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#230 THE CURE SOUGHT AND THE LEPER HEALED 2 KINGS 5:9
"So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha." (2KI 5:9)
We have spoken about the little maid, about her sympathy for her master's sad condition, and the timely suggestion to her mistress that the prophet of Israel could effect the cure. Our text above tells us Naaman came to the house of Elisha, but let's consider how he came. He arrived with his horses, chariot, robes of purple, and there he stood at Elisha's door.
The Lord had prepared the way, and the hearts of those involved were able to accept the message of the humble maid. Remember, we are speaking of a man of authority, great riches, and great honor. He was accustomed to pomp and power, but he was a leper. Now he comes in all his affluence and stands before the door of Elisha's house.
His knowledge of the prophet of Israel came from a humble source; "And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel." (2KI 5:4-6) Naaman heard, he believed, and he acted upon the knowledge he was given, but he acted in the way that seemed right in his eyes. His understanding had not yet been illuminated or enlightened to understand the way of the Lord. He acted in the way of human reasoning, but he did by faith act upon the message.
Being as ignorant as he was of the nature, character, and power of this wonderful prophet, the king knew no better way to find him than what we read in 2KI 5:5-6. "And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy."
Notice who Naaman went to and who he was sent to. The maid's message sent him to the prophet of Israel, but he went to the king of Israel. Even though he was a leper, he went with a letter of recommendation from his king. He went with silver, gold, and a gift of luxurious robes to the king of Israel. We by nature have a tendency to think that we can accomplish salvation in our way by using human reasoning. That is not the ordained way of God.
Consider the servant of Abraham who went to fetch a wife for Isaac, son of Abraham. He found Rebekah, who was allured by the riches of Isaac, yet she had to travel through the wilderness to get to him. So Naaman, allured by the healing power of the prophet of Israel, traveled far to seek a cure; yet he knew not the ways of the Lord in obtaining it. He became a seeker of the prophet and the cure, but he used human reasoning in his search.
Naaman's first notion was that for silver and gold or robes of purple the king of Israel could affect a cure of that living death. His affliction was leprosy; it was death of parts of the body that could literally fall off while one still lived. It is a horrible condition. Now Naaman comes to the king of Israel as we read in 2KI 5:7. "And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."
At that time the king of Israel was in Samaria; they were living in idolatry. It never entered the king's mind to send Naaman to the prophet of Israel. He was in a rage; he thought the king of Syria sought a quarrel against him.
Seeking some way to merit salvation is the way human reasoning works; it is the natural way of man. It is also the way we think when we first realize we have the leprosy of sin. When God first places His finger upon us, the first effect is to try to obtain salvation by using human reasoning. We find an example in LUK 10:25, "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" It is as if by doing something we will merit eternal life. This is the first effect of working upon convictions of the leprosy of sin. The human reasoning has not been brought into subjection to the ways of the Lord. It is caused by a lack of knowledge and understanding of the ways of the Lord.
As we see, Naaman's blunder enraged the king of Israel and would have led to a disaster, but for the continual intervention of the Father who draws His own unto Christ as He seeks out His sheep. You and I make so many mistakes, but when the Lord begins a good work, he carries it out until the day of Jesus Christ. As small children learn to walk, they take a few steps and fall flat on their face. Likewise we stumble and fall, but the Lord intervenes so we don't work out our own destruction.
Naaman is before the king of Israel who believes he came to seek a quarrel. The king sent Naaman off to wait for his answer. He would have answered him roughly, but the Lord sent relief as we see in the next verse. "And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (2KI 5:8) Elisha has just made a prophecy! At this point no cure had been effected, yet the Word of the Lord to the king of Israel was to send Naaman to him, "and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." In other words, the cure will be effected. This also implied the Lord would also intervene when Naaman became enraged. When the Lord begins a work, He does not abandon it.
Naaman's first blunder was to go to the king of Israel instead of the prophet. Now we will see how he makes another blunder. He becomes angry when he goes to the house of the prophet, and again the Lord intervened. Look again at the words of the prophet; "let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." How will he know? The cure will be carried out; Naaman will not be allowed to go on and destroy himself by missing the cure because he used only his human reasoning. Watch now for the Lord's intervention.
