slaves to righteousness

Slaves to Righteousness

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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. – Romans 6:15-19 ESV

Men have always had a habit of twisting God’s words and using them to justify all kinds of ungodly and unrighteous behavior. And Paul knew there were those who would take all his talk about the law and our freedom from it to rationalize their sin. According to their false interpretation and skewed logic, they might conclude, if “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20 ESV), then it just makes sense to keep on sinning. Which is why Paul asked and answered the following question: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may about?” (Romans 6:1 ESV). And his answer was emphatic. “By no means!” (Romans 6:2 ESV). Because of our relationship with Christ, we have died to sin. We died alongside Him on the cross and we were raised alongside Him to new life. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin, but alive to Christ. As a result, we are no longer to allow sin to reign and rule in our earthly bodies. There was a time when we had no choice. Before Christ, we were hopelessly enslaved by sin, and totally incapable of doing anything about it. It was Jesus Himself who said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34 ESV). In describing false teachers who were having a devastating influence on the local church, Peter wrote, “They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you” (2 Peter 2:19 NLT). Peter then goes on to describe those who have accepted Christ as Savior, but who go on to allow their lives to be controlled by sin. “And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life” (2 Peter 2:20-21 NLT).

We are all controlled by someone or something, and we end up being slaves to whatever or whoever it is that controls us. Paul would have us consider that we are slaves to righteousness and, ultimately, as slaves to God. Rather than presenting our members (our bodies) to sin as instruments or tools to accomplish unrighteous deeds, we should present ourselves to God as “those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:13 ESV). We have a choice. There was a time when we didn’t. Paul describes our pre-conversion condition quite vividly. “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else” (Ephesians 2:1-3 NLT). But all that changed when we came to know Christ. Paul emphatically and eagerly states, “Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living” (Romans 6:17-18 NLT). And just as there was a time in our lives when we willingly submitted ourselves to impurity and lawlessness (disobeying God’s law), now we can willingly present ourselves as slaves to righteousness. And living as a slave to righteousness is what leads to our sanctification – our growth in spiritual maturity and increasing Christ-likeness. 

Paul gives thanks to God because all of this is a result of God’s grace. Even our ability to live obediently to righteousness is made possible by God. In the very next chapter, Paul will describe what it is like to do daily battle with his own sin nature. He presents an all-too-familiar portrait of the Christian wrestling with his desire to do good and his fleshly desire to live in disobedience to God. And then he cries out, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24-25 NLT). The answer to his difficulties and despair is Jesus. It is the gift of Jesus, made possible by the grace of God, that provides the freedom from sin’s power and control. This does not mean we won’t sin, it simply means we don’t have to sin. In fact, rather than sin, we can experience an increase in holiness, which is what sanctification is. Sin in our lives should lead to conviction. Conviction should produce confession. Confession should result in repentance. And our repentance should point us toward Christ-likeness, as we turn our back on the false promises of sin and the hope that is found in Christ.

1 Samuel 7-8, Romans 6

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The Reign of God.

1 Samuel 7-8, Romans 6

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.. – Romans 6:22-23 ESV

At this point in the story of the people of God recorded in 1 Samuel, we find them demanding that Samuel, their judge, appoint for them a human king. It wasn’t necessarily wrong that the people were asking for a king. God had long ago told them that this day would come. But he had also told them the kind of king they should look for. “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me, you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15 ESV). God had made provision for a king to reign and rule over Israel. But at this point in time, the demand of the people for a king really revealed their rejection of God as their true King. “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7 ESV). For years they had been rejecting God’s reign over their lives by continually disobeying His commands. Without knowing it, they were living under the rule and reign of their own sinful habits and behaviors. They were motivated by their lusts, driven by their passions, and controlled by their evil desires. And now they wanted “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5 ESV). In their minds, the answer to all their problems was an earthly king, not a heavenly one.

What does this passage reveal about God?

It is amazing how God had always made provision for these moments. He had predicted it would happen and it did. He knew this day would come because He is sovereign and omniscient. He knows all. He even knew the motivation of their hearts and what was really behind their demand for a king. So God warned them exactly what would happen if they got what they were asking for. He told them their king would conscript their sons into his army. He would amass for himself horses and chariots, in violation of God’s commands (Deuteronomy 17:16). He would force their daughters to work for him as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He would tax them beyond belief, taking the best of their fields, vineyards, orchards and flocks. He would even forcibly take their slaves and servants and put them to work for himself. In essence, the people of Israel would become slaves of their king. And yet, in spite of this warning, the people said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we may also be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

They were expecting from a mere man what they should have known was the responsibility of God. They wanted an earthly king to judge them and do battle for them. But that was God’s job, and He had done it quite effectively for many years. But they were dissatisfied with God’s reign over their lives. They had a better idea. They had a better solution to their problem.

