Living Hill Christian Church

God’s Grace in Romans

We saw from our last discussion that when we are born of God, we become dead to sin and freed from sin, but to live in this freedom we must know and reckon ourselves to be effectually dead to sin and alive to God, here we live free from the dominion of sin.

Then we hear the apostle continue;

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans 6:12

Observe the word “therefore” used here as a conclusion drawn from Romans 6:11 where he admonishes us to see ourselves dead to the old man.

The power to live above sin lies deep in our recognizing that we are regenerated and that nature of sin is no longer in us.

Many of us who have not seen this in scripture still submit to ‘I can’t help but allow so answer so sinful habit have me.’

Observe carefully this statement at the beginning of the verse, “Let not sin.” It is a command not to let sin have dictatorship in us, because we already have the rule over sin. We are the ones that consciously let sin have despotism over us.

We can renew our minds to who we are in the spirit and exercise our dominion over sin and all its lusts. This is why we hear;

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13

The same exhortation to not willingly yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness, for in the core of our being we are raised from the dead with the very life of Christ. And so we hear;

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14

This is where many of us have missed it. Before the apostle makes this outstanding declaration, he spent 14 verses of scripture explaining what it means to be born again; the spiritual reality that essentially materialized at our born again experience.

Then in respect of what has already happened to us; he began the verse with “For,” drawing conclusion or inference from the previous discussion.

He declares authoritatively that “sin shall not have dominion over you.” Then he gives an awestruck reason “for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Today it is the direct opposite that we hear being taught in many religious circles. They teach that grace makes for sin while the law keeps people from sin.

But the God of the Bible teaches that the law keeps people under sin but grace gives people dominion over sin.

The law was given to make people guilty and not to make anyone righteous (Romans 3:19), it was given to empower sin and not to empower righteousness (1Corinthians 15:56). Keeping people under the law is empowering them to live in sin.

Dispensing the grace of God to people shows them who they are in Christ and the free gifts they have received in him, which when they are without fear engage and ultimately exercise dominion over sin.

CONFESSION

I am born of God. The seed of the living God remains in me, therefore I cannot practice in sin. I have overcome the dominion of sin because I am under grace.

My life is a divine expression of the glory and excellences of my God. I live the victorious life through Christ, reigning over sin, sickness and devils. The grace life is the victory life that I live. Hallelujah!

PROPHETIC INSIGHT

In an encounter with the Lord, I heard “Mortify the deeds of the flesh and walk by faith. Quench not the spirit through your sensory perceptions for I am doing a work which only your faith perceives.

Remain unmovable; I am bringing you into the open campaign just as I have put on your heart. Your change has already come; the steady advancement is a voice of abundance. Your change is sure and the manifesting is progressive as the morning.”

Quench not the Spirit. 1Thessalonians 5:19

Blessings in Christ;
Pastor Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church

God’s Grace in Romans

We from our last discussion that we are crucified with Christ and the body of sin destroyed, therefore we are no longer to serve sin.
Then the apostle continues;

For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:7

Since our old man or rather our sinful nature died at new birth, we are indeed freed from sin right from the root. “We are freed from sin, and not free to sin.”

Because not many have the revelation that we are freed from sin they still serve sin. There is a big discrepancy between being “freed” and being “free.”

One time a man put a horse in a hedge where the entrance was often closed. Now the horse grew so used to being shut that one time he traveled for two weeks and left the door open, but the horse did not come out for it still thought it was shut in.

This is the same with many of us, we have being freed from sin but we have not realized that we now have mastery over sin, therefore, Satan still put many of us under the bondage of sin. Enjoying our freedom in Christ is not automatic but through faith and knowledge.

Until we see our death and resurrection with Christ as being effectual right now we will not enjoy our freedom.

Then the apostle continues;

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.. Romans 6:8-10

He says the same thing over and over to help us come to cognizance with the reality of our new life in Christ. In our spirits these truths are a reality but until we renew our minds to our spiritual state.

You see, Christ died once and was raised to life; sin and death no longer have dominion over him, even so it is with the Christian.

We died once to sin and are raised together with him into the newness of life. When we have not understood this, we think we are dieing to the old self daily. We think every day we are to die to the old self.

The old self is dead and gone (Romans 6:6), we only appropriate what has already happened to us in the spirit through daily renewing our minds to who we are in Christ. As long as we have not recognized these truths we will forever be subject to sin, hence, the apostle emphasizes;

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:11

Observe carefully the statement “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.” This is how the power of sin is destroyed in our lives. Through accepting and seeing ourselves delivered from the nature of sin and alive to God and not through condemnation.

