Romans 6:15-23

                                                         Romans 6:15-23

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We don’t like the idea of slavery.  However, the reality of our lives is that we are all enslaved to something or someone.  We are either slaves of unrighteousness or slaves of righteousness.  There are consequences to the things we do with our bodies.  When we present our bodies to sin or to God the result is becoming a slave of sin or a slave of God.  The big difference is that slavery to sin leads to death while slavery go God to life.

SLAVERY TO SIN LEADS TO DEATH: The grace of God should never be confused as a license to live in sin.  It is by God’s grace that we are set free from the power and the penalty of sin.  When we offer our bodies to the practice of sinfulness, we demonstrate a slavery to sin that will only lead to death we have been set free from this by the grace of God.  We have been given a precious gift and must present our bodies to be instruments of righteousness in obedience to the Lord.

SLAVERY TO OBEDIENCE LEADS TO HOLINESS: When we present our bodies on the altar of the Lord and offer our members to His service, we become His servants.  This is not anything like a slavery to sin because it leads to holiness and life in Christ Jesus.  He has taught us how to live our lives to a new standard that reflects His character.  It is for our joy that we are able to live in this way because he has changed our hearts so that we can live up to His image as we were created to do.  It is always a matter of whom we present our lives to.  The way that we can be changed is by knowing we have been crucified with Christ, considering this to be true in our lives and then presenting ourselves to Him for His usefulness.

SLAVERY TO GOD GIVES ETERNAL LIFE: While slavery to sin leads to death and an eternity separate from God.  A life of salvation in Christ that leads to sanctification results in eternal life.  This is a life that starts in the here and now and stretches on into eternity.  Just as Christ rose from the grave, we too will rise in newness of life with new bodies that will never die and new hearts that will never sin.  Eternal life in not just about a quantity of life; it is about a quality of life.  It is the offer of salvation that leads to sanctification that will result in perfection for ever more.  The Gospel is a glorious truth that leads to a glorious life.

APPLICATION: Face temptation with the knowledge that we have been crucified with Christ.  Consider that truth to be true for us in every situation.  Present each member of our bodies to the Lord to do as He desires each moment of every day.  Recognize the dangers of sinfulness as it is enslaving.

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