In chapter six of Romans, Paul talks about the reign of God in the life of the believer. We were once slaves to sin, but have been set free by God and are now slaves 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” (Romans 6:17-18 ESV). At one time, our lives were marked by slavery to sin. We couldn’t help but sin. But because of Christ’s death on the cross, He was able to pay the penalty due because of our sin, and replaced our sinfulness with His own righteousness. He made us right with God. As a result, Paul encourages us, “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” (Romans 6:19 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

I am to live as a slave to righteousness, doing what it demands, not what my old sinful nature demands. It am to obey righteousness, not wickedness. Paul puts it this way, “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” (Romans 6:22 ESV). Ultimately, I am to live as a slave to God, willingly obeying His commands, and faithfully following the life of righteousness His own Son modeled. God is my King. He is my Judge. He is the Captain of the army of heaven. He is the one who is to lead me into battle. He is the one who is to direct my path and determine my destiny. And any time I try to place a new king over my life, I am essentially rejecting the one true King. Any time I turn to anyone or anything other than God to fight my battles or judge my life, I am rejecting the rule and reign of God in my life.

Father, You are my God and King. But I confess that I often reject Your rule and reign over my life by doing things my own way. Too often I appoint myself king of my life or I turn to someone or something else and allow them to direct my life. In doing so, I reject You. I even allow myself to become enslaved to sin at times, falling back under its spell and living as if I was under its control again. But Your Son died so that I might be free from the rule of sin and that I might live in obedience to the reign of righteousness in my life. Help me live my life so it reflects my submission to Your rightful reign as the King of my life. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Romans 6:12-23

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Free To Pursue Holiness.

Romans 6:12-23

But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. – Romans 6:22 NLT

For many of us, a life of holiness seems impossible or, at best, elusive. While we may acknowledge and even agree that our “old man” died with Christ on the cross, we painfully realize that we have an active sin nature that results in us doing those things we know are opposed to a life of godliness. The fact is, we still sin – sometimes on a regular basis. But Paul gives us the good news that “when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:7 NLT). His death broke the power of sin over our lives. So Paul reminds us, even commands us, “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to sinful desires” (Romans 6:12 NLT). Sounds impossible doesn’t it? Sin seems to come so naturally to us. We get angry. We grow impatient. We covet, lust, doubt, lie – even worship idols – at the drop of a hat. But the key word seems to be control. We are not to let sin control the way we live. The Greek word Paul used is basileuo and it means “to exercise the highest influence over, to control.” It was usually used to refer to a king exercising his power. At one time, prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, we were under the dominion and control of Satan and sin. We were slaves to sin. We were condemned by the law of God because it exposed our inability to keep its holy requirements. But Paul makes it clear that “sin is no longer your master” (Romans 6:14 NLT). We live under the freedom of God’s grace, which “has set us free from the law” (Romans 6:15 NLT). Prior to coming to Christ, we had no say in the matter. We were slaves, bound by the requirements of the law, but totally incapable of living up to its exacting standards. The law simply exposed our sinfulness and unrighteousness. It couldn’t save us, but could only condemn us. But Jesus did what none of us could do. He faithfully and completely kept God’s holy requirements found in the law. He lived up to God’s standard and, therefore, became a fitting sacrifice or payment for the sins of mankind. His perfect life made Him the perfect, blameless sacrifice. And His death paid the penalty for our sin and satisfied the just demands of a holy, righteous God. And “when he died, he died once to break the power of sin” (Romans 6:10 NLT). As a result, we should consider ourselves dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

We don’t have to sin anymore. We don’t have to live as slaves to sin, captive to its control and at powerless to resist its influence over our lives. We can do what is right for the glory of God. Yet many of us live as if we are still enslaved to sin. Why? Because we willingly choose to obey our sinful desires. We give in to our sin nature and its constant call to satisfy our own selfish, sinful desires. We become the slave of whatever we choose to obey. But we have a choice to obey God or to obey our sin nature. We can become slaves to righteous living, obeying the call of God to live holy lives, through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. But it is a daily choice. “Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy” (Romans 6:19 NLT). We must choose to obey the will of God for our lives. We must choose to say, “Yes” to the Spirit and “No” to the desires of our sin nature. It is a constant, daily battle. But it is one we can win, because we have the power of God at our disposal. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses” (Galatians 5:16-18 NLT). In other words, as long as you try to do what is right in your own strength, you will find yourself losing the battle with your sin nature. But if you rely on the direction and power of the Spirit of God, you will discover you have the capacity to live the life God has called you to live. You can do “those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life” (Romans 6:22 NLT). You don’t have to keep on sinning. You don’t have to live like a slave to sin. You will find that you have the power “to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Romans 6:16 NLT). You can be holy. But it all begins with a willing submission to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your life.

Father, the life of holiness is impossible – as long as I try to do it in my own strength. When I do that, it is just as if I am trying to keep the law of Moses. I find myself in the same spot as the Israelites, trying to live up to Your righteous standard in my own strength, and failing every time. I become a slave to the law again. But Your Son died to free from the law. I don’t have to do this in the flesh. My old man died with Christ on the cross. I have been given a new life and a new capacity to live differently. Help me to live in the power You have provided through Your Holy Spirit. Show me how to experience Your life-transforming power and enjoy what it means to live righteously in Your strength, not mine. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org