Radical Cleavage with Sin

In this part of the sermon: Martin reviews the previous day's sermon, reiterating the importance of sanctification as central to God's saving purpose and indispensable for His people. He defines…

Martin uses the analogy of a 'five-power telescope definition' for the Westminster Shorter Catechism's definition of sanctification, implying a concise yet powerful summary.

Yesterday morning, for the sake of those who were not with us, just this word of review, I tried to direct your thinking into a broad overview of the doctrine of sanctification, first of all by giving a declaration of its importance. We saw in our study of the scriptures that this doctrine is vitally important because the doctrine, the act, the work of sanctification is central in the saving purpose of God. It is indispensable in the saving activity of God, and it is necessary for the people of God, both for their safety, their comfort, and their usefulness. Then we made an attempt to define t...

0:02 - 1:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reviews the previous day's sermon, reiterating the importance of sanctification as central to God's saving purpose and indispensable for His people. He defines…

The relationship between justification and sanctification is described as 'foundation to the superstructure,' illustrating that true sanctification cannot be built without the foundation of justification by faith.

Then we concluded our study by trying to describe something of the relationship between justification and sanctification. And basically the relationship is one of the foundation to the superstructure. And any true biblical sanctification is the superstructure and it cannot be erected apart from the foundation of justification by faith. And so we looked at the similarities of these great blessings of grace and then we continued.

1:55 - 2:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into Romans 6 as the key passage to understand the nature of this radical cleavage, defining it as 'death to sin.' He contrasts the believer's former state of…

Martin tells a story of a man who is 'alive' to worldly pleasures (bacon, GTO, secretary, business) but then dies. This illustrates that before regeneration, a person is 'alive to sin' but 'dead in sin' (unresponsive to God), and after spiritual death to sin, they are no longer responsive to its allurements.

in sin means that I am alive the world the world the world of what is right and wrong and good and beautiful he says ye walked according to the course of this world the world and the engine of move say if you are here this morning by the course of this world that's an evidence of your death in the realm of sin according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh among the children of disobedience you were the dukes of the death he says in so doing you fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath the picture of all men by nat...

25:59 - 27:29 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section explains that the radical cleavage is entirely the work of the Triune God, not dependent on the sinner's sincerity or effort. Martin details the Father's activity in…

Martin asks children if they had to learn how to lie, say no to parents, or fight, contrasting this with learning to use a knife and fork or ABCs. This illustrates that sin comes naturally from within, without needing to be taught, demonstrating humanity's inherent inclination to evil.

I love, too, when I'm speaking to children, to get across this idea. I just say to them, now, you children, how many of you had to learn how to handle a knife and a fork? They all raised their hands. How many of you had to learn how to tie your shoes?

47:50 - 48:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Know that sin's dominion has been broken, and when allurements come, face them with the declaration that you have been severed from that realm by Christ's death and resurrection.

Sin is likened to a deposed king who still tries to assert authority. The believer, having died to sin, must carry a 'proclamation' (the truth of Christ's victory) and stick it in the face of sin, declaring, 'You have no claims over me.'

Then where that divorce has been genuine and the result of God's effectual work in the heart, it will always express itself in practical, demonstrable, biblical holiness and sanctification. He says, as you presented your members servants to unrighteousness, your servitude to sin was not theoretical or positional, it was actual and practical. So now, he says, present your members instruments of righteousness unto God in the awareness that sin shall have dominion over you. That's the last implication I would draw. It is necessary for the Christian to know that sin's dominion has been broken. For...

68:56 - 70:21 Read in full sermon