Tenth Step of Sin
Death
By Dr. Jerry Lloyd
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
In Romans 3:23 God tells us that all have sinned. While some have sinned more than others and some sins are far worse than others, the fact remains that we all have sinned.
Romans 6:23 tells us that the payment for even one sin is death. While some have sinned more than others and some sins are far worse than others, the payment for all sin is death.
Death does not mean to cease to exist. This becomes quite obvious when you go to a funeral home. There lies the dead body. It often is essentially the same as when it was alive, physically, but there is something missing. What is missing is its source of life. So death is not the end of existence, it is separation from the source of life. The source of physical life is the soul. When the body is separated from the soul, the body is dead.
The source of the life of the spirit is God. When the spirit is separated from God, it is dead. That is called spiritual death.
No sin can be allowed into heaven because if one sin were allowed into heaven, then our resurrection body would die, and our spirit would be separated from God for eternity.
Therefore, Jesus took our sins off of us onto Himself. Then He died and paid for them, and He came back from the dead after having finished paying the wages of sin. Consequently, He did everything it takes for us to go to heaven. The only thing He requires of us is we must trust the payment He made. When we believe this, the spiritual and physical payment for sin has been satisfied. However, there are consequences of the sins we commit in this lifetime. That is, actually, the point of this verse. While we receive eternal life the moment we trust Christ as our Savior, that does not deliver us from the consequences of sin on earth. The context of Romans 6:23 make this clear. God leaves the subject of salvation at the end of chapter 5 and begins explaining the need of yielding to the spirit and saying “no” to the flesh in chapter 6. Then in chapter 7 He continues the intriguing, confusing, yet vital explanation of the battle of the two natures.
Dr. Jerry Lloyd
Outline with blanks
10th Step of Sin-Death
I-James 1:14-15
A-V14
1-The 5th step of sin which is Lust.
2-The 6th step of sin is temptation.
B-V15
1-The 7th step of sin is participation in sin.
2-The 10th step of sin is death.
II- Ezek. 18:4-“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
III-I Jn 5:16-“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”
A-There ___________ a sin unto death
B-Believers have a _____________ to help other believers defeat sin.
IV-Gal. 6:1-We have a responsibility to help _______ them.
V- I Cor. 5:5-“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
>Why not? II Thess. 3:14-To make him _____________
VI- James 5:19-20-“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;”
A-V19-It is up to ______________ to restore him.
B-V20-“Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”-If a sinning brother be converted it will save his ___________
VII-Ezek. 33:11 “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”
A-God does ___________ want people to die because of sin.
B-If we _______________ we will not die in our sin.
VIII-Ezek. 3:18: “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
Conclusion:
We are all going to die because of sin-either ours or someone else’s, but, if we continue in sin, we will die in our sin because of our own sin.
God does not want us to die because of our sin, so He has given His people the responsibility to warn the sinning brothers so that they will not have to die before their time.
Full Outline
10th Step of Sin-Death
I-James 1:14 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
A-V14
1-After (1) Hearing, (2) Seeing, (3) Thinking, and (4) Talking about sin comes the 5th step of sin which is Lust.
2-The 6th step of sin is temptation. When lust meets opportunity, that brings temptation.
B-V15
1-The 7th step of sin is participation in sin.
2-After participating in sin comes (Step 8) Slavery to sin, then (Step 9) physical deterioration.
3-The 10th step of sin is death.
II- Ezekiel 18:4-“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
>If we do not correct our sinful actions, we will die in our sin because of our sin.
III-I John 5:16-“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”
A-There is a sin unto death
B-Fellow believers have a responsibility to help other sinful believers defeat sin. (Prayer)
IV-Galatians 6:1-“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
A-A fellow believer can be overtaken in a fault.
B-We have a responsibility to help restore them.
V- I Corinthians 5:5-“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
A-This may require church judgment,
B-But he does not lose his salvation.
11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
>Why not? II Thessalonians 3:14-To make him ashamed
VI- James 5:19-20-“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
A-V19
1-A believer can err from the truth.
2-It is up to believers to restore him.
B-V20-Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
1-If a sinning brother be converted it will save his life.
2-It will also avoid a multitude of sins.
VII-Ezekiel 33:11 “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”
A-God does not want people to die because of sin.