We reckon ourselves dead and see ourselves alive with the life and nature of Christ as our own. When we know who we are in Christ, we walk in what we already have.

Confession

Gracious father, I thank you for liberating me from sin. I am indeed freed from sin and alive to God. I see myself raised from the dead with Christ and alive to righteousness.

Sin and death no longer have dominion over me. I died once with Christ, therefore, I refuse to be weak and I refuse to die. The life of Christ has energized my body; therefore I continually walk in divine health by the power of the Spirit. hallelujah!

Prophetic Insight

In an Encounter with the Lord, I heard “enter into rest dear child. What I have laid on your heart to do I have already done. I have laboured, and have only called you to the harvest. My works are finished from the foundation of the world.

Fret not yourself dear child, all things are made ready for you. Believe, come along and enter into your long-awaited rest.

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:3

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church

God’s Grace in Romans

We saw from our last discussion that we have been cut off from the old man, and now we have a new life in Christ and ought to walk in this newness of life.

Then the apostle continues;

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Romans 6:5

As already explained in the previous verse, if we have died with him, then there is no denying that we are already in the likeness of his resurrection

“…because as he is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17

The apostle restates this truth in this manner because even though these truths are already a reality in our born again spirits, we must have to know them before we can walk in the reality of our now spiritual states.

So he begins the following verse with;

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:6

Observe the statement “knowing this.” without knowing that we are delivered from the old man or rather the “sin nature” we cannot resist the temptation to sin caused by the body of sin or rather the residue of sin.

You see, even though the old man is crucified and gone, it left behind a programmed way of thinking which produces actions (Prov. 23:7).

Just as our spirits and souls leave the body behind at death, even so the old man left behind a body called “the body of sin” which is nothing but our old habits. Until the mind is renewed, until we see that the old self is destroyed we will still respond to issues after our former way of life.

The sin nature that produced sin in us is gone, this is why a man can be born again who was bound in a dirty habit and then he turns around and hates that very habit to the core. If we have two natures in us then this won’t be possible.

We could fight the actions but enjoy the sin right in the core of our hearts. We would be a people with dual personalities.

However, if it is just a way of thinking, we can only renew our minds through the word of God and those habits loose power and are gone (Romans 12:1-2).

This is pivotal as many teach that the believer has dual natures on his inside, the sin nature and the nature of Christ, making the Christian schizophrenic.

If our thought life is continually entertaining sickness, poverty, failure, and death; all we need do is to go to the word and get a word from the Lord which speaks of life, sow it and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Confession

Father, I thank you for cutting off the Adamic nature from me. I know that the old man is crucified and yanked out, and by my knowledge and response to your word, I crucify the body of sin. As I receive your word daily, my mind is changed continually.

I know that the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me; therefore he quickens and quickens my body, hence, I cannot by sick. I am under the law of the Spirit of life; therefore I confess that sickness, poverty, failure, and death are abolished in my life in the name of Jesus! Amen.

Prophetic Insight;

In an encounter with the Lord, I heard “Dear Child, I have drawn you to come forth with me on this prosperous journey. Can’t you see that I have been holding your hand all along? What you don’t know is that, beyond what you can now see, I have already reserved the blessed promise.

Do not ignore my urgings and promptings of love. I have laid off the yoke from you and have rather laid for you the bountiful blessing just ahead of what you see.”

“I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” Hosea 11:3-4

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church.

God’s Grace in Romans | Walking in Newness of Life |

We saw from our last discussion that to be born again is to be dead to sin, we cannot live in sin while we are born of God.

Then the apostle continues;

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Romans 6:3

This is not talking of our physical bodies but our spirits. When we received the son of God, our old man or rather the corrupted nature in Adam died, and we received the new man or the spirit of Christ. This is what this verse is saying (Ezekiel 36:26).

Our bodies and our souls are not dead with Christ for now; they can only be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2, Ps. 19:10). But the old man died with him.

The Apostle is not saying what may happen, but he is declaring what happened when we got saved.

Again a lot of us mistakenly take the word “baptized into Jesus Christ” for water baptism. Some even aver that water baptism is a means to salvation. There are many kinds of baptisms as seen used in the plural form in Hebrews;

Of the doctrine of baptisms…Hebrews 6:2

We have baptism into the body of Christ where we become members of his body and partakers of his life (Romans 6:3-4), then baptism into the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 5), and water baptism (Mathew 3:11).

All these baptisms have different baptizers. At conversion, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Jesus baptizes into the Holy Spirit (Mathew 3:11). And Believers testify to what happened to a man when he repented by the sign of water baptism (Mathew 3:11).

