March 1st, 2022 SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Romans 6:16-18, 22 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
We are enslaved to something or to someone; not by an outside force, but by our choice. Paul starts out by saying that we are slaves to whom we obey; either sin which leads to death (spiritual death and eventual physical death, separated from God) or righteousness. Simply said, we either obey our flesh, that part of us that is self-centered, or we obey the Spirit of God who lives in us. Before one comes to know God as His Lord and Savior, the only option for that one to is to live according to his flesh-to live with the goal of satisfying self. However, when one comes to know God as his Lord and Savior, he is made a new creation and is given a new mind, a new spirit and a new heart, and the Holy Spirit of God comes to live in him. That changes everything! When one is born again, he is made righteous in the sight of God and is set free from the power of sin. Here is the crucial point we must understand; a believer can choose to revert back to living according to his or her own desires, ignoring the Holy Spirit and ignoring the call to walk in righteousness. As believers, we have the power of choice; we choose who we present ourselves to; we choose who we will obey-either sin (the self-life), or righteousness. This brings us to the crux of the issue, and it amplifies why it is essential that we know our true identity as believers. If we do not know who we are in Christ (to be made new) or what it means to be in Christ, we will find ourselves trying to measure up to God’s word in our own strength-and that leads to defeat, frustration, and a legalistic mindset. As said above, God has set us free from the power of sin-that means that we can say no to sin. We still have an old sin nature that wars with our new spirit man, but we do not have to yield to the old nature as we did before we were saved. Galatians 5:16 makes it clear: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” So, if we sin, it is by our choice. We see now why Paul was reminding believers that it is critically important to understand that we are to present ourselves as slaves to righteousness, obedient to the Spirit who lives in us. If we are slaves to righteousness, we will enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. (Sometimes I fear that we have become accustomed to living with doubts, fear, worry, anxiety, and the such-which are sin.) What a blessing it is for us to be able to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness, walking in the ways of the Lord and living life as He designed.
Romans 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey the lust thereof: neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Romans 6:16-18, 22 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
We are enslaved to something or to someone; not by an outside force, but by our choice. Paul starts out by saying that we are slaves to whom we obey; either sin which leads to death (spiritual death and eventual physical death, separated from God) or righteousness. Simply said, we either obey our flesh, that part of us that is self-centered, or we obey the Spirit of God who lives in us. Before one comes to know God as His Lord and Savior, the only option for that one to is to live according to his flesh-to live with the goal of satisfying self. However, when one comes to know God as his Lord and Savior, he is made a new creation and is given a new mind, a new spirit and a new heart, and the Holy Spirit of God comes to live in him. That changes everything! When one is born again, he is made righteous in the sight of God and is set free from the power of sin. Here is the crucial point we must understand; a believer can choose to revert back to living according to his or her own desires, ignoring the Holy Spirit and ignoring the call to walk in righteousness. As believers, we have the power of choice; we choose who we present ourselves to; we choose who we will obey-either sin (the self-life), or righteousness. This brings us to the crux of the issue, and it amplifies why it is essential that we know our true identity as believers. If we do not know who we are in Christ (to be made new) or what it means to be in Christ, we will find ourselves trying to measure up to God’s word in our own strength-and that leads to defeat, frustration, and a legalistic mindset. As said above, God has set us free from the power of sin-that means that we can say no to sin. We still have an old sin nature that wars with our new spirit man, but we do not have to yield to the old nature as we did before we were saved. Galatians 5:16 makes it clear: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” So, if we sin, it is by our choice. We see now why Paul was reminding believers that it is critically important to understand that we are to present ourselves as slaves to righteousness, obedient to the Spirit who lives in us. If we are slaves to righteousness, we will enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. (Sometimes I fear that we have become accustomed to living with doubts, fear, worry, anxiety, and the such-which are sin.) What a blessing it is for us to be able to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness, walking in the ways of the Lord and living life as He designed.
Romans 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey the lust thereof: neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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