B-If we turn we will not die in our sin.
VIII-Ezekiel 3:18: When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
3:19: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
3:20: Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
3:21: Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Conclusion:
We are all going to die because of sin, but, if we continue in sin, we will die in our sin because of our own sin.
God does not want us to die because of our sin, so He has given His people the responsibility to warn the sinning brothers so that they will not have to die before their time.
The Tenth Step of Sin-Death
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:14-15
These two verses were verses we used early in our series on the eleven steps of sin.
Reviewing the Steps of Sin
The first thing we see in these two verses is “every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” Remember, we started off learning in II Peter 2:7-9, that the first steps of sin are hearing or listening to evil, then seeing or watching evil.
The third step of sin is thinking about evil.
Then the fourth step of sin is talking about evil.
The above verse points out that the fifth step of sin, which is lust, is closely followed by the sixth step of sin, which is temptation.
Temptation, the sixth step of sin, is what happens when lust meets opportunity. When opportunity meets lust, then you have temptation. This is a very precarious position, because you have prepared yourself to yield to temptation by the first five steps.
For example, you can talk about wine and beer all you want, but alcohol will not affect your liver until you drink it. However, talking about alcoholic beverages increases the likelihood that you will yield to the temptation to indulge in drinking alcoholic beverages. Then after you begin to drink, the alcohol begins to affect you physically. “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
Remember after hearing, seeing, thinking, talking, and lusting about sin, the sixth step is temptation. There has been no acting upon sin yet, although the first five steps are sins in themselves.
Next comes the actual personal participation in the sins we have been considering for the first six steps. This is the seventh step of sin. When we choose to participate in sin, we have had six steps to choose not to participate in that sin. These six steps are sins in themselves, but the seventh step of sin is when we yield to temptation and, actually, actively, personally, participate in sin. This is spoken about in James 1:15.
This step is followed very quickly by the eighth step of sin which is slavery or addiction to sin. Even at the 8th step of sin, which is addiction to sin, it is very simple to break the bondage of sin. It is very simple, but it is not easy. It is simple. Just stop. Just say no. It is simple, but it is not easy. In fact in some addictions, it is not only extremely difficult, but it may even be deadly. It could cause your death. If you do not forsake that sin to which you have developed the habit, eventually, you will form a dependency to it, your body will begin to break down, and the end will, ultimately, be death.
However, first comes the ninth step of sin which is physical deterioration. That is the step when you begin to reap the consequences of your sin. To a limited degree you reap the consequences of sin when you first listen to or watch sinful things, but until you, actually, participate in the activity of the sin, the consequences are largely mental, emotional, and spiritual, but not so much physical. They do affect your outlook, and your ability to resist and defeat sin, however.
The 9th step of sin is physical deterioration.
The Tenth Step of Sin
Next we have the 10th step of sin which is death. The tenth step of sin is what happens when sin is finished with you. The tenth step of sin is death. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
We understand from Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death.
Simply Say “No!”
We learn the solution to slavery to sin in Romans 6:13: “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.”
In other words, say, “No” to sin.” Just say “No!” Say “no” to your earthly desires, and say “yes” to God. These actions are, actually, mutually exclusive. If you say “yes” to sin, then you are saying “no” to God. If you say “yes” to God, then you are going to be saying “no” to sin. Make no mistake, you do not say yes to God by saying no to sin. The world would have you believe that when you have a habit or addiction, just say no. Just stop. Well, you ought to do that, but it is a whole lot easier to do if you are saying “yes” to God. You see, God has other things for us to do to replace the sinful habit. Denying your sinful desires is, actually, a positive thing. It is not so much a stopping of doing some sin as starting to serve God.
Verse 19 says, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants.” (Remember what God said in verse 16? ‘Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?’)
So we see here that in the addiction to sin or slavery to sin we become a slave to sin when we yield to sin. There is a warning here.
Warning Believers
This is written to warn believers. In chapters 1-5 God gives a very detailed explanation of salvation, but now in chapter 6 God is explaining how to live the Christian life. He explains it by explaining the battle of the two natures. Here in chapter 6 God is telling us how to defeat sin and the consequences of sin. He is talking to believers here.