So Paul here speaks of us being baptized into Christ and completely severed from the old man.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Observe this last part of the verse; “even so we also should walk in newness of life”

This is saying the result of our death with Christ is that we are raised to new life, the God-kind of life, hence, we are to walk in the new life we already have on our inside. This is not to be understood as though it is something futuristic.

For the apostle clearly states that we have died with Christ, so we ought to see ourselves raised to this new life that we already have. Our Spirit man is already raised from the dead and seated with Christ in the heavenly (Ephesians 2:5-6).

When we renew our minds to these truths, the spiritual realities of God’s riches; the health, wealth, wisdom, power, righteousness, holiness, and all that God has given to us in Christ which are already in our born-again spirits start manifesting to the physical.

We start seeing who we are and what we have in Christ made manifest in our physical environment.

Confession

I am crucified with Christ and raised to new life. Like as Christ was raised to incorruption, so are am I raised to a life of deathlessness, fearlessness, and agelessness.

I walk in the new Spirit with new health, wealth, power, wisdom, and the fullness of God’s glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prophetic Insight

In an encounter with the Lord, I heard, “Beloved, resist the confusion, push aside the voices from the winds, these are coming because you are already walking on water.

As you have stepped out in faith on this you are already a success, for I will not allow you to sink. When you fail I will not fail you, therefore, you cannot fail.

My hand is already stretched forth to save, for your faith in me has pleased my dear one.

I am walking with you on this, what you can’t see is that I have spoken and blessed your outcome. I have not changed my mind, therefore, be strong, keep looking to me and stay afloat.”

Mathew 14:22-34

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church

God’s Grace in Romans | We Are Dead To Sin |

We saw from our last discussion that where sin abounds, grace superabounds. God’s grace reigns through the righteousness of Christ in us.

Then the apostle opens up something worthy of note:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Romans 6:1

I have had a lot of believers who use milk and are not skilled in the doctrine of righteousness use this scripture without rightly dividing it to taunt the hearts of new grace converts.

This misunderstanding has been dealt with in Romans 3:8; he dealt with it a total of three times in this epistle, in this place and in Romans 6:15.

The gospel is a testimony of God’s grace, if anyone says I am preaching the gospel and is never misunderstood for giving license to sin, then you have not begun preaching the gospel. You have limited the power of the cross by trying to rationalize God’s revelation.

Paul boldly preached God’s grace not minding the audience, whether gross sinners or sensible sinners to an extent people began to ask, Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Observe carefully that in this place he does not say ‘shall we continue sinning?’ but Shall we continue in sin.

There are three Greek words used in the new statement as it pertains to sin, “HAMARTEMA, HAMARTIA, and HAMARTANO” (Strong’s G265, G266, G264).

Specifically the Greek word “HAMARTIA” is a noun, while the word “HAMARTANO” is a verb. A noun signifies a person, place, or thing, while a verb denotes the action of a noun.

The word used in this verse is “HAMARTIA.” This is pivotal because in this place he wasn’t talking of the actions of sin but the sin nature. It was a matter of remaining in the nature of Adam or the old man.

Should we continue to live in the old man who is the source of sin because grace has come?

Observe his answer;

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Roman 6:2

Believers cannot live in sin because we are dead to sin. To be born again is to be cut off from the nature of sin, that nature that loved and produced sin in us.

We are a new creation in Christ Jesus, created righteous and truly holy (Ephesians 4:24). Therefore it is impossible for us to live there any longer. It is no longer in our nature to love to sin. We don’t want to sin.

Our body may still be weak because of the residue of sin it, but in the core of our being, we do not want to sin for that nature is dead and gone.

Genuine born again Christians are at war with our unrewewed minds and not a matter of living in the old self or the old life. All who have the seed of God in them though they may not have attained perfection yet, but they are falling forward;

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John3:3

What Christians are fighting against is not the inclination to sin but the unrenewed mind in us to which the body often obeys.

However, as we keep our eyes on Jesus, looking to him as our righteousness, we reign as kings over sin, devils and the world…

Confession

Thank you Father for what you have done for us. I am a son of God, fashioned after the last Adam, a life giving Spirit, out of my belly flow rivers of living waters manifesting the life of Christ before creation.

Righteousness, holiness, and power flows from me, bringing healing and divine health to everyone I touch. I am a living epistle of Christ, an embodiment of God’s glory in Christ. My life can only get glorious, Hallelujah!

Prophetic Insight

In an encounter with the Lord, I heard “It is all for the word dear Child. The enemy only desires to steal that which I have planted in your heart. Dear one, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the time of rejoicing has come.

I hold your hand and say unto you “rise my love; come with me on this my turtledove, kick off the fear, the season of shame has passed; and you are now in the moment of glory.”

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Blessings in Christ,
Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church