The Bible Echo, vol. 17
August 11, 1902
“‘How Shall We?’” The Bible Echo, 17, 33 pp. 261, 262.
BY A. T. JONES
“How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.1
How shall we? Can you tell? BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.2
Can a man live in what he dies of? When any person dies of any disease, can he live any longer in it?—No; that is why he died—he could not live any longer in it. BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.3
Having died of that disease, were he even brought back from the dead into that very disease, could he live any longer in it?—No; he would certainly and immediately die again. A person simply can not live any longer in the thing of which he has died. This is perfectly plain to everybody. BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.4
Very well, then, have you died to sin? Have you grown so sick of sin that you died of it? Have you grown so sick of it that you could live no longer in it, and so died to it? BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.5
If you have, do not be afraid; you can not live any longer therein. Were you even taken back from that death, and put once more in the presence of sin, you would certainly and immediately die again. You could not live any longer in it, when you were there before; and because you could not live any longer in it, you died; and if you were brought back to it again, you could not live any longer in it any more than you did before. BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.6
Remember, this is being sick unto death, of sin; not sick of a few or even many particular sins, while at the same time you choose others because they are pleasing to you, and become fat and flourishing on them. In this way you can live in sin forever, and then die in it, and then die the second death for it. BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.7
No; it is not sins, so that we can die to one and live to another, that are contemplated in the Scripture; it is sin,—sin in the essence,—so that when you die to it, it is death indeed to sin, in every phase and of every sort. Then, being thus dead to sin, you simply can not live any longer therein. The very presence of the thing, the very suggestion of it, is death to you. BEST August 11, 1902, page 261.8
And being thus dead to sin, the Lord intends that we shall not live any longer in it. And intending that we shall not live any longer in it, He intends that we shall live ever longer without sinning. BEST August 11, 1902, page 262.1
There is power in Jesus Christ to keep the believer from sinning. There is virtue in the grace of God to hold back the believer in Jesus from serving the sinful propensities and passions that dwell in the human flesh. Praise His holy name forever and ever. BEST August 11, 1902, page 262.2
“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” BEST August 11, 1902, page 262.3
Are you dead to sin? Then how shall you live any longer therein? BEST August 11, 1902, page 262.4