We love to use verse 23 of Romans 6 as we talk to the lost about the Lord, as well we should. We, usually, start our explanation of salvation by pointing out that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God from Romans 3:23. Then we point out the fact that the payment of our sin is death from Romans 6:23. That is the reason that we cannot pay for our sin. We normally think of this death as separation from God in the lake of fire. And so it is for the lost person. Then we find out in Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
However, those who use the “Romans road” jump over the clear passages in Romans chapters 3-5 where God explains that salvation is obtained by faith alone in Christ alone such as in Romans 4:5 where God says: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness,” and they go to Romans 10:9-10 instead which says nothing about what we must do to get saved. Romans 10:9-10 is talking about Christian responsibility. It is talking about confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouth so we can get other people saved. God leaves the subject of our salvation in chapter 5. Then he talks about the Christian life in chapters 6-8. After that God explains our responsibility to continually confess our faith to the lost so that our people can get saved.
Responsibility of the Old Testament Believers
In Romans chapter 9 the Jews had the responsibility in the Old Testament to reach the world for the coming Christ, and they failed.
Responsibility of New Testament Believers
In chapter 10 God explains that the church now has the responsibility to reach the world for Christ. That is why Jesus tells the Gentile church that they must confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus if the Gentiles are going get saved.
A Weird Mixture
It is really weird and out of place that people have mixed confessing out faith to the lost (witnessing) with faith alone without works. Works, such as confession, are necessary to get others saved, but we do not confess with our mouth to get ourselves saved. We believe to get saved from the Lake of Fire.
The Future of the Church
Then in Romans chapter 11 God tells us the future of the church. In the future, the church will quit sharing the gospel, and they will fail, just as Israel did under the dispensation of law. In view of the failure of the church to continue to share the gospel, God will take the responsibility, privilege, and blessing of witnessing for Christ away from the church at the rapture of the church, and give it to the 144,000 Jews during the tribulation, and they will effectively reach the unsaved world with the gospel, and a number which no man can number will trust Christ as their Savior under their ministry.
The Wages of Sin
We, usually, use Romans 6:23 as part of the explanation of eternal salvation, and it is right that we should do so, because the truth we are explaining with this verse is very true. However, that is not really the basic purpose for which this verse is written. The meaning of this verse includes the truth that the payment for the sins of the lost is spiritual death in the Lake of Fire, but God is in fact talking to believers who have yielded to the flesh and have become slaves to sin. So what will happen to a believer who continues to live after the flesh? They will die, physically, because of their sin.
Two Deaths
Death does not mean to stop existing, nor does it mean that you go to hell. Death simply means a separation from the source of life. You can go to the funeral home and look at a dead body, and it may be almost the same as it was before it was dead. However, it is very obvious that something has been separated from that body. Physical death is the separation of the body from the source of its physical life, which is the soul and spirit. When that takes place, it is dead since it is separated from the source of life. The body did not stop existing, nor did the soul and spirit. They have simply been separated from each other.
Spiritually, it is same. The source of spiritual life is God. According to Ephesians 2:1, before we trust Christ as our Savior, we are dead in trespasses and sins. Our spirit is separated from the source of its spiritual life as long as we are unsaved, even though we are still alive physically. What does it mean for our spirit to be dead? It means that our spirit is separated from the source of spiritual life, which is GOD. If an unbeliever dies physically while he is dead spiritually, he will end up in the Lake of Fire.
You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
However, God is not talking about believers here. Therefore, He is talking about physical death. Once you trust Christ as your Savior, you never have to worry about whether you are going to the Lake of Fire or whether you are going to heaven again. You never have to worry about whether or not you have eternal life again, because if you take God at His Word, then you can know that you have eternal life. I John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” God says that you can know that you have eternal life, so if you are not absolutely certain that you have eternal life, then either you think God is a liar, or you do not believe. God says that you can know that you have eternal life, so it is up to you to believe it or not.
I heard a fellow say on the radio, “You can’t have assurance of salvation without evaluating your life.”
Believers Can Die in Their Sin, Because of Their Sin
The fact is believers can die in their sin because of their sin. They can suffer sickness because of their sin, and they can experience physical weakness because of their sin according to I Corinthians 11:30: “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” God was writing to Corinthian believers, and many had died in their sin, because of their sin.
