yes, that’s how this works.
There are so many problems with this idea, it is hard to know where to start. For one thing, if your personal holiness doesn’t include being a friend to sinners that haven’t got their repentance figured out yet, your personal holiness is just isolating you from the very people that Jesus DIED FOR. So it isn’t really so personally holy, because real holiness is based upon love and love is relational, and the only people you can relate to around you are sinners. Real ones. For another thing, and this is biblical, you’re lying (1 John 1:8,10).
However, all this pales to the fact that it completely misses the point of the gospel. Justification is way mas macho than any other idea, because it says that your real and present sin, your whole history, is not just forgiven. It is justified. Forgiveness implies that you ought to be fried in hell but God suspended justice and didn’t fry you. However, if justice ended up prevailing, you still know in your heart that you ought to be fried. Justification says, justice itself has been satisfied concerning your past, present, and future. It is eternal. It satisfied your very conscience, because it says the sentence has been executed. Justification is real freedom, even when your supposed “freedom from sin” ends up looking like Romans 7:15-24! Justification says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So you can count on it. Justification is mas macho every time. And thanks to my friend Terrell Dismukes for pointing this out. Terrell is mas macho!
Thank God. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that word freedom (forgetting about 1 john 1:8 as if we’re supposed to be perfect) and to now know it’s talking about justification. Thanks for this post Jim and thank you Terrell.
As old Martin used to say, Simul Justus et Peccator. We are far worse off than we think, if we truly appreciate God’s holy, perfect Law and demands for absolute and everlasting perfection. This requires very honest and critical self-appraisal.
I thank God almighty for salvation based not on merit but grace, through faith, in what Christ has done. As Tullian T. likes to say, “God’s acceptance of us is ulitmately contingent on Christ’s perfection, not our progress.” And I thank St. John for those powerful verses in 1 John 1!