This bold message was doubtless a great relief to the enraged king of Israel, and it was communicated at once to Naaman who was waiting a response to the letter from his master. Naaman was still waiting, and he had no knowledge of what what happening behind the scenes. He didn't know how enraged the king of Israel had become, neither did he have knowledge of God's intervention when the prophet sent word to the king in such a timely manner. The Lord responded before the king of Israel came out to disclose his response. That was timely intervention by the Lord.
Our text says, "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha." See the blindness of a natural man. Though he carried the plague of a living death in him, yet he must travel in great state. As of this time, he didn't know the meaning of humility. He realized he had leprosy, but it had not yet humbled him.
With grace it is the same. When we first come to the knowledge that we have the leprosy of sin, we are not immediately humble. That is the process of the work of sanctification of the spirit. This man, Naaman, was still traveling in great state; he stood before the door of Elisha as a rich and important man. He didn't come as a humble beggar before the throne of grace. He carried the show of all his earthly wealth with him.
Riches and honor are not evil in themselves, but it is necessary to get our priorities straight. Think about how hard it is to die unto self, sin, and all this covetousness; it means rejecting the things that give honor. They are the things which are close to the heart of natural man, but it is the process of the work of grace to die unto these things. It is not evil to be rich or to have a position of honor, but these things make it very difficult for the natural heart to give them over so Christ has first place. It is to love them less than we love Christ. We must see this in the example of Naaman.
We see this also when Peter was being reproved by the Lord. Peter had gone fishing to make that last big haul. The Lord had already called him, but Peter wanted to make that last big catch. He toiled all night but caught nothing. The Lord told him to cast his net on the other side of the boat. As a result of doing so, Peter had more fish than he could haul in. The Lord gave Peter his big catch, but see what the Lord told him in JOH 21:15; "When they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? [That is the key.] He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs."
It is not sin to have possessions and honor and a station in life that is pleasing. The question is, do we love Him more than these? Naaman did not have to give up his station in life. The Prodigal Son did. Naaman retained his position as captain; he kept all of his wealth. The prophet told Naaman to keep his gifts as in 2KI 5:16, "But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused," but Naaman became consecrated to the service of the Lord. That is what happened; it is the essential element that we must learn from the riches of Naaman. He had to get his priorities straight.
Naaman had to love the Lord more than these things. JOH 21:15a says, "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" In MAT 10:37 we read, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Do you love your possessions less than Him?
Let's consider how Naaman’s affection for all honor, and his rebellion must be broken. Naaman's affection for the honor accorded him had to be broken. He didn't have to lose the honor or the wealth, but he had to have them in their right place.
Naaman demonstrates faith in the prophet's ability to heal him; he acted upon that faith and went to his door for healing. That was an act of faith, but in itself it was not an act of saving faith. He could have done this and still missed the cure. He went to the prophet of Israel's door, but he had preconceived notions of how he would be healed; he was not yet ready to walk in the way of the cross. Saving faith means one is ready to walk in the way of the cross. Naaman was not there yet. Oh yes, he had faith and he acted, but all his preconceived notions of what constituted the cure had to be abolished and done away. He had to come to the point of accepting his cure in God's way.
2KI 5:9-11 says, "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha." Naaman obviously expected that his pomp and station in life as the Syrian general would make a distinct impression on this humble man of God. He had probably thought the prophet would come out and pay special tribute to his exalted rank, that he would make a careful examination of the symptoms and proceed with much formality of a special religious ritual to perform the cure. He expected special treatment because he was a general, but see what really happened.
"And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper." (1KI 5:10-11) Elisha never even came out to see him, much less accord him any special attention! The message was not what he expected; those preconceived notions of how the healing would take place were no where near the reality of the moment. It made him angry, so angry he went away. His desire for a cure was pre-empted by his expectations of a great and special treatment. Nothing was done in the manner he thought proper.
The Lord's ways are so much higher than our ways; His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts. The process of crucifying our flesh comes so totally contrary to our plans. Notice how the Lord again had to intervene or Naaman would not have been cured. The faith of Naaman up to that point was not saving faith. He would have returned home.
