This state of vanity and corruption was the result. of God’s will — deliberately subjecting the creature to the curse of evil against its own will: but in the hope of ultimately reclaiming what had been lost.
That which had been subjected in hope is also capable of desiring that reclamation. So Paul again uses descriptive words. ‘Earnest expectation’ means to wait with the neck outstretched in eagerness: not merely waiting; but expecting. This demands intelligent appreciation of the plan of God in waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.
He is obviously referring to an intelligent creature who knows his history as well as his destiny in assimilation to spirit nature. The beginnings of this history is indelibly written in Genesis 3. Notice how Paul summarised the punishment God had then inflicted. “Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return” had been described not merely as corruption, but as the bondage of corruption. Yet there are still other aspects of corruption: Physical disorders, diseases, mental disorders, virus invasion, bacteria causing imbalance; a host of things that cause acceleration of decay and putrefaction. Had man not sinned, the natural order would be still balanced against the setting in of corruption.
Our nature includes a principle of decay and replacement that from the first suffered no interference to upset its inbuilt balance. But this wonderful arrangement of God was subjected by the will of the Creator to that condition of things with which we are now only too familiar. With decay overtaking replacement, we are not only of the earth, earthy, but are bound to the earth through the exercise of God’s will. This is how I see the scriptural pattern. At least it is basic to believe that death came by sin (Rom. 5:12). in its wake came all its associated evils.
Change Of Nature Always God’s Purpose
It was always God’s purpose that man should anticipate equality with the Elohim. When Paul comments that man is of earth earthy, and that we now bear the image of the earthy; that as Adam was such are we: he adds “Howbeit not first the spiritual but the natural”. (1 Cor15:46) That this was God’s unchanged purpose with man both prior to and subsequent to sin is clear from that context. A spiritual change of nature is God’s eternal purpose.
Man Now Needs Deliverance
Man chose to follow the serpent’s reasoning and became a rebel. In association with sin and corruption there followed sorrow and affliction so that man no longer just requires change to become immortal: he needs deliverance. There is also an embedded problem of sin. The means of its eradication presents a much more complex problem than merely release from the bondage of corruption etc. But God dealt with it all through one person, His only begotten son, born under the same sin constitution order of things from which he himself needed deliverance.
Our minds sometimes boggle at the extent of the problem. Others over simplify it. But we must keep in mind that God chose to deal with the root cause of the problem first. That is sin. Christ died for our sins. He shed his blood for the remission of sins. He is the propitiation for our sins. We can multiply quotations, all dealing with the removal of sin. In dealing with sin God chose to emphasise the fact that the nature Christ shared in common with us needed deliverance from all the effects of sin.
Proneness To Sin A Problem
Although impulses to sin existed in Adam prior to transgression and though those same impulses exist in us, making transgression possible in each case; it is still true that we possess a bias or proneness to sin that was not evident from the first. Indulgence has the characteristic of inciting further indulgence. There is nothing wrong with satisfying appetite within the bounds of law; but once lawlessness was at first established it became the wont and rule of human nature. This is what Jesus resisted unto blood. God made him strong for himself. He overcame what overcomes us.
Scripture says that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. (Prov. 22:15). This same folly (Hebrew lvvehleth) corrupts (Psalm 38:5), is paralleled with iniquity and sin (Prov. 5:22-23), a rod of pride (Prov. 14:3), is inherited by the simple (Prov. 14:18), perverts the way of man (Prov. 19:3), to harbour it in the mind is sin (Prov. 24:9). It can be corrected through discipline if treated early (Prov. 22:15) but once established in the heart of a wanton man by foolish living is beyond correction. (Prov. 27:22)
The above exercise in tracing this word progressively through Proverbs bears out that all of us are born with a proneness to sin which if uncorrected becomes an insurmountable problem. We thank God that our Lord encountered and overcame.
Overcoming Temptation
By submitting to baptism we identify ourselves with the principles established in the death of Christ who died unto sin, recognising that God is righteous in decreeing that the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:10, 23).
Though Jesus was a specially prepared vessel and we are not; God will strengthen us provided we really die unto sin. Our minds and wills need to be made up with a determination to conquer. Then God will strengthen us and equip us for the contest. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (Jas. 4:7).
