May 18, 2018

License to Sin?

Romans 6

Calvin Strain
Friday's Devo

May 18, 2018

Friday's Devo

May 18, 2018

Central Truth

If you are a Christian, you are identified with Christ! You are no longer a slave to sin like you once were. Rejoice that you are no longer a slave to sin but a slave to righteousness! 

Romans 6

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self 1 6:6 Greek man was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free 2 6:7 Greek has been justified from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 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.

Slaves to Righteousness

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, 3 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20 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.

Footnotes

[1] 6:6 Greek man
[2] 6:7 Greek has been justified
[3] 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20

Dive Deeper | Romans 6

Not too long ago, I was talking with a friend at work who asked me if God saw his good deed that day and gave him a "point" in his "good column." I explained that no matter how God viewed his actions, he could never have enough points in his good column to earn eternal life with God. We then went over the gospel and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He had heard this before, but it prompted him to ask this question: if a person is saved by grace, then why would they not continue to sin? Delighted with his question, I told him that is what Romans 6 is all about! 

The chapter starts off by asking that same question in verse 1. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" Paul anticipates his reader's question and addresses it! The answer is NO (verse 2). 

Romans 6 is all about how we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. We no longer have to live under the dominion of sin, because we are no longer slaves to sin (verse 6). We are now identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (verses 7-9). Not only are we no longer slaves to sin, but we are slaves to righteousness (verses 16-18)! Now your allegiance has changed! You are no longer living the way that you formerly lived, because there has been a change in your life. Your allegiance is no longer with the sinful patterns that used to define you, but with Jesus Christ, who has set you free from the bondage of sin! 

I used to be neck-deep in the bondage of sin. My addiction to pornography is what brought me to re:generation, Watermark's recovery ministry. I was a slave to my sin. Everything that I did revolved around my addiction, and it led to death. I now am a slave to righteousness because of Christ. Everything I do revolves around my relationship with my Lord and Savior, and it leads to life!

This month's memory verse

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.

– Romans 6:13

Discussion Questions

1. Is there a sin or habit that you might love more than you love God?

2. Has there ever been a time in your life when you thought you had a license to sin?

3. What does Romans 6:16 mean when it says that obedience leads to righteousness?