So when God writes that the wages of sin is death, while it is true that if you have not trusted Christ as your Savior when you die you will be separated from the source of spiritual life and spend eternity separated from God in the Lake of fire; if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you will never be separated from God by spiritual death. Yet this verse is speaking to believers. Therefore, this verse is warning believers of the possibility of physical death because of their sin. Death is a temporal consequence of a Christian who continues in sin. The spiritual wages of sin have been taken care of by Jesus Christ when He died on the cross and paid for sin. Romans 5:8 which is almost two chapters earlier than Romans 6:23 tells: “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is talking about personal eternal salvation from the Lake of Fire. Jesus paid the spiritual penalty for sin.
Romans 6:23 is talking primarily about the physical wages of sin.
Divisions in Romans
Remember, the first five chapters of Romans explain spiritual salvation from the Lake of Fire. Then in verse one of chapter six God leaves eternal salvation and moves on to the Christian life and the battle between the flesh and the spirit. This involves yielding to the flesh or yielding to the spirit. THEN for three chapters God talks about the battle of the two natures and how to live the Christian life. They are chapters six, seven and eight.
In chapter nine God begins to talk about Christian responsibility. In chapter nine He writes about the responsibility of the Jews in the Old Testament to share the gospel with the Gentiles. In chapter ten the responsibility is taken away from the nation of Israel and given to the church, which includes both believing Jews and Gentiles. Then in chapter eleven God prophesies the failure of the church to share the gospel, and tells of the removing of the church at the rapture because the church will fail to continue to share the gospel. So, God will remove the responsibility to share the gospel from the church and give it back to 144,000 Jews during the tribulation.
In view of that we can begin to see the context of Romans 6:23. In Romans 6:23 God is talking to Christians about living the Christian life, and, if we, as Christians, yield to the flesh, God explains what will happen.
Remember in chapters 6, 7, & 8 God is explaining the Christian life. In Romans 8 where God is nearing the end of His explanation of the Christian warfare between the flesh and the spirit God says in verse 13, “If ye (believers) live after the flesh, ye shall die.”
The Security of the Believers
Does that mean that we die and go to hell? We know better than that. If we believe I John 5:13, then we know that we have eternal life. So, if we die and go to hell, then we did not have eternal life. We were never saved, because we did not have eternal life. When we get eternal life, then that is going to last forever.
So the question arises, “When do we get eternal life?”
When Do We Get Eternal Life?
In John 3:16 God says, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have (present tense) everlasting life.” In John 6:47 God states, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath (present tense) everlasting life.” We have eternal life the moment we trust Christ as our Savior.
A great evangelist in North Carolina used to say, “All Christianity believes in eternal security. The question is, ‘When do you get it?’”
The nature of eternal life is it must last for eternity. The question is: “When do you get it?” When do you get eternal life? According to Scripture, we get it when we first believe, and, therefore, we are eternally secure from that time forward.
According to some denominations, you get eternal life when you die. The problem with that belief is you do not get eternal life when you die. You either have it before you die, or you will never have it. If you wait until you die to get it, it is too late. God says you get it now, or you do not get it at all. So, if you do it His way, then it works out real well.
Battle of the Two Natures
In Romans chapter 8 God is talking to believers who have spiritual eternal life when He says in verse 13 “For if ye live after the flesh…” God had just talked about the battle between the flesh and the spirit in chapter 7:18-20 where God says, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” All that is very confusing.
The point is, you have a flesh that wants to sin, and your flesh cannot do any good, but you have a spirit that cannot sin. Consequently, there is a battle between the flesh and the spirit. Which one is going to win the battle?
The one that is going to win is the one to which you yield and the one that you feed. If you yield to the flesh and feed the flesh God tells us in Romans chapter 6 that you are going to reap of the flesh corruption. Corruption means you age, you deteriorate, you die, and you rot. That is corruption. Everything is subject to corruption. Your wedding ring may be made of gold, but it is also subject to corruption. Rocks are subject to corruption. Marble buildings are subject to corruption. Everything deteriorates, because of sin.
A Dire Choice
That is what God is talking about in Romans 8:13: “If ye live after the flesh…” That is your choice, but if you do, you will become a habitual sinner. Furthermore, we are going to sin until the day we die. “If ye live after the flesh ye shall die.”
