Sunday Recap for 09.08.19 “Are We to Sin Because We are Under Grace?” from Romans 6.15-23
Sunday, September 8, 2019, Evident Grace looked at Romans 6.15-23:
Romans 6.15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 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? 17 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, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 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.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 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. 22 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. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
From those verses, we pursued this Big Picture Question and these three points:
Big Picture Question: Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?
No, because sin is slavery.
No, because God made you a slave to righteousness.
No, because obedience leads to live.
The context of this passage is found in Romans 6.13-14:
Romans 6.13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
We no longer present ourselves to sin because we don’t have to anymore. Sin doesn’t rule us. Grace does.
No, because sin is slavery.
Romans 6.15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 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?
The reason we don’t continue sinning is that Christ has freed us from the slavery of sin. Sin was death. Sin was slavery. Now, we no longer have to live in the slaves of sin. Whichever thing we present ourselves to (sin or obedience), that is our master. Christ has freed us so now we don’t have to do as sin says.
You have been set free
17 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, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 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.
If we are no longer slaves, then that means we are free. What are free to do now? Obey? We are slaves to goodness. Slaves to righteousness. We literally present ourselves to do good. We consciously obey and think about obeying because we are now free to obey.
No, because obedience leads to life.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 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. 22 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. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our past life of sin led to shame and eternal death. But our new life through Christ leads to becoming more like Jesus and eternal life. That truth leads Paul to remind us that sin ultimately earns death. Faith in Jesus brings life.
Big Picture Question: Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?
No, because sin is slavery.
No, because God made you a slave to righteousness.
No, because obedience leads to live.
Truth: We walk away from sin because Christ freed us from its slavish power.
Application: Live knowing that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus enable you to obey and walk in the newness of life.
Action: Present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification
Later in Paul’s ministry, he tackles these same issues in the book of Titus. Listen to the similar flow of Romans in Titus 2:
Before Jesus
Titus 3:3-8 – For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
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When Jesus
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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Then Jesus
8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.