The Old Man Was Crucified

The Old Man/Self: Who Died?

Stuart L. Brogden

I’ve become aware of some who say that Paul was referring to Adam being put to death in Romans 6:6, that the accepted understanding that Paul was referring to something in the Christian being put to death. Here is that verse, in the KJV: 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. The argument is that natural man’s federal head is Adam and our “old self” refers to our identity in Adam and Adam’s body was destroyed, not ours – we still have our old bodies! Here’s a quote from an advocate of this view: “It is in this sense only that it can be said that the body of sin is destroyed. It has not been destroyed in us, because as long as we are in this flesh, even as sinners made alive by the Spirit of God, the sinful nature has not, cannot, and will not change, Romans 8:7,8. The body of sin then is the legal condemnation of sin imputed in Adam to our account.”  

There is much in this brother’s statement that is cause for concern, the first is his use of Romans 8:7-8 to refer to the status of Christians. Here’s the larger passage, to provide some context:

Rom 8:5-9 (HCSB) For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Paul is contrasting unregenerate (those who live according to the flesh) with the redeemed (those who live according to the Spirit). In verses 7 & 8 Paul describes the condition of the unregenerate: hostile toward God, unable and unwilling to submit to His law, unable to please God. This is not how the redeemed are described in Scripture. We are reconciled to God, equipped by the Holy Spirit to will and to do what pleases Him (Phil 2:13).

The last statement leaves me wondering if the author is aware of the need for our own sin, in addition to the imputed sin of Adam, is worthy of condemnation and needs to be forgiven. He further wrote: “The old man (what we were in Adam), and the body of sin (the legal condemnation by imputation), are destroyed, Christ having borne it away in His obedience unto death.” The “body of sin” which needs to be dealt with is larger than “the legal condemnation by imputation.”

I think part of this brother’s error is his reliance on the KJV, without consultation of other translations. Here’s how the HCSB presents Romans 6:6 - For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin. Note that it is “sin’s dominion over the body” that must be abolished; “the body of sin” (as in the KJV) does not refer to a literal body (like man’s) but to a “body of evidence.” When this body of evidence is rendered impotent by the propitiating death of Christ, it no longer has power over us, having been nailed to His cross (Col. 2:13-14) and cannot condemn us any longer. In Romans 7:2, the wife whose husband has died is freed from the law (i.e., the law of marriage no longer has any power over her, in spite of what she may feel). A similar point seems to be made here.

Back to the “old man/self” that was crucified. The immediate context of Romans 6 sheds some light on this.

Rom 6:5-11 (HCSB) For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him. For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Note the tenor of this passage – personal, related to the children of God and their relationship with Jesus. We have been joined with Christ; our old self has died; sin’s rule is finished; we died to sin; we died with Christ; we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. If Paul meant Adam had died; how did that death reconcile us to Christ? Our relationship to sin must change in order for us to be reconciled to God. That is the focus of Romans 6!

A quick review of some of the other passages that describe who died to sin should clarify who Paul spoke of in chapter 6 and verse 6.

Rom 6:2 (HCSB) How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Rom 7:6 (HCSB) But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.

2 Cor 5:14 (HCSB) For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died.

Gal 2:19-20 (HCSB) For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Eph 4:17-24 (HCSB) Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Col 2:20 (HCSB) If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?

Col 3:5-11 (HCSB) Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

2 Tim 2:11 (HCSB) This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him.

1 Pet 2:24 (HCSB) He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.

There is no denial that we are twice-condemned: 1.) For the sin-nature we inherited from Adam and 2.) for the sin we commit. In being justified, the wrath due us for both of these was poured out on Christ. 2 Cor 5:17 would not be true if Adam’s death was meant in Romans 6:6 or any other of these passages. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. This is true for all who have been born from above! A new creation! Adam’s death didn’t bring us to that state; our death to sin and being made alive to Christ has wrought this.

In Romans 5, Adam is positioned against Christ. Nowhere is the death of Adam held out as our hope for peace with God. In verse 17, we see the condemnation that came from the one man’s trespass contrasted with the abundant grace we from Christ. Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. What is contrasted is consistently the condemnation of Adam with the righteousness of Christ, which is ours when we are given that faith to believe upon Him. Adam’s death plays NO PART in this reconciliation!