Now, we know that we are going to die because of sin, anyway. It could be because of Adam’s sin, the sin of your parents, the sin of your nation, or your own sin; but you are going to die because of sin. But what He is talking about here is that many Christians will die in their sin because of their sin before their time. Many Christians die before they live out the life God wanted for them, but because of their sin they died without bearing the fruit God wanted them to bear.
The Omniscience of God
God knew all of the time what you were going to do, and when you were going to die, but He has a plan for many Christians that they will never fulfill, and when they get to heaven and see the great things God had for their future, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There will come a time when many Christians will see that God had a wonderful plan for their life, but they cut it short because of their sin, and because of their disobedience.
Review the 9th Step of Sin
What is the ninth step of sin? It is physical deterioration-corruption.
“If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Being Mortified
“Mortify” means “put it to death.”
Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
We should be “mortified” to yield to the flesh. Yes, we are going to yield to the flesh throughout our life, but the thought of yielding to the flesh should mortify us. Instead of looking for an excuse, we should be looking for an escape. We should realize our weakness and be literally scared to death to yield to the flesh.
How to Mortify the Flesh
The application of this principle is found in Romans 13:14: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
In Romans 8:13 the rest of the verse says, “…but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” This is not just talking about living a little longer on earth, although it definitely includes that, it is talking about what we might call “really living.” IT IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING A GOOD LIFE. If in this life we mortify the deeds of the flesh if we say yes to God and deny the impulses of the flesh, note what we will get. We will get the fruits of the spirit which include love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, and faith here. When we decide stuff. Without implementing this formula we will never have love, joy, peace and the other fruits of the spirit.
How to be Prosperous and Successful
God promises in Joshua 1:8-9 that, if we apply the Word of God, we will get prosperity and good success: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Do you want to have prosperity and be successful? If you do, then study God’s Word, and do what it says there.
Good and Bad Success
Notice that God says it is “good success,” but there is a kind of success that is not good. You can be successful in the world, but God promises good success. One thing that makes it so good, is, not only will you have a successful prosperous life, but that prosperity will continue on for eternity, because you will gain eternal rewards in heaven.
Look at Ezekiel 18:4: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
The subject of this passage is a conflict the nation of Israel was having with one of its enemies. God was telling them that they were going to be defeated because of their disobedience to Him. They were going to be carried away captive, and many would be killed because of their sin or remain in captivity because of their sin.
The Trinity of Man
Your being is not just a soul and a body. You are made up of a body, soul, and spirit. What is the difference between the soul and the spirit? In the original Greek language there is a very distinct difference between the soul and the spirit. However, in the English Bible that distinction is not well defined. So let me explain it to you.
A tree has a body, but a tree has no soul or spirit. We have a body, also. We and the tree are both living things. We have a living body in common with a tree. Rocks, air, water, and land have no living body. However, while the tree may react to the sun, and the weather, and interact with its environment in a very limited way; it has no consciousness of its surroundings.
An animal has a body with which it interacts with its surroundings, but it is also conscious of its surroundings. Animals can show emotion. It has personality, because it
has intellect, emotion, and will. It has appetites and desires. Therefore, an animal has a soul as well as a body. That is one thing we have in common with an animal.
A lost human being is dead spiritually, but he can still react to his environment. He has intellect, emotion, and will. He can learn stuff. So can an animal. He can show affection. So can an animal. He can display fear. So can an animal. He is a living human person even though he is dead spiritually. That is the soul.
Remember, death means the separation from the source of life. So, the source of our physical life is our soul. That is where we decide stuff.
Spiritual death is separation from the source of spiritual life, which is God. So your spirit is that part of you that reacts or interacts with the source of your spiritual life, which is God.
Animals do not have that. They have no consciousness of God. I do not care how smart your gorilla is or how many words he knows in sign language, he has no consciousness of God.
So we have no communication with God or interaction with Him if we have not trusted Christ as our Savior.
That is the difference between your soul and your spirit.
In Ezekiel 18:4 what dies? “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
So God is talking about His people. If His people continue in sin, then they will likely die in their sin because of their sin before their time.
How did these people die? They died, because their nation went to war and was defeated.
The prophets had warned the children of Israel repeatedly that Nebuchadnezzar was going to conquer them.
