In order to fully grasp what Paul is telling us in the third chapter of Philippians we must begin to view salvation as a program that is bringing us to the resurrection from the dead, to the redemption of our mortal body.

The sixth through the eighth chapters of the Book of Romans tell us how to attain the resurrection to eternal life in the body. Every person who has ever lived on the earth will be resurrected sooner or later. It is not the resurrection itself that must be attained, it is the resurrection to eternal life in the body. This is the first resurrection, the resurrection toward which Paul was pressing with all his might.

If we would follow the thinking of the Apostle Paul we must learn to regard the Christian fight of faith as being for the purpose for laying hold on eternal life in the body.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:12—NIV)

Our goal as a Christian is eternal life in our body, not in our flesh and blood body but in our body that has been resurrected at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. This resurrection must be attained to. It must be attained to by laying aside all else that we may reach our goal.

We have stated that the sixth through the eighth chapters of the Book of Romans describe the path to the resurrection to life of the mortal body.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so grace may increase? (Romans 6:1—NIV)

In the preceding three chapters Paul had shown how we become righteous by putting our faith in Jesus Christ rather than by diligently obeying the commandments of the Law of Moses.

Since Paul's teaching could be interpreted to mean there is nothing we need to do to be righteous other than believe in Christ, that we may continue to sin if we like because we are saved by grace, Paul wrote chapters Six through Eight. These chapters reveal the true grace of God, not the prevailing Christian concept that we are saved by a mental assent to the facts concerning Jesus Christ.

Shall we go on sinning so grace may increase? Never! This would make the new covenant the Divine encouragement of sinful behavior.

By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:2—NIV)

What does this mean: "We died to sin"?

Does it mean we no longer have a sin nature? No. This would contradict the remainder of Chapter Six.

Does it mean we sin but God does not see our sin because it is hidden from His eyes? No. This would contradict the remainder of Chapter Six.

"We died to sin" has to do with our basic orientation to salvation, which is that our adamic nature has been crucified with Christ and our inward nature has been born of God, has been raised from the dead with Christ, and has ascended to the right hand of God with Christ. Therefore for us to continue in sin is to deny the position we have taken by faith.

To be continued.