In all of these references, what the Spirit is pressing upon us is that a change has been wrought in us. We are no longer slaves to sin because we, being born from above, have died to that master. Just as another’s faith cannot save us, the death of another human (such as Adam) cannot redeem us. The life of the Christian is walked out in tension between who we were in Adam and who we are in Christ. All of the talk in these passages about us dying are exhortations to quit entertaining sin, stop submitting to that master. Read the Scriptures and ask yourself – who is being addressed? Who is the subject, who has “died to sin”? If you are in Christ, a new creation, that ought to be you! 

The Gospel in Romans

A few years ago I taught through the book of Romans. My notes from that teaching have been edited and put into a book which is a practical, shorter commentary on Romans. 

Here's a comment from the preacher/author who wrote the Foreword:

"I've just completed writing a forward to a commentary on Romans. I can honestly say my soul was immensely edified. I read it twice. I don't always agree with everything I read, but this work will bless you, and I am honored to have had a first look. When it is published, it's Scriptural soundness will fill your heart with surprise and overwhelming delight. It will show you more of the goodness and grace of God, and His Word will become to your heart increasingly precious."

Available on Amazon:

The Gospel in Romans

The Man in Romans 7

The Man in Romans 7

In order to rightly understand what Paul taught in the latter part of Romans 7, we need to understand how he described two groups of people earlier in this epistle.

In Rom 3 & 4, Paul is teaching his kinsmen of the flesh why being Jewish is not enough, how children of promise are true Jews. In Rom 5:1-5 he is teaching - again - how those Jewish Christians were reconciled to God: righteous in faith, rejoicing in Christ and our afflictions, grounded in love, and possessed by the Holy Spirit.

In what follows in chapter 5 is an ongoing contrast between unconverted Jews and converted Jews, with an abbreviated history of sin - contrasting the first and last Adams. Throughout this chapter, the redeemed are described as righteous, justified, full of grace, saved from wrath, reconciled to God, having eternal life. The unconverted are described as helpless, ungodly, enemies of God, dead in sin, under judgment, condemned. Quite a difference - worth noting.

Chapter 6 is a continuation of Paul's argument from the previous chapters, where he encourages the redeemed Jews (this is still his primary audience) are exhorted to walk in grace, not sin. These people are called dead to sin, joined with Christ, crucified with Christ, free from sin, alive to God, under grace, slaves of obedience and righteousness. He tells them - and us - not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, for, he says, "sin will not rule over you because you are not under law but under grace." (vs 14) We have new fruit resulting in sanctification and eternal life; we have a new master, grace - no longer slaves to master sin.

The unconverted man in Romans 6 has everything in common with his counterpart in chapter 5; he is in bondage and domination of sin, a slave to sin, ruled by death, obedient to sin, unrighteous, and ruled by sin; under law. This man is obedient to sin, under law not grace, a slave to sin - leading to death, weak in the flesh, morally impure, lawless, producing the fruit of death. Sin is his master, not grace.

The contrast between the unconverted sinner and the redeemed sinner is striking and it's consistent: the one man is fleshly and full of sin, under the law and breaking the law; the other man is full of the Holy Spirit, rejoicing in all things, dead to sin and the law, producing good fruit unto eternal life.

A couple of observations: contextually, Paul has been describing his kinsmen of the flesh. The man in Romans 7 is a Jew, even though all people can identify with the spiritual struggle portrayed. The pious Jew  would see God's law, instructions, Scriptures as good and holy even while he would be unable to comply with them.

When we then read about the man in Romans 7:13-24, who does he sound like? Let's look at a list:

vs 13: dead, sinful

vs 14: of flesh, sold into sin's power

vs 15 & 16: double minded

vs 17: full of sin

vs 18: no ability to do good

vs 19 -21: captive to evil

vs 22: he agrees, he knows the law of God is good

vs 23: he is a prisoner of sin

vs 24: he is a wretched man

While you and I see some of our Christian life in what Paul wrote about in this passage, it's clear that this man has nothing in common with the redeemed man Paul described in chapter 5 & 6; but he has everything in common with the unconverted man in those chapters.  The context of the epistle indicates Paul is describing a Jew, not a Gentile, and a Jew that is struggling under a law he knows is good but without the ability to obey from the heart and produce good fruit unto eternal life. The man in Romans 7 does not have the Holy Spirit, but he is of the flesh, captive to evil, a slave to sin, producing fruit unto death.

The change to present tense does not mandate the view that Paul has changed course and began talking about himself as a Christian. It may very well be nothing more than a literary device to make the plight of the man all the more gripping. He is in a very dangerous condition! Present tense does not mandate the view that this man is Paul as a Christian. The description of the man and the larger context of the epistle provide a more sure guide to interpret this passage.