Jesus’ Warning
Jesus warned the Jews of the New Testament in great detail of the signs and wonders that would come before their nation would be destroyed in A.D. 70. The Christians that heeded Jesus’ warnings left the city of Jerusalem before it was destroyed, when they saw the signs. They were not killed at that time, because they heeded the warnings. We should learn from their historical example, because if they were alive today, well, they would be really old. They, eventually, died, but they did not die in the same manner as those who had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and did not, therefore, believe the prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem. All those who stayed in Jerusalem were killed, or were carried away captive to die in the arenas or became slaves.
Present Day Application
The application is pertinent to us as well. When the judgment comes on our nation because of the abomination of homosexuality and the murder of our innocent children, we may not have to die like those who have participated in these ungodly sins.
So, if we correct our sinful actions, then we will not die in our sin because of our sin.
In I John 5:16 God says, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death.”
Who is God talking about here? He is talking about a brother. This is not talking about the lost. This is talking about a fellow believer. The point is there is a sin unto death. It is very important to understand this fact.
I have, actually, heard Christians say, “God would not kill one of His children because of their sin.”
Maybe not, but then God must have lied, didn’t He? Either there is a sin unto death, or God lied. Remember, when He said “The wages of sin is death.” He was talking about Christians.
Example of Ananias and Sapphira.
An example of this can be found in Acts when God records the judgmental death of Ananias and Sapphira. What had they done that was so bad? They had given a bunch of money to the church, and God killed them. What is so bad about that? They did not give everything that they were supposed to give. That was their sin unto death. It may be that your sin unto death is different from mine. I do not know, but there is a sin unto death.
Our Responsibility to a Sinning Brother
What are you and I supposed to do about someone that sins a sin unto death? We have a responsibility when someone else is living in sin. What is it? In this passage God says to pray for them.
God talks about that in James 5 where God says to call for the elders of the church, and they were supposed to pray over him, anointing him with oil, which was the use of medication, then he was supposed to confess his sin so he would be forgiven, and then he would be raised up and he would not have to suffer the consequences of sin at that time.
Why would God do this?
Look at Galatians 6:1: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
First of all, it is very clear that a believer can be overtaken with a fault. Secondly, it is the responsibility of us who are believers to restore them. How do we restore them? After they confess their sin, we pray for them.
Why is it that we are supposed to confront these things?
Sexual Sins of a Believer
I Corinthians 5:1 “It is reported commonly…” This is not something we assume, but it is common knowledge. We are not talking about a secret sin here. “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you.” Fornication is any form of sexual immorality. Fornication comes from the Greek word pornea from which we get the word pornography. Let us see what happened. “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”
Verse two says, “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.”
So what were they supposed to do about this?
Verse 5 gives us the command: “Deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
This verse is talking about a Christian who is committing fornication (sexual immorality). What must they do about it? They were supposed to deliver him unto Satan. They were commanded to remove him from protection and provision of the church.
Notice what happened to him. While his flesh would be destroyed if he did not get his life straightened out while he was estranged from the church, he was still saved. If he did not get his life straightened out, he would, eventually, die in his sin because of his sin, and then go straight to heaven; because his spirit is still saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. A person can die because of their sin, but that does not remove their salvation.
Biblical Command of Separation
What else are we supposed to do? God tells us in verse 11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother (a fellow believer) be a fornicator (sexualy immoral), or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer (that is someone who gets upset and yells at someone), or a drunkard (someone who gets drunk), or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” God forbids us from even eating with them!
“Shouldn’t we encourage them?” you might ask. “Aren’t we supposed to forgive them?”
Remember, forgiveness requires confession of sin. Before we restore fellowship to a sinning brother, if it is a public sin, then there must be a public confession, forsaking of that sin, and then restitution made. However, if they are proud about it like this fellow was, you are not to have any company with him.
Some have said, ”How are you going to win them? Shouldn’t you show them compassion, and forgiveness, and love? By shunning them you might hurt their self-esteem!”
Restoration of Fellowship
Logically, those things may work, but God has not commanded us to do those things, unless they confess their sin, forsake their sin, and make restitution for their sin. If they do those things, then we have no choice but to forgive them and TO RECEIVE THEM BACK INTO THE FELLOWSHIP.
