Romans 6 is showing us how we are to live differently because Christ set us free from the power of sin. In the first lesson we looked at how we have died to sin and are to live a new life. Our baptism represents this change as we unite ourselves to Christ. In the second lesson we looked at how sin is not our master. You have been set free and you have the choice to present the parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness. These teachings are given to us so that we would be empowered by the grace of the gospel to put sin to death in our lives. The apostle Paul has one more encouragement for us in Romans 6 to break the chains of sin in our lives. Open your copies of God’s word to Romans 6 and we will spend our time in verses 15-23.
The Truth (Romans 6:15-16)
In Romans 6:15 we see the apostle Paul return to the obvious rhetorical question that he used in verse 1. Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? Obviously not. Verse 16 contains the next key truth to bring about life transformation. Do you not know that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? In other words, our actions reveal our master. Our choices show our allegiance. You will notice that there are two choices. You are either a slave to sin which leads to death or a slave to obedience that leads to righteousness. This was the point that Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24 ESV)
This is a central idea in the scriptures. You cannot belong to the rule of sin and death and also to the rule of Christ. You cannot have your allegiance to both. You either are serving the Lord or you are serving sin. But what Paul is now going to do is thank the Lord that these Christians are no longer slaves to sin but are slaves to righteousness. What we are going to consider are the three points Paul makes to show how they have become slaves to righteousness and are no longer servants of sin.
Be Taught (Romans 6:17-18)
Notice in Romans 6:17-18 that the apostle Paul describes how they have changed masters. In verses 17-18 he thanks God that they used to be slaves to sin, they have been set free from and have become slaves of righteousness. How did this happen? What moved these people from being slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness? How were they set free from sin? Look carefully at the middle of verse 17. The apostle Paul says that they “have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” I want us to see two important points from this statement. First, they were given and they committed themselves to the standard of teaching. To say this another way, these Christians received the word of the Lord through the apostles’ teachings. They allowed themselves to be taught by God’s word. Second, they were obedient from the heart to that teaching they received. So we need to put all of this together. They used to be slaves of sin but have been set free and became slaves of righteousness because they were obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching that they received.
Friends, I believe we underestimate the power of the scriptures to change lives. I believe we underestimate the power of the scriptures to change our own lives. Further, I want us to see that the movement from being slaves to sin to slaves to righteousness was by receiving the teaching of God’s word and obeying that teaching from heart. The standard for changing our lives is not our thoughts or following our hearts. The standard for changing our lives is not by the philosophies and ideas of humans. The standard we need for life change is God’s word. Further, God’s word must be obeyed from the heart for this slavery change to occur. We do not move from being slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness by a confession or by a prayer or by saying some words. The movement occurs when we devote ourselves to God’s word and obey it from the heart. We will never be set free from sin and never have any life transformation for holiness and godliness if we are not letting God’s word to teach us and if we are not obeying it when we hear it. Obedience from the heart, the desire to obey, comes from wanting to be free from sin’s power over us and responding to God’s mercy and grace.
See The Fruit (Romans 6:19)
The second point Paul wants us to see to empower us to break these chains of sin is to see the fruit of our lives. In Romans 6:19 Paul reminds us what happens when we present our bodies to our master. When we present our bodies as slaves to impurity, the result was lawlessness leading to more lawlessness. When we give ourselves to sin, sin leads to more sin. Wickedness leads to more wickedness. We can so easily miss that this is the power of sin. Sin does not stop where it is at. Sin always goes deeper. Sin always becomes more frequent and more depraved. Sexual immorality will only get worse and more perverse. Deception will only get worse and more perverse. Jealousy, envy, and malice will only get worse and more perverse. Sin never stops where it is at. It always leads to more and more sin. There is no such thing as giving in “this one time.” Giving in one time ignites the fire of desire within us again and will lead to more and more lawlessness. Do not be deceived. Sin only gives birth to more sin.
But there is good news for this battle. In verse 19 the apostle Paul also says that when we present our bodes and slaves to righteousness, this will lead to holiness. Giving ourselves over to righteousness develops a pattern to continue to live holy lives. Controlling our sinful anger today will set the table for controlling our anger tomorrow. Being pure today prepares our minds and bodies to be pure tomorrow. We are people of habit. We can set good habits that leads us on the paths of righteousness and holiness or on the paths of sin leading to more wickedness. The apostle Paul wants us to see this important truth. Sinning today will not make it easier to not sin tomorrow. Sinning today will make it easier to sin tomorrow and tomorrow’s sin will lead to more and more wickedness. Our decision today bears fruit: more sin and more holiness. Choosing sin is not a one and done decision. We must form habits of holiness because we have been set free from sin.
See The Benefit (Romans 6:20-23)
The third point the apostle Paul makes is to consider the benefits of sin and the benefits of righteousness. I want us to compare what we think the benefits of sin are to what Paul says the benefits of sin truly are. Look at verse 21. What was the benefit you received from the sins you were committing? What fruit were you getting? What do you have to show for the sins you have committed? You will notice that one “benefit” is stated: “of which you are now ashamed.” One of the “benefits” we receive from being slaves to sin is guilt. The fruit we receive from choosing sin is shame. What we often miss is that there is no lasting positive to the life of sin. Whatever we give ourselves over to has no lasting positive benefit. The lasting fruit we receive is guilt and shame. Worse, the final “benefit” we receive from our sins is eternal death. There is no lasting good that we are receiving from being slaves to sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin has only one payment: death. There is nothing good coming to us for choosing to let sin rule over us.
But notice the contrast in verse 22. The fruit of being set free from sin and becoming slaves to God is holiness leading to eternal life. There are positive lasting benefits for giving our lives over to the Lord and following him. God is telling us that you will have a better life now and you will eternal life in the end. It is a better life to not have to live with guilt and shame. It is a better life to enjoy having a pure life that is not enslaved and captured by the desires of the flesh. It is a better life to enjoy by having a pure heart so that you can enjoy relationships, rather than allowing anger, malice, slander, strife, envy, and jealousy destroy the relationships that we treasure. Sin ruins everything in this world and ruins everything that is most important to us. Yet we choose sin rather than choosing to be slaves of righteousness. I like to prove this idea with a mental exercise. What do you think the world would be like if every person on the planet decided to follow God’s word and did it? Do you think the world would be a better, kinder, and safer place? I think there would be near universal agreement. Now what do you think the world would be like if every person on the planet did the opposite of everything Jesus ever taught and defied every point of God’s word? Do you think the world would be a better, kinder, and safer place? No, not at all. Being a slave to righteousness leads to a better life to enjoy in this world and, more importantly, leads to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We do not want the wages for our sins. We want the gift of God in Christ Jesus.
Message
You are a slave to whatever you choose to obey. You are not master over sin. Sin has mastery over you. But Jesus came to break the power of sin and set you free. You can be free if you will listen to God’s word and obey it from the heart (Romans 6:17). You can be free if you will look at your fruit. Sin leads to more sin (Romans 6:19). Sin does not lead to lasting joy and satisfaction. Sin leads to guilt, shame, suffering, and hurt. You can free from sin if you will look at the benefit (Romans 6:21). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But being a slave to God means a life that leads to holiness and, in the end, eternal life.