As with all Scripture, we learn from this passage. But we have no more reason to insert ourselves into this passage than we do with Jeremiah 29:11.

If you disagree with this assessment, fine. I do not intend to argue about it here.

Romans 11:25-36 All Israel Will Be Saved

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This is out of sequence - looks like I left it out when I was posting these.

Romans 11:25-27 (HCSB) So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.  And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.

 

Last week we saw that Paul turned his attention explicitly to the Gentiles in the church at Rome. He argued that Gentiles have no cause of boasting, as it was grace that grafted us into Abraham’s spiritual promise just as it was for the Jews – perhaps more difficult for us as we were not in the covenant people to whom the oracles of God were given. Verse 25 continues in this thought, plainly revealing a mystery to us so we will not be conceited. The mystery, that had confounded many Jews and, no doubt, caused many Gentiles to get the big-head, was that the rejection of Israel was complete; it was a partial hardening. There has always been a remnant in Israel, the 7,000 who did not bow the knee to Baal, who were brought from spiritual darkness that enveloped the nation into the glorious light of Christ that all His redeemed enjoy. As with much of Paul’s use of the word “mystery,” here it does not mean something difficult to understand, it means something revealed that had been hidden. Jew and Gentile both thought national Israel was God’s chosen people, just as the Pharisees demonstrated – through trust in their flesh. The mystery is that most of Israel’s people were hardened and only a small number were reconciled to God. For from the beginning, God made clear that ALL nations would be blessed in Abram – not only national Israel. This partial hardening continues until all the Gentile elect – people from every nation, tongue, and tribe – have been brought into the sheepfold of Christ. As one commentator put it, “until all elect Gentiles come into Israel.” And in the same way, all Israel will be saved. What does he mean, “in the same way”? How are Gentiles saved? Paul explained to us in chapter 10 how one calls upon the Lord and is saved. In the same way means that those Jews who will be saved, the ones who were not hardened, will be saved in the same way as us Gentiles are saved. They will call upon the name of the Lord! Every one of His elect will call upon His name and be saved.

Paul then does what is fairly common in the New Testament – he cobbles together a “quote” from the Old Testament from several fragments that his audience would have been familiar with. Not a precise citation as we are accustomed to when we read books. He grabs part of Isaiah 59 (which has connections with Psalm14, Micah 4, and Isaiah 2) and Jeremiah 31. The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins. These were promises of the Messiah coming to redeem Israel. Paul applies these promises the work of the Spirit that was going on as he was writing to the Romans, and will go on until the full number – all Israel and Gentile – are saved. Those who were by nature captive to the sin we hold so dear will be liberated by the King of Zion. Freedom does not come from Sinai! This King will turn His people away from godlessness, take their sins away, and bring them into the New Covenant. All this action is of God. Our part is godlessness and sin. His part is to take those away and make us new creatures in Christ. 

Romans 11:28-29 (HCSB) Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable. 

Returning to his argument to keep Gentiles from getting self-important, Paul says the Jews, being partially hardened, were our enemies regarding the gospel – and this was for our advantage! Recall how in Acts 13 and 18 different apostles were rebuffed by the Jewish leaders and announced they were turning to the Gentiles. Recall how Jesus told the 70 to knock the dirt off their sandals if they were not welcomed in a town. Enemies of the gospel were used for advantages to the Gentiles just as the evil deeds Joseph’s brothers did worked to his – and their – advantage. But the remnant within Israel are beloved because of the patriarchs. This due to election, he says. Which tells us he is speaking of the remnant within Israel and not all the Hebrews. This is tied to the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know that Abraham is the father of all the elect (in him all nations will be blessed, if you belong to Christ, then you are indeed true descendants of Abraham, and are heirs in fulfilment of the promise. If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.) And these three men are tied together very tightly in Jewish and Christian theology. Note how Peter ties them all together in his sermon to Jews; and ties them to Christ. Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus. Acts 3:12 & 13 (HSCB) This identification is also found in Exodus 3:6 & 15; 4:5; Deuteronomy 9:27; 2 Kings 13:23; Matthew 22:32; and others. A quick survey of the key promises to each of these three patriarchs will show why they are tied together with more than a human bloodline. While only of one of them was named Israel, they are each and all together the foundation stones of that nation, which had Moses as its prophet and the faith that has Jesus as its prophet.