Love Hate Relationship
God commands us to love, and what is love? In II John 6 says, “This is love, that we walk after his commandments.” So, what is God’s commandment concerning this situation? If you are going to love someone in this situation, then you must keep God’s commandments concerning their sin. If you do not keep God’s commandment concerning this sin, according to what God says in Proverbs, then we are hating them. God said that a father who does not discipline his child hates his child. That is what the Bible says. If you disagree with that, then you are disagreeing with God.
Why would God require us to do this?
The Commands of God
II Thessalonians chapter three tells us what the end results should be. What is the desired result?
Verse 4- “We have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.” Jump down to verse six to see God’s command:
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselvesfrom every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
In I Corinthians chapter five we have the sins that must be judged named. If a person becomes unfaithful to the church this is not a cause to separate yourself from fellowship from them. We are talking about particular sins that are listed in the Bible including fornication, drunkenness, extortion, railing, covetousness, etc.
In Verse ten of II Thessalonians 3 God says, “When we were with you, this we commanded you.” Notice how many times God tells us that He is giving us a command.
I heard one fellow say one time, “We live under grace. We are no longer subject to the commands of God.” Wrong.
Watch what God says in verse 14:
Shame on Him
“If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him.” What? Why not? Don’t you think that that might embarrass him? Notice the rest of the verse: “That he may be ashamed.”
If your attitude toward a brother who is a fornicator, or drunkard, or railer does not make him ashamed, then you are living in disobedience to God’s command concerning your relationship to the sinning person.
The Desired Results
Why does God command us to do this? Obviously, it is so that he will be ashamed and feel the guilt, but there is a higher reason.
In James 5:14 God tells us, “Is any sick among you?” This is talking about the physical deterioration that is the inevitable result of the ninth step of sin. “Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil (medication) in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another.”
Now look at verse 19: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth.” So it is likely that a brother can err from the truth. “And one convert him,” so it is our responsibility to do what it takes to convert him.” How do we convert him? We separate from him. Then when he calls for the elders of the church to confess his sins, and when he has confessed, forsaken, and made restitution, then we restore him. “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Avoiding the Judgment of Death
Notice that God is talking about the soul. He is not talking about the spirit. He is talking about physical death. Consequently, a believer who has been delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh may postpone his death if he gets his life straightened out. Now, that is not a guarantee, but it is a real possibility. However, once a person has damaged his health, it may be too late to turn the situation around short of a miracle.
“You could save a soul from death and hide a multitude of sins.”
Let us look at II Corinthians chapter two and see what happened to this guy that they delivered unto Satan for the destruction of his flesh because of his fornication.
“For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.”
Paul had had to deliver God’s command to separate this sinning brother, and it grieved him terribly. So now God has given Paul the privilege to deliver the message of forgiveness.
“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him.” When he has made his confession, forsaken that sin, and made restitution, then the church must forgive him.
“And comfort him.” So the church no longer shames him.
“Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.” So when this sinning believer has been converted, then the church has the responsibility to receive him back.
So what are we supposed to do?
Final Instructions
Look at Ezekiel 33:11: “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?”
God does not want us to die in our sin because of our sin. God does not want us to die in our sin. The problem is, if you are running around with that group, when the judgment comes on that group, then when the judgment comes, you will suffer with that group. God says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, so don’t feel rained on.
The Watchman
Now turn to Ezekiel 3:18-21. God is giving the illustration of a watchman on a wall. The judgment is coming. The opposing armies are in sight. The job of the watchman is to warn the people.
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”
We are all going to die because of our sin. That is the natural result of sin. However, in many cases, if we continue in our sin, we will die in our sin because of our sin. God does not want us to die in our sin, so He has given believers the responsibility to warn our sinning brothers so that they will not die before their time.
We have no responsibility to warn the lost of the coming temporal judgment. We are responsible to warn the lost of their impending judgment in the Lake of Fire so that they can avoid that judgment by trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior.
A Final Plea to the Lost
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you need to trust Him so that you can avoid the condemnation in the Lake of Fire. How can we avoid that judgment? We can avoid that judgment by trusting Jesus. Jesus took all of our sins off of us onto Himself. Then He died.