Naaman's military rank as a general naturally made him a proud man. Thus his natural vanity made him especially sensitive of being slighted by any person thought to be below his station. A humble man living in a humble cottage wouldn't even see him; he didn't pay respect to his station in life or esteem his visit in great honor. Naaman was highly offended. Elisha never even bothered to come out and address him in person. He sent a messenger with a simple message to go bathe in the Jordan River seven times and be clean. Was that the way to treat a dignitary?
He had expected special ceremonies to be conducted in such a manner that would give him self-gratification. Although he was a leper, he did not understand the leprosy of his depraved heart. Naaman was interested and took for granted that his self-image would be preserved. The Lord crucifies this idea of preserving our self-image. You and I must understand this. As long as we are fighting or struggling to maintain our self-image, we have not yet come to the way of the cross. Like Naaman, we are only standing before the door in total rebellion to the Word of God. The self-image of Naaman had to be crucified.
"Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God..." The Lord didn't grant him that honor. The Lord gave him the cure. Although he was a leper, Naaman did not understand the depravity of his heart; he was too concerned about his own honor. It is such a crucifying process as the Holy Spirit works grace in the soul. Seeing oneself as unworthy is hard to accept; it is difficult to come before the Lord and say, "I am not worthy." That is so different than standing there expecting special ceremonies and special rituals because of who we are. That is a tremendous lesson to learn here.
Now think of the shock to all his expectations, and what a rude blow to his honor he received from Elisha! The prophet would not even come out to see him, and he must receive such a humbling message from the mouth of a servant! It wasn't even from the mouth of Elisha. It was as if he wasn't given enough dignity to deserve being told in person.
Naaman's pride was so insulted to think the prophet had only sent a servant to tell him, "Go wash in Jordan!" as though all he needed was a bath! His problem wasn't that he forgot to take a bath. Naaman said, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." (2KI 5:12) Naaman did not understand what the prophet meant when he told him to wash and be clean. He thought the prophet was speaking of washing off filth rather than being cleansed of the leprosy. It is the same with being cleansed from sin. Picture Naaman as he turned and went away in a rage.
As the Lord works His grace in the soul, how often a person comes to a point where God must intervene or we would come short of salvation because of our human reasoning and desire for self-preservation. We have a determination to uphold our self-image. Therefore, to crucify the old man of sin is against our nature.
There is a blessed lesson to be learned from this part of history before us. In our search for salvation our natural inclination is to maintain our self-image.
Satan not only fools people into holding a high esteem for our worldly station in life, but he also puffs up professed Christians with the leaven of the Pharisees. We can become great in the eyes of the world which is as large an obstacle to salvation as being great in the world. We must love ourselves less; "lovest thou me more than these?"
MAT 16:11-12 says, "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." The doctrine is the one that wants to step over the humiliation process; they want a short cut that steps over repentance and the cutting off of the desires of the flesh. The doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees is one where self does not have to be crucified.
As the old man becomes crucified, spiritual lepers learn to understand their unworthiness as we see in the example of the woman of Canaan who came to Jesus. MAT 15:24-27 tells us, "But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
Jesus told the woman He was not sent to the Canaanites; you are not the ones for whom I came. You are not worthy. I came for the lost sheep of Israel. That is the lesson of unworthiness Jesus teaches every true, penitent sinner. This woman begged for help; she didn't have a pleading ground of wealth, merit, or anything else. Jesus told her she was a dog. Was she offended? Did she turn away in a rage? No. She said even dogs eat crumbs that fall from the master's table. Then the Lord heard her. That is why Naaman wasn't yet healed as he expected; first he had to see his unworthiness.
The way of the cross is not pleasant to the flesh. Even after the pruning knife of the True Husbandman has done its work, there is always plenty self-conceit which wants to spring up again. Even when pride and all manner of flesh have been pruned away, there is still a leaven of the Pharisee which sends up new branches that must be pruned. Pruning is a continual process if the vine is to bear fruit; it is done year after year.
There is, however, another most important lesson to be learned from this portion of the history. Naaman's great expectancy of external form and ceremony teaches the natural tendency to expect some long and laboured experience in being cured--overlooking the extreme simplicity of the method of salvation, i.e., believe and obey! Naaman had to believe all he needed to do was step into the waters of Jordan and bathe seven times to be clean. He had two requirements: believe it and do it. If he did only one, he would go home a leper. There is the simplicity of the gospel.