Promises Made

Abraham	Isaac	Jacob
Nations would be blessed – Gen 12:1-3	Nations would be blessed – Gen 26:3-5	Nations would be blessed – Gen 28:14
Father of many nations – Gen 17:1-7
Descendants would be as the stars in the sky – Gen 15:5	Descendants would be as the stars in the sky – Gen 26:3-5	Descendants would be as the dust of the earth – Gen 28:14
The promise was to his seed – Gen 12:7; Gal 3:16	Isaac’s seed would be blessed – Gen 26:24	Jacob’s seed would be blessed – Gen 28:14

Although there are some differences, and a critical promise is made to Abraham that is not given to Isaac or Jacob, we do see commonality in the essentials among these three patriarchs of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Each of them were heirs to the same promise (Hebrews 11:9), each of them knew what God had promised was better than the picture of the promise seen in Canaan (vs 16). Their descendants were numerous, as promised (vs 12) as YHWH counted the heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29). Fulfillment is found in Christ, not in the flesh. Through each of them the promised seed would pass.

Because of His promise to these three men, and because of His indelibly holy character, God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable. Abraham was called out of the post-flood mass of humanity. Everyone who believes is called of God to do so. I’ve mentioned this next passage several times during our study; it is a deep truth that we need to keep in mind: 2 Timothy 1:9-10 (HCSB) He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. See how this parallels what is found in our passage? God’s calling and gracious gifts are irrevocable – His purpose and grace were given to us in Christ before time began. God would have to deny Himself and be like a man in order to allow any promise to fail.

Paul shows us the other side of this argument. One side is all about YHWH – He is faithful, He will not fail. This side is about us – Jew and Gentile. Verses 30-32: As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed, ⌊resulting⌋ in mercy to you, so that they also now may receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may have mercy on all. Paul observes that we Gentiles once disobeyed God, meaning we were a law unto ourselves (chapt 1), hostile towards God (chapter 5). But now, as Paul was preaching and writing, Gentiles were finding mercy – God had turned His attention away from national Israel and was bringing Gentile sheep into His fold. As we’ve seen elsewhere, national Israel’s disobedience was the proximate cause, the reason identified, for the apostles turning to the Gentiles. Their house having been left to them desolate, the temple veil torn; first century Jews were without hope – unable to even pretend to keep their own laws. Having turned the temple into a den of robbers, they were now turned out of the temple. Their long string of disobedience appeared to be complete, but it was not. Hence the apostle’s insistence that God had NOT rejected them! And now that the Gospel is going out to the Gentiles around the world, Jews were and are being raised up and returned to the sheepfold of Christ. Both Jew and Gentile have long-standing histories of rebellion against God – it is our nature as men. In making this imprisonment known to them, those to whom God have ears to hear, He gives mercy in time of trouble, saving all – Jew and Gentile; those who are called.

Just writing this letter, proclaiming the glorious truths about God’s saving grace and mercy towards sinners in both camps, Paul brings out in one of the most God-exalting hymns of praise known to man.

Romans 11:33-36 (HCSB) Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

The vast difference between God and man are repeatedly shouted from the Scriptures. YHWH told rebellious Israel that one of their main problems was that they thought He was altogether much like them. Job was a humble man who refused to blame God for his trials and in a blast that goes on for 4 chapters, He questions Job so that he might better grasp the immeasurable distance between creature and Creator.

God’s judgments and ways are unsearchable – this means we do not imagine we can understand the whys of what God does: why does He save this one but not that one, what is the good purpose behind these horrible circumstances, how can life go on when loved ones die? As He made known to Job, He made known to Paul – no man can comprehend the awesomeness of God’s mind. We stand in awe of some bright people in our day. Mere men. Nations are dust in the hands of God – really bright people are like burnt-out light bulbs in comparison to Him. Our language does not have the words to provide a stark enough contrast!

When Paul spoke to the Oprah Winfry crowd in Acts 17, he told them God did not live in temples made by human hands as though He had need of anything human hands could do for Him. As he wrote to the Corinthians, For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Cor 4:7) All things are from Him, through Him, and to Him – meant to bring Him glory. This is how the apostle preached this idea to the Colossians:

Colossians 1:15-20 (HCSB) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased ⌊to have⌋ all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross— whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Dear saints, the praise due our God springs from the same overwhelming awe Paul experienced. He was not caught up in praise because every Jew would one day be saved. He was caught up in exultation because sinners from the Gentiles and Jews would be saved in his day and until the great day when He returns.