I could not find any answers yet to the questions I raised in v.6 and so I'm moving on to the next verse.
ο T-NSM γαρ CONJ αποθανων V-2AAP-NSM
For he who has died
………δεδικαιωται V-RPI-3S απο PREP της T-GSF αμαρτιας N-GSF
………has been justified from sin
δεδικαιωται: many bible translations have translated this word as freed, including NIV and NASB. The older translations like ASV and RV uses justified.
Is there a difference?
Maeghan
Huge difference to me!
ReplyDeleteTo be justified is to found innocent in a court of law. To be freed is to released from bondage, as will be explained in Ch 7.
Did our death cause God to find us innocent? Or did it leave a useless corpse in sin's hands? Sin still shackles our old man, but that man is dead. He cannot do sin any more service.
We have shed our old man like a butterfly sheds it's caterpillar body. We no longer feed on green leaves, but on the nectar of the flower. When we go back and try to chew on leaves again (by giving in to temptation) we are still not doing sin any service. We are just wasting our time.
Our old man is dead.
Still enjoying. Thanks for doing this!
To be justified is to found innocent in a court of law. To be freed is to released from bondage
ReplyDeleteWon't being found innocent cause one to be released from bondage?
Maeghan,
ReplyDeleteThe word 'freed' implies no attachment to our sin, while 'justified' implies no disciplinary action for our sin.
To be freed means there are no entablements as a result of our sin. To be justified means that there are no punishments rendered because of our sin.
I don't know the greek, so I can't say which is more accurate to this verse.
This is kind of like the difference between mercy and grace:
Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is not deserving what we get.
God Bless
Doug
I agree with DugALug, of course, but I think there is something a little deeper.
ReplyDeleteWhat did our death buy us?
I don't believe that our death with Christ bought us justification. Christ's death did that. Indirectly, yes, we can say that our death in Christ justifies us, but only indirectly. Christ had to take the heat of the Father's wrath. We could not.
Our death, however, directly buys us our freedom. We are not alive, and so we cannot be reached by our former master.
Thanks Doug, Codepoke,
ReplyDeletefor making it clearer for me.
Blessings!
Maeghan
Codepoke,
ReplyDeleteWe are not alive, and so we cannot be reached by our former master.
That is really eloquent. I may have to borrow that. Thanks for the cool thought.
God Bless
Doug