• "Death to Sin and New Life in the Spirit"
• Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity
• August 1, 2004
• The Reverend Stephen C. Scarlett

The epistle today (Romans 8:12-17) is taken from one of the more glorious chapters of the New Testament, Romans 8, which describes the new life and hope we have through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 begins with these words: "There is...no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

What is the law of sin and death? We all inherit what we call original sin. We are born with a corrupted nature-what the epistle calls "the flesh"-which leads us to disobey God. We all sin and we all experience the consequence of sin, which is death. It is a law because it is the inescapable pattern of fallen humanity.

What is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that sets us free? Christ's death atones for our sins so that we can be forgiven. And the gift of the Holy Spirit gives us a new nature. As we pray in Holy Baptism, "Give thy Holy Spirit to this thy servant that he may be born again." The baptismal gift of the Spirit fulfills the prophesy of Ezekiel, where God promised:

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses...I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances." (Ezekiel 36:25-27, RSV).

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to do the will of God. Our fallen nature led us into sin and death. The Holy Spirit leads us to obedience and life. Thus, the epistle says, "We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." We no longer have to do what the flesh tells us to do. We are free from slavery to sinful desire. We are free to do the will of God.

Now, in our culture when people talk about behavioral freedom they usually mean that they are free to follow their sinful desires, whatever those desires may be. They are free from moral rules. They are free from what they deem to be oppressive religious teaching. However, this is a deceptive freedom. Those who think they are free to do as they please are, in fact, slaves to their fallen natures.

For example, the man who is guilty of the deadly sin of pride is not free to be humble. The greedy man is not free to be generous or content. The envious man is not free to be thankful for his gifts and the gifts of others. The angry man is not free to love. The promiscuous man is not free to be chaste. The glutton is not free to practice moderation. The slothful man is not free to be diligent. As Jesus said, "Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).

The truth is that everyone's behavioral options are limited. Either a person is bound to follow the dictates of fallen human nature or a person is bound to obey God. The Christian is free from sin. But he is not free to sin. Fallen man is free to sin, but he is not free to not sin. Since sin leads to the consequence of eternal death and obedience to God leads to eternal life, it is the Spirit that gives us true freedom.

The epistle teaches us that we must wage war against the flesh to maintain freedom and live: "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye, through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

We mortify, or put to death, the deeds of the body when we confess our sins and replace old fallen patterns of behavior with new and life giving behavior. We put to death the deeds of the body by the practice of fasting and moderation-not allowing any created thing or entertainment to control us.

We put to death the deeds of the body by generosity and good works, by doing what is best for others from a pure heart and by working to be in love and charity with our neighbors. We put to death the deeds of the body by devotion to the life of prayer, as Ephesians says, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end" (Ephesians 6:18).

The epistle says we are "joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together." We suffer with Christ in the life of the Spirit as we resist temptation; as we are willing to endure the necessary pain of redemption; as we fight the good fight against the world, the flesh and the devil rather than taking the easy road of surrender.

We gather around the altar of God each week to remember that we are no longer fallen children of this world, enslaved to the corrupted desires of human nature. We are sons and daughters of God. We are born again in the image of Christ. We are heirs of the kingdom of God. We are free to do all such good works as God has prepared for us to walk in.

As Romans says, "You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (NKJ).