We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The payment for sin is death. Jesus paid for our sin. How?
“God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8.
What must we do about that?
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The results of believing is you can know that you have eternal life.
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life,” I John 5:13.
If you have never trusted Jesus that way to get you to heaven, then why not trust Him, now. You cannot make a mistake, because He is completely trustworthy.
Memory Verse
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15
What is the result of yielding to our own lusts (desires)?
“When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth __________ .”
When sin is finished with us, what is the final outcome?
“Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth _____________ .”
Our flesh has insatiable desires. Whenever our old nature experiences some form of sinful pleasure, it will always desire those things. When we yield to those desires, then we commit sin. As we repeat that sin, we very quickly become a slave to that sin. Slavery to sin, if not corrected, will result in physical deterioration of the body through the natural results of sin. Eventually, the ravages of the result of sin will result in death.
God does not want us to die because of our sin. God has, actually, left some of the chastening for the more severe sins, which He names in I Corinthians chapter five, to us as fellow believers. While we are forbidden from judging the lost except to determine if they are saved by what they say about their beliefs, we are commanded to judge the saved when they participate in sins about which God speaks in I Corinthians 5.
God chastens His children to spare them from the judgment with the world, but if a believer remains disobedient, He will miss out on the fruit of the spirit which includes love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22-23), good success and prosperity (Joshua 1:8-9), rewards and crowns in heaven, and position and responsibility in the Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ.
However, if we do not warn our sinning brothers, then the consequences are dire for both them and us.
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
Ezekiel 3:18
Memory Verse
“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
I Corinthians 11:30
The cause to which this verse refers was a form of sin. Because of this common sin in this church, there were three resultant consequences. What were they?
“For this cause many are __________ and ____________
among you, and many ________________ .”
What word indicates the frequency with which this happens?
“For this cause _______________ .”
The next verse indicates that these things were happening to the Corinthian believers because of the Lord’s chastening of them for their sin.
____________________________________________________________
Memory Verse
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13
What will happen if we live after the flesh?
“If ye live after the flesh, ye shall ___________ .”
If we want to continue to live, what must we do?
“If ye through the Spirit do _____________ the deeds of
the body, ye shall live.”
To “mortify” means to put something to death. To be “mortified” is to be scared to death. The point is, we ought to be terrified to yield to the flesh, because the natural results of doing our will rather than God’s is physical death.
______________________________________________________________________
Memory Verse
“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” I John 5:16
About whom does this verse instruct us to pray?
“If any man see his _________________ sin.”
Is it possible for a believer to sin and cause his physical death?
“There ______________ a sin unto death.
This verse shows us that we, as fellow believers, can have a significant part in helping an erring Christian get his life turned around so that he will not die because of his sin. However, there is a point to which a believer can go too far and will die in his sin because of his sin.
Memory Verse
“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
I Corinthians 5:5
This passage is speaking about a believer that was committing fornication with his father’s wife. This is the instruction to the church for such a gross sin.
What would happen to him because of his fornication?
“The ______________ of the flesh.”
What action were his fellow believers commanded to do?
“__________ _______ ____ ______ _______ ________
for the destruction of the flesh.”
Was this believer still saved?
“That the spirit may be _________ in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
____________________________________________________________________
Memory Verse
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4
What will happen to the soul that sins?
“The soul that sinneth, it shall ______________ .”
Man is a trinity made up of body, soul, and spirit.
The body is what we have in common with plants. They are alive, but they have no consciousness. The soul is what we have in common with the animals. We see, feel, move, are conscious of our surroundings, and react or interact with it. The Spirit is that part of us that can know and react and interact with God. Animals have no consciousness of God.
Our soul is the decision making part of us, and, when we decide to sin, the eventual natural result will be physical death which is the separation of our soul and spirit from our body. Spiritual death is separation of our spirit from God.
Memory Verse
“Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” James 5:20
As a child of God, we are forbidden from judging the sin of unbelievers, however, God commands us to judge certain sins of other believers. Why does God require us to judge the sins of a believer who is a “sinner”?
“He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way
shall save a soul from _______________ .”
If we judge the sin of another believer, what is the result?
“Shall _______________ a multitude of sins.”
So, if we, as believers, condone the sins of a brother in Christ, it will lead to shame of open sin and to their death.