In PHI 2:13 we read, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Naaman had to become willing; his rage had to be taken away. Then he had to get down off that chariot and step into the water. He had to bow down under the water seven times, not six or six and one-half times. He had to obey; he had to demonstrate total submission to the will of God to enter into His service. Believing comes first; he would have never done this if he didn't do it. One cannot separate faith from the obedience of faith.
Now see how God worked in Naaman to make him willing to do His good pleasure. The great extent to which the church misunderstands this simplicity brings much delay in being cured of spiritual leprosy. Many people spend years laboring under the load of sin because they do not understand the simplicity of believing and obeying. Until a person obeys, they are not cured of the leprosy of sin.
Many are waiting for some special experience, a time when they have gained some extensive knowledge of the truth, or have spent much more time in prayer and good works with much self-imposed sacrifices and labours. Such people want to come through a special ritual; like Naaman, they have preconceived notions of how it will happen. They don't understand the simplicity of God's way, but they expect to do things according to human reasoning. Therefore, they linger under the leprosy of sin.
Naaman obviously came prepared to make great financial sacrifices, and to do whatever great thing the prophet might prescribe as a condition for being healed. The great insult was the simplicity of the cure! He was insulted to stoop to accept a cure as an unworthy beggar. He was prepared to do great things; as a rich man he had much to offer. ISA 52:2-3 says, "Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money." We are captives of the leprosy of sin, and we will not do one thing to earn salvation. We will not be healed until we learn that lesson. It is without money, without purchase, without merit that the gospel comes in great simplicity.
This simplicity of the gospel comes through so beautifully in ISA 55:1, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." The Lord will never punish a sin twice; if we have been redeemed, our sin has been punished in Christ. The Lord will not accept payment twice; if we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, then the Lord has received payment in full. That is why it is an offense to the majesty of heaven that we have any thought of having something which is meritorious. That is why there is only salvation in the prescribed way.
The simple message, "Go wash in Jordan," seemed to insult Naaman's dignity; he was to pay nothing, and he came prepared to pay much. He felt it was trifling with the seriousness of his case. So it is with men today, it seems too simple to say salvation comes to us as beggars. You can not buy it, you cannot earn it, or deserve it. But you can have it without money, without price, simply believe and obey the law of love. It comes free. That is the simplicity of the gospel.
Let's consider how the Syrian leper is cured when God worked in him "...both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (PHI 2:13)
In his pride and disdain for the ordained way, Naaman would have still perished in his leprous condition. EPH 2:4-6 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
God sent the word of the prophet to the king of Israel, intervening when Naaman would have turned away in a rage. See the beauty of the gospel how God intervenes.
In God's wise counsel He had chosen men of understanding to accompany Naaman; they marveled at the simplicity of the cure and gave good counsel. Imagine the contrast: Naaman is in a rage because of the simplicity and lack of ceremony while the men around him calmly counsel him to obey. 2KI 5:13, "And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?" In other words, because it is so simple, are you going to forfeit the cure?
In PRO 13:20 we read, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." It was wise counsel from the men with Naaman who saw the simplicity of the cure. It is easy to bathe in Jordan, why are you offended? This advice triggered Naaman's own logic; his servants didn't overpower him and drag him into the river. He was not forced to obey. He changed his mind. That is repentance.
His own logic confirmed good counsel, and with simple faith, Naaman gave up his own preconceived notions of salvation. He humbly submitted to the prescribed way and bathed in Jordan. We must approach salvation with the Spirit of Christ, with a mind and a spirit of humility; then we must obey.
