Section 17
cease to do anything at all. Passivity is dreadful. If you are passive, you will be cheated and de ceived. We should be neither passive nor too active, since neither our passivity nor our activ ity is of any value. What then should we do? We must see the facts, reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, present our members and our selves to God, reject sin, and cooperate with our God. We should not do anything on our own. Do not try to love your wife or submit to your husband. Do not try to be humble or kind. How ever, you need to reject sin. When sin comes to you with a proposal, you must say, "Sin, depart from me. I have nothing to do with you." Do not let sin continue to lord it over you (6:14). This means that you reject sin and turn to God and say, "Lord, I am Your slave. I want to cooperate with You. In the matter of loving I want to cooperate with You. I want to be Your slave. Whatever You do, I will follow You and cooperate with You." Do not be passive or active. Simply reject sin and cooperate with God. If you do this, you will not only be righteous, but also sanctified. You will undergo an inward, dispositional change.
The issue of sanctification is life eternal (6:22). Romans 6 concludes with sanctification unto eternal life; Romans 8 begins with the Spirit of