Two Meanings
Paul begins in chapter 6 to lay out the steps we must take to proceed onward from our justification to our sanctification. I know of no road to be followed in Christianity that is more hidden from the general eye nor more important to every believer than how we are to carry on in our walk from justification to sanctification. The war we are to wage against our sinfulness is a hard one and needs to be fought with determination. It is altogether essential in our warfare to understand Paul’s phrase “dead to sin.” It has a twofold interpretation and it will help us immensely to understand both meanings. We will cover just the first one in this post.
Pertaining to Law
The term “dead to sin” is to be understood first of all forensically, that is, as a legal term pertaining to a court of law. “Dead to sin” does not mean dead because of sin, but to be dead as to the effects of law. God has the highest court of all, and just as He has pronounced the sinner guilty and sentenced him to death, He has also provided a pardon from the penalty. I believe Paul meant this to be the primary meaning of the two meanings. Remember, this is an argument as to why we should no longer continue in sin.
Death
Before our salvation the penalty of sin was upon us and this penalty was death. Just as under a civil government a criminal is often put to death for a crime and is removed from society for its protection, the same is true in God’s court. In God’s heavenly law, this sentence of death is upon the unrepentant sinner and he will be removed so God’s spiritual family will not be contaminated. It can be said of this person that he will “die for his sins”, meaning he will be executed for his crimes. But the meaning here in this verse means more.
Now imagine, this guilty person dies and God brings him back to life. He brings his body back and puts his spirit into this body and places him once more upon this planet to begin again. This phrase “we are dead to sin” could then be said of him, even though he was now alive from the dead. The phrase does not say he died for his sins. It says he is dead to sin. The two phrases have different meanings.
Rescued
We who have been sentenced to death, have only by the kindness of our Saviour been rescued from it. Sin is still as abominable to God now as it has ever been. It is as offensive to His eye now as it will be throughout all eternity. God’s hatred of sin is unchangeable and sin is not to be tolerated within the limits of His beloved family. God did so much to remove this penalty of death from us, we should want to put it as far from us as possible. That is Paul’s argument.
Free from the Penalty
Because of what Jesus Christ has done, we do not have to go down into the pit of death in the first place. Rather than having us die for our sins and then reviving us from death, Jesus Himself died in our stead. So we were freed from the actual execution of the sentence and so it can be said of us that we “are dead to sin.” That is, unto the penalty of sin. To die was our rightful punishment but this punishment was borne by another. So then, how shall we continue in sin, after an escape from its consequences has been made for us.
Christ’s Death
The meaning in II Cor. 5:14 becomes clear, “We thus judge, that as Christ died for all, then were all dead.” But we did not all personally die. We did die to the law, we died to its personal condemnation. Christ prevented the accomplishment of the sentence, not by reviving us and restoring us after actually dying but by preserving us from dying in the first place. He did as much for us by dying Himself as He would have if He had brought us back from the dead. Shouldn’t we then live no longer for ourselves but to Christ who died for us and rose again that He may infuse into us His new life.
Use
If the sentence of death had taken effect upon us, we would have all been outcasts from God’s family. Since sin is so hateful to God, it would seem strange that God would now just permit it. Sin is so bad that when it first entered our world, all who sinned were cast out from the favour and fellowship of God. God who loved righteousness and hated sin six thousand years ago, carries still the same love of righteousness and hatred for sin. Now a great Mediator stands between me and God, and He bore in His own body the vengeance of the Father and it is this alone that keeps me from being destroyed. Because of Him I can walk in the loving-kindness of the God. The death that He removed from me was expulsion from His holy family, how then can I continue in sin after being readmitted into His family.
