....to do it. We cannot actually be united to Christ and the world at the same time. We cannot have Christ for our husband, and at the same time be living with the world. But we can take the name of Christ and at the same time retain the sins of the flesh. But the law will not justify a person who does this,—who takes the name of the one man, and at the same time lives with another. The law of God does not justify us in taking the name of Christ, and in living with the flesh. Are we justified then in taking the name of Christ,—in saying that we are united to Christ, and at the same time in living in union with the body of sin? No, certainly not. Here again we find how the law is guarded at every step in this matter of justification by faith in Christ. Here every possibility is cut off for a person to say,—I am Christ's and Christ is mine, and no matter what I do, it is Christ that does it in me. No; that is not so. We cannot charge any sin to Christ; he is not responsible for any sin, for the law does not justify us in committing any sin. So we see that justification by faith is nothing else but bringing a person into perfect conformity to the law. Justification by faith does not make any provision for transgression of the law. But we will proceed to consider the case of those who have been unconscious of the claims of the law, while professing it. Paul speaks to those who know the law, and who make their boast in the law, and profess to exalt the law, and at the same time they are so blind to the requirements of the law, that they have thought they could profess Christ, and live in sin. It is not always those who profess to fear that the honor of the law will be lowered, that realize its claims to the fullest extent. Some have even preached the law, and have at the same time thought that they could live in the indulgence of the lusts of the flesh, while thinking that they were united with Christ. Now Christ has been set before us, and we see that we cannot be united to Christ and the body of sin at the same time. Then we say that we will give up that first husband,—the body of sin, and become united with Christ. But how can we get free from this body of sin,—this first husband? We cannot cause it to die by simply saying that we wish it were dead. The woman who has a loathing in her heart for her husband, because he is a brutal tyrant, cannot cause herself to be separated from him by simply desiring it. It is a good thing to want to serve Christ, if we have counted the cost, and know that we are sick and tired of the old life, and want to begin a new life, and live with Christ; for when we come to that point, we can easily find out how it can be done. Christ comes to us, and he proposes a union with us. That is lawful, because he is the only one who really has any claim upon us, and therefore while we are living in this base connection with the body of sin, he can lawfully come to us, and beg us to be united with him. But here we are united with this body of sin, and the law will not justify us in becoming united to Christ till that body of sin is dead. For note again what is implied in the figure of the marriage. When two persons are united in marriage, they become one flesh. This is a mystery. Paul says that it is: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." This is the thought that is held before us in this figure of marriage. For we twain—ourselves and the flesh—are so completely joined together that we are no longer twain, but one flesh, and our life is just one. Look back over your life and see if there is any time in it where you can see that it has been separated from sin. It has been a life of sin. Sin has ever been a part of your life. We have only one life, and that has been sin. Therefore, so closely have we been united with sin, that there has been only one life between us,—we twain have been one f lesh. Then the only way by which we can get rid of this body of sin,—which is one with us, is to die too. That is how it is that the apostle says,—that we are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. For that union with the flesh was really unlawful, and the law had a claim against us for that union. It will put us to death for that union. We are dead in Christ, and the body of sin dies also. In chapter six we read, "Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed." Christ in his own flesh bare our sins in his body on the tree. He takes our sins that they may be crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed. We consent to die. We acknowledge that our life is forfeited to the law, and that the law has a just claim upon us. Then we voluntarily give up our lives so that this hated body of sin may die. We loath the union with it so much that we are willing to die in order that it may die too. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Therefore as we die with Christ, we are raised also with Christ. But Christ is not the minister of sin, so while he will crucify the body of sin, he will not raise it again, and the body of sin is destroyed. Thus we rise, the union between us and Christ complete, that henceforth we should bring forth fruit unto God. "Now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held." What is dead? The body of sin! It was because we were united to that body of sin that the law had somewhat against us. Notice; God does not have any hatred against us. God does not have any desire to punish us, but he cannot endure sin. His law must condemn sin, and since we have identified ourselves with sin, so that we were one with it, in condemning sin, he necessarily condemned us; and so long as we lived a life of sin, that condemnation necessarily rested upon us. But as we have already shown, we have a choice as to when we will die, and we have chosen to voluntarily give up our lives to him, while we can have his life instead. When our lives have been given up to the law, the claim that the law had against us is satisfied, because now, the body of sin being dead, we are delivered from the law, just as the woman whose husband is dead, is loosed from the law of her husband, so that she can be united to another. But the same law that held her to that first husband, unites her to the second. So it is in this case. The same law that bound us to the body of sin, now witnesses to our union with Christ. Rom. 3:21. That perfect law witnesses to the union with Christ, and justifies it. And so long as we remain in Christ, it justifies us in that union, showing that union with Christ is conformity to the law.