No. I am not teaching perfection in the absolute sense, for the Apostle Paul was more determined than most of us if not all: and he still had problems. Romans chapter 7 teaches us that, “When I would do good evil is present with me. I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
It is true that we need to be dead to be free from sin. There is not only a future release once for all involved in this in the anticipation of a change of nature, but there is promise of assistance now. We have died that we should henceforth not serve sin.
There is a dual significance here. ‘If we be dead with Christ we believe we shall also live with him’ holds promise now and in the future. But if we fail to live with him now there will be no future. If we do not groan, being burdened, or groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, there will be no redemption of the body for us. (Rom. 8:23)
Meaning Of Redemption
In Romans 3:24 and 8:23, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Heb. 9:15 ‘Apolutrosis’ is translated as redemption and means complete freedom by loosing. In Heb. 9:12, Luke 1:68 and 2:38 the word is Lutrosis meaning loosing.. Both of these are of late origin in the Greek language and are only used twice in the Septuagent version. (Ex. 21:8 and Zeph. 3:1). It appears therefore that the New Testament gives a new emphasis.
The idea of being bought is not involved in the word itself. Another term (Agoradzo) is used for that in relation to Christ’s sacrifice. (Rev. 5:9). Lutrow the verbal form of the word Lutrosis is used in 1 Pet. 1:18 where we are redeemed by the precious (Priceless) blood of Christ. Here the context suggests the connotation of buying: not the word itself.
Freedom or a loosing away from bondage or oppression is the force of the word lutrosis. Thus we patiently wait for the redemption of the body having been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. (Rom. 8:23). Redemption is also equated with the forgiveness of sins in Ephesians 1:7. Thus whilst we await the redemption of the body .we are privileged to have been freed from the bondage of past sins.
Was Christ Redeemed?
When we concede that Jesus was by nature as subject to death as we are (Rom. 6:10) (Psalm 102:24), and that in addition he was a sufferer with us from other effects of sin; and that the devil or source of temptation needed constant repudiation: when all this is seen there is built up a case for his deliverance from the nature with which he was born before perfect freedom was his. But we must add that although he was in need of deliverance as we are, the pre-determined death for him requiring his voluntary submission-was via the cross. We must also concede that it was via the cross because of our condition as sinners standing in need of forgiveness of our many transgressions.
Yet the cross provided the only means of a perfect demonstration of the repudiation of sin in himself. Upon this basis we also die unto sin, being identified with him. Christ and the sinner are entwined together inseparably in God’s scheme of redemption. Christ died for us — the sinner dies with him — and through an ultimate change of nature both are released from mortal bondage and its accompanying stresses.
Brethren quote Hebrews 9:12 and 13:20 to prove that Christ was redeemed by the shedding of his own blood. But it is obvious that it is not referring to Jesus as he stands alone. We are involved. The shedding of Christ’s blood only refers to the remission of sins. Its purpose is clearly stated in scripture. “This is my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins” and so on. Can you identify the author of the following quotation?
“To say that Jesus Christ was raised by his own blood is to speak the truth mistily, on an occasion when it required to be spoken very plainly. The statement of Paul that -Christ was ‘bought again from the dead by the blood of the everlasting covenant,’ is free from the mist pervading this pamphlet. We have only to ask who brought Christ from the dead, to see the difference. It was the Father who brought him from the dead. His blood did not raise him. The shedding of his blood was a corispicuous part of his obedience, and therefore prominent in the cause that led God to raise him.”
The writer of the above was Bro. Roberts in premeditated criticism of Bro. J.J. Andrew, and was not in the heat of debate. He was criticising one of his pamphlets. See ‘Resurrection to Condemnation’ page 8 by Bro. Roberts.
It is my opinion that the clearest testimony to the truth found in God’s word is in Psalm 31:5. “Into thy hand I comfit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, 0 Lord God of Truth.” The former part of this verse was quoted by our Lord at the very end of his endurance of the cross. Then he expired. The words that follow “Thou has redeemed me O Lord God of Truth” apply only after he had gasped his last breath. His obedience unto death was then a proven fact. Release from all pain and stress associated with human nature was assured.
“Be thou faithful unto death” is Christ’s exhortation to us, if we value the same release.
The Solution