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bulb, water in a hydroelectric generator, or gasoline in an engine. It's a power. If you let it, it will control
you and you will sin (verb).
In the same way, Christ is your wind, electricity, water, or gasoline for righteous behavior if you will
believe He is and act like He is by faith. He, Himself, is the power in the Christian life. "But, I see a
different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a
prisoner of the law of Mr. Sin..." (Rom. 7:23). Mr. Sin, the "personage," wars, fights and seeks to control
your mind. But your mind does not want to be controlled by this power, so it fights back. In a war there
must be at least two sides represented and they must oppose one another. Otherwise the war would cease.
Mr. Sin is on Satan's side, so whose side is your mind on? God's (1 Cor. 2:16). Otherwise the war would
cease! You hate to sin, right? You like to get your human needs met (and that's not evil), but you hate to
sin in order to accomplish it.
The new man is a good person (saint) in Christ. Read the first eight verses of 1 Corinthians to discern
what Paul has to say about the Corinthians' true identity in Christ. He calls them "saints (holy),"
"confirmed to the end," "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus," etc. After reminding them of who they
are, he kicks the daylights out of them because they are not acting like who they really are. Can you see
what a difference this makes in motivating a Christian as opposed to berating him by constantly telling
him what a sorry, no-good sinner he is and how he is going to face an angry God someday? Folks, it's our
works which will be judged in the future, not our personhood (2Cor. 5:10) and God is not mad at the
saved. He took out all the anger He had against us on Jesus (Isa. 53). We'll either be rewarded or we'll
lose what we potentially could have won, but "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ" (Rom. 8:1).
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law" (1Cor. 15:56). The law is the source of Mr.
Sin's strength. To couple law with Mr. Sin is like pouring gas on a fire. This personage called sin needs a
law to aid it if it is to optimally control you. It "eats, breathes and sleeps" via the Law. "The Law is not
made for a righteous man" (1Tim. 1:9). Why? Because you, the righteous man (2Cor. 5:21), don't need it.
The lost man does (in order to show him his condition), but you don't. You now "have the laws of God
written on [your] heart and mind" (Heb. 10:16). God's ethical, moral law of agape is built into the new
creation. You desire to obey God. Choose to let that law control you and you will keep the
Commandments.
Jesus summed them up in loving God and others (Mk. 12:30-31). "But encourage one another...lest
any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of Mr. Sin (Heb. 3:13b). In this verse, sin is represented
as a personage which can harden you through deception. It's not talking about the deceitfulness of a single
sinful act, but of a power called sin which "wars against your mind" (Rom. 7:23).
"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against Mr. Sin" (Heb.
12:4). This is speaking of Jesus in the garden, not on the cross. He "sweat great drops of blood" as He
struggled against this power called "sin" which was trying to coerce Him into rebelling against the Father
God. But He won! And He continues to win in and through us if we, too, will learn that we are "dead to
Mr. Sin" (Rom. 6:11).
These are some of the verses in which Vine says the word sin is personified. As I have studied the
Word, I believe there are additional ones which he does not mention. In any case, it was exciting to
discover that a man of Vine's stature as a scholar testifies the power of sin is often personified in the
Word. What liberty there is in knowing that the rebellious, evil, hateful thoughts I experience are being
presented to my mind, not generated by it. By simply standing on God's Word and thinking, "Nope, I'm
dead to you, Mr. Sin. That's not my idea," and then acting "alive to God through Christ," I have victory
over the power of sin. Truly, "Mr. Sin shall not be master over you..." (Rom. 6:14a). When you act and
therefore live like you are dead to its thoughts and alive to Christ.
*****End of Lesson*****
you and you will sin (verb).
In the same way, Christ is your wind, electricity, water, or gasoline for righteous behavior if you will
believe He is and act like He is by faith. He, Himself, is the power in the Christian life. "But, I see a
different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a
prisoner of the law of Mr. Sin..." (Rom. 7:23). Mr. Sin, the "personage," wars, fights and seeks to control
your mind. But your mind does not want to be controlled by this power, so it fights back. In a war there
must be at least two sides represented and they must oppose one another. Otherwise the war would cease.
Mr. Sin is on Satan's side, so whose side is your mind on? God's (1 Cor. 2:16). Otherwise the war would
cease! You hate to sin, right? You like to get your human needs met (and that's not evil), but you hate to
sin in order to accomplish it.
The new man is a good person (saint) in Christ. Read the first eight verses of 1 Corinthians to discern
what Paul has to say about the Corinthians' true identity in Christ. He calls them "saints (holy),"
"confirmed to the end," "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus," etc. After reminding them of who they
are, he kicks the daylights out of them because they are not acting like who they really are. Can you see
what a difference this makes in motivating a Christian as opposed to berating him by constantly telling
him what a sorry, no-good sinner he is and how he is going to face an angry God someday? Folks, it's our
works which will be judged in the future, not our personhood (2Cor. 5:10) and God is not mad at the
saved. He took out all the anger He had against us on Jesus (Isa. 53). We'll either be rewarded or we'll
lose what we potentially could have won, but "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ" (Rom. 8:1).
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law" (1Cor. 15:56). The law is the source of Mr.
Sin's strength. To couple law with Mr. Sin is like pouring gas on a fire. This personage called sin needs a
law to aid it if it is to optimally control you. It "eats, breathes and sleeps" via the Law. "The Law is not
made for a righteous man" (1Tim. 1:9). Why? Because you, the righteous man (2Cor. 5:21), don't need it.
The lost man does (in order to show him his condition), but you don't. You now "have the laws of God
written on [your] heart and mind" (Heb. 10:16). God's ethical, moral law of agape is built into the new
creation. You desire to obey God. Choose to let that law control you and you will keep the
Commandments.
Jesus summed them up in loving God and others (Mk. 12:30-31). "But encourage one another...lest
any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of Mr. Sin (Heb. 3:13b). In this verse, sin is represented
as a personage which can harden you through deception. It's not talking about the deceitfulness of a single
sinful act, but of a power called sin which "wars against your mind" (Rom. 7:23).
"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against Mr. Sin" (Heb.
12:4). This is speaking of Jesus in the garden, not on the cross. He "sweat great drops of blood" as He
struggled against this power called "sin" which was trying to coerce Him into rebelling against the Father
God. But He won! And He continues to win in and through us if we, too, will learn that we are "dead to
Mr. Sin" (Rom. 6:11).
These are some of the verses in which Vine says the word sin is personified. As I have studied the
Word, I believe there are additional ones which he does not mention. In any case, it was exciting to
discover that a man of Vine's stature as a scholar testifies the power of sin is often personified in the
Word. What liberty there is in knowing that the rebellious, evil, hateful thoughts I experience are being
presented to my mind, not generated by it. By simply standing on God's Word and thinking, "Nope, I'm
dead to you, Mr. Sin. That's not my idea," and then acting "alive to God through Christ," I have victory
over the power of sin. Truly, "Mr. Sin shall not be master over you..." (Rom. 6:14a). When you act and
therefore live like you are dead to its thoughts and alive to Christ.
*****End of Lesson*****
