Slaves to God
Romans 6:12-23


Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! (6:1)

We were buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (6:4)

Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (6:11)

 

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Offer yourselves to God

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.


Under grace

14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.


Does grace promote sin?

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more… What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! (5:20-6:1)

You are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (6:14-15)


Four lies about law

  1. Legalism: Law is a ladder to God. Do good deeds to earn salvation.

  2.  Antinomianism: Law is bad. Ignore it. Do as you wish. Sin increases grace.

  3.  Ritualism: Focus on ceremonies, not on Christ or the Holy Spirit or love.

  4.  Civil religion: Your nation is God’s unique people. Force all citizens to act like Christians; ignore church problems.


Not under law

  • Declared righteous apart from law: We are right with God through faith in Jesus, who perfectly kept God’s law on our behalf.
  • Free from law’s covenant curses: Jesus suffered the curse and canceled our debt.
  • Empowered by Spirit, not law: The Holy Spirit writes God’s law on our heart, giving us the desire and the ability to obey.
  • Old rituals replaced: Old Covenant signs give way to New Covenant reality of Christ.


Who is your master?

16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Everyone who goes on sinning is a slave to sin. (John 8:34)


Fake faith

Faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter 2:19)

If we claim to have fellowship with him, but walk in darkness, we lie. (1 John 1:6)


The good old days?

Again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6)

They forget that they were not allowed to worship God together. They forget the slavery, the whips on their backs, and the killing of their babies.

Going back under sin's reign would be like freed slaves going back to Egypt. When you were slaves of sin, says Paul, what was that like? It was miserable, getting worse and worse, and it led to death.


Ever-increasing impact

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.


What benefit?

21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Comparing slaveries

  1. Slavery to one master means freedom from the other.
  2. Each slavery keeps changing us.
  3. Each slavery leads to a final destiny.
  4. One slavery is a wage; the other a gift.
Last modified: Friday, December 4, 2020, 2:45 PM