What is this power?
It is "...the power of sin that leads to death."
Romans 8:2
The second death:
Sin causes death. "...your body will die because of sin," we are told in Romans 8:10b, but scripture also tells us that after the earthly body dies, there is a continued experience of suffering called
"the second death."
Here is how the Bible states this:
“Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire.
This lake of fire is the second death.” Revelation 20:14
“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
"And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
Mark 7:48 (hell v 47) "‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’"
"I'm not a bad person" we might respond. But this power spread to all of us. And even unbelief causes condemnation. As you saw above, unbelievers were listed among those who find their fate in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. You will also see exactly what it means to be a believer.
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." Romans 3:23.
..."as it is written 'No one is righteous, not even one'" Romans 3:10
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed." John 3:17-20
People loved the darkness rather than the light. People love sin though it doesn't love us back.
"For the payoff of sin is death" Romans 6:23
In exchange for our love, (the Greek word there, agapao, means to love dearly), sin gives us death.
Why are we subject to the power of sin?
Sin entered the world through the first man, Adam, and spread to everyone. Adam was given the opportunity to sin when God equipped him with free will to obey Him or not. With free will comes the possibility for evil. Evil is a consequence of our freedom to choose.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” "Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners." Romans 5:12 & 19a
What is sin?
It is a result of our own desire.
"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:14-15
Sin is lawlessness.
"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness"
says 1 John 3:4
That there is lawlessness tells us there is law and that God has requirements.
There is a bit of history to know about the law because it really is His story, and His story is also your story. What I’m about to describe includes how God determined to reach you, though it does require seeking him as you’ll see in the following verse. The book of Acts describes why God determined your placement when and where he did in the timeline of history,
Acts 17:25b-28a says:
“He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us."
Originally, God gave the law to Moses for the people of Israel. God had chosen Israel to be a holy people and belong to him. He did this to keep a promise he had made to Abraham in
Genesis 12:2-3, "Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you,
and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse,
so that all the families of the earth may receive blessing through you.”
As you will soon see, you have access to this blessing given to all the families on earth.
This isn't just history. It applies to you now.
So why was the law given?
"Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ." Galations 3:19 -22
The law was also protective until we could be made right with God through faith:
"Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.
Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Galations 3:23-26
People became aware of their sinful condition through the righteous standard of God's law. Romans 3:19-20 explains "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." The law made sin evident so we became aware of our need.
But the law lasted only until
...the promised coming of the child (see Galations 3:19 above)
So how do we get free from the power of sin?
And what does the child have to do with it?