2KI 5:14 tells of Naaman's cure. "Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." Naaman was not put under compulsion; he went of his own free will. Salvation is not forced upon anyone, but the Lord works in us to will and to do. The Lord used these messengers, the wise servants, to cleanse Naaman of his leprosy when he followed the ordained way. He humbled himself and obeyed. Isn't that what Jesus did? "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (PHI 2:8)
Now a believer in the God of Elisha, Naaman came to bring humble gratitude, joyful, and ready to consecrate his service unto that God. That is an example of saving faith. Now he believed in the God of Elisha and was ready to become a servant of that God. This is very important. It is salvation. We see this in 2KI 5:15-17, "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: [Now Elisha came out to meet Naaman.] and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel...[See how he consecrated his service unto the Lord in V:17.], thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD." When Naaman's heart was right, the prophet of Israel came out to talk with him and accept his desire to serve the Lord.
Compare that verse to REV 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." When the heart's door is opened, the prophet was able to come out to him. When our heart is brought into subjection to the will of God, He is able to come into our lives. Look at JOH 14:23, "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Now Elisha does not send a servant out to speak with Naaman; he comes in person because Naaman had obeyed. Now he had the presence, pleasure, and joy of the prophet. When we love Him, keep His commandments and words, the Father will show his love for us; then He will make His abode with us. We must obey first.
Remember the letter Elisha sent to the king of Israel; "Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (2KI 5:8) This prophesy was fulfilled in Naaman's declaration in 2KI 5:15,17, "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel:...for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD." What happened? Salvation came to Naaman, and now he has consecrated his life and service to the Lord. The prophesy of instruction of Elisha was also fulfilled; Naaman knew there truly was a prophet in Israel whose God could and did cure him.
Think how narrowly Naaman escaped missing salvation even after believing the message of the maid, and acting upon that faith. Not only was it grace that gave Naaman the message in the first place and faith to act upon it, but it was grace, upon grace, upon grace that he received the cure. He would have forfeited it even after standing at the prophet's door.
God demands the exercise of simple saving faith by sacrificing our pride, giving up all our favorite preconceived notions, and simply submitting to God's terms of salvation. God demands faith, submission, and obedience; and when the mind, i.e., the will, is dissolved in God's will He heals the leprosy of sin, but not until then. You and I can come before God as a leprous sinner, but until our will has been subdued and dissolved in God's will, we have not been cleansed.
The blessed lesson we learn from this history is that neither Naaman in in all his pomp, nor his letter from the king could change God's decreed way. He must submit to the authority of the Word spoken or perish. There are so many things in this life that we would like to barter, even a little bit, but that is unacceptable. The Lord wants the total, unconditional surrender of our will; our will must be in total submission to His will. Little sins are especially grievous to the Lord because they are little. The fact that we would offend Him for a trifle is so offensive. He wants our unconditional surrender.
These lessons are for those who have learned to see their leprosy, and truly desire to be healed. The terms of the gospel are so simple, yet far to severe for those who merely profess religion. They don't want to put family or anything else second to Christ. The test is: "...lovest thou me more than these?" (JOH 21:15) We may love our mother and father, we may have riches, we may have honor, but we must love Christ more. We must be able to sacrifice all these things if necessary for Christ's name. Then we may often have them.
JOH 3:14-15 says, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." How was Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness? He did it for those who felt the sting of the serpent, but there was a condition that went with it. When they looked unto the brazen serpent they were healed; if they didn't look, if they didn't obey that simple command, they would never be healed. As the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted up, we must lift Him up as the sacrifice, but we must look unto that sacrifice. That means to look away from everything of self.
If there was anything more required on our part there would be no gospel! "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (JOH 3:15) Believing is first and obeying is second. The men in the wilderness had to believe that looking upon the brazen serpent would heal them, but they also had to do it. If they failed either test, they would never have the cure. That is why Christ must be lifted up.
Naaman's cleansing was a great work. The power of the monarch could not accomplish it; the strength of the mighty warrior was not able to obtain it; the wealth of the kingdom could not purchase it. Yet it was done in a moment, through the exercise of simple obedience of faith. Every sinner needs the same remedy whether he be dressed in rags or in scarlet and purple. There is only one remedy, i.e., death to self and sin, and alive unto God and active in His service out of gratitude from a motive of love.
In ROM 6:8-12 we read, "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [Do you think the Lord Jesus Christ would come down from His throne in heaven to die on the cross to sin that we might live in sin? Use your logic.] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." There is the key to salvation. Die unto sin and self and the old man that dwells within and be alive unto God. There is the simplicity of the gospel. Amen.
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