Romans Week 22, January 29, 2023

Introduction

Good morning, welcome to each and every one of you. I am thankful that we are able to meet today with the crazy snow of Wednesday. God is good all the time!

OK last week we talked about what it looks like to live free from the power of sin. We walked through Romans chapter 6 verses 11 through 14. We have a new reality and in order to live in this new reality we need to cut sin out of our life and present our bodies as instruments of righteousness. We must remember that if we don't add something then we will allow ourselves to be taken back to the power of sin in our lives. We can't just say no to sin. We must say yes to God. Really the whole point is to remember that a matter of master. It's a matter of whom you serve.

It's kind of like the idea that every country has to have some sort of government. Anarchy never works. If in the Revolutionary War America were to simply break away from Great Britain they're naturally needed to be a new government in place in order to replace the rule of the United Kingdom if there wasn't a new government then some other government would take over the colonies.

In the same way in our lives we live serving some master.

Even if you claim to be a master unto yourself. Even if you claim to be an island serving yourself you are still controlled by your desires and the tug of sin in your life. It's humbling how much we are victims of chemistry, products of our past and subjects to our temptations.

If you doubt this, get your favorite food a lot of it and put it smack dab in the center of your kitchen and commit to not touch it while seeing it all the time.

We can’t just commit to stay away from sin. We need to commit to a new way of living. We need to commit to a new master.

And so we come to Paul’s next point

Believers are Emancipated from Sin and Slaves to a New Master—Righteousness

Romans 6:15–19 ESV

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.

Paul as the consumate teacher uses an illustration to help us understand verses 1-14. He uses the idea of slavery, a concept familiar both back in Paul’s day and ours as well.

Remember back in verse 13 Paul talked about offering parts of our body as slaves to righteousness. Is going to continue this analogy of slavery in order to teach us what it really looks like to live righteous lives.

And of course Paul is going to use the diatribe style of asking a question and answering it in order to help us to understand what he wants to teach us.

Romans 6:15 ESV

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

Can we sin because we are under grace and not law?

If you remember Paul asked the same question at the beginning of this chapter way back in verse one. And after verse one he answered the question from a theological perspective. He showed us how it doesn't make sense theologically because of what God has done for us and what we joined God in or rather joined Jesus in through baptism. This time Paul is going to answer this question with an illustration.

and if you question why Paul would use an illustration like slavery to teach about living in righteousness then I have good news for you he explains himself in verse 19

Romans 6:19 (ESV)

19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. ...

And so in using slavery Paul is doing what any good teacher would do he's finding common ground that while not perfect will help to bridge the gap from an abstract idea to a concrete reality.

In the Roman world that Paul lived in slavery was a very understandable concept with a vast number of people in the Roman Empire in some sort of slavery. In fact historians estimate that the majority of the population of Rome was in some sort of slavery. You had people that were prisoners of war people that were voluntary slaves or people that indentured or enslaved themselves to a particular household so that they could survive or be provided for. There are many forms of slavery.

But the slavery that Paul wants to focus on here is voluntary slavery. And that was a very real thing in that day and age. You could voluntarily become a slave to a family for a variety of reasons.

and so in this chapter Paul talks about us voluntarily offering ourselves as a slave to something way back in verse 13.

Romans 6:16 ESV

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?

And so in this verse we have the opportunity to offer ourselves as a slave to sin or obedience. If you look at this passage I want you to notice that for Paul the opposite of sin is obedience. In Paul's mind we are going to be serving some master. We are going to be serving the master that is sin which leads to death or the master that is obedience which leads to righteousness.

Romans 6:17 ESV

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,

And so we see here Paul has high words of commendation for the Roman church. They were once slaves of sin and they had become obedient to this standard of teaching that Paul brought.

There's two things I want to comment on here.

There is a standard of teaching to know.

First of all when we read the standard of teaching in this verse we think about our Bible. We think about a text that has been around for thousands of years and has gone through rigorous translating and verifying and for over 1000 years we've had an agreed upon text that we use.

Paul wrote this phrase most of the church relied on oral traditions. Most of Paul's letters were taken and read aloud in church groups. And the only way that people could remember was to memorize pieces of scripture. The only way for people to remember their faith was to things like the apostles creed or other shortened versions that summarized the theology of the church.

We are part of a tradition of the church that has moved away from liturgy in the service. We don't read prepared statements and chant the apostles creed every week. But we need to remember that there are certain truths that deserve to be memorized and tattooed on our hearts. We need to take pains to know the truth of God's word is not as flighty as the latest Internet fad. Perhaps this means learning to memorize scripture in your own life. Perhaps this means us as a church maybe relearning the apostles creed which is a statement of faith for the church. There was a standard of teaching that Paul calls us to obey. He doesn't just call us to figure out our faith for ourselves each of us on our own. He calls us in obedience to learn God's word and obey God.

We are committed to this “standard of teaching”

The second thing we need to realize in this verse is that Paul does not commit something too the church in Rome for them to take care of it. He commits them to this standard of teaching. God calls us to be committed to the teaching of his word. To be obedient to it.

Romans 6:18 ESV

18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Slaves to righteousness

This freedom from sin means slavery to righteousness.

Romans 6:19 ESV

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.

In effect Paul is offering an apology for his analogy. He understands its weakness but he wants us to use the illustration of slavery as we think about how we look for God. A slave acts without a great deal of concern for his personal will. Therefore he's willing to do great things to serve as master and it's easier for him to do these things because he doesn't have to debate about whether he's going to do them. We should have that same freedom to pursue a righteous life because there shouldn't be a doubt in our mind as to whether we're going to do it. We should be offering ourselves as slaves to righteousness.

Death to Sin Leads to Eternal Life!

Romans 6:20–23 ESV

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.

Paul calls us to consider what life is like under sin. When we are under sin we are in effect free with regards to righteousness. Righteousness had no pull on us. but then in verse 21 he raises the question of fruit. What's the result of things you did in sin?

What's the result of living for yourself in relationships?

What's the result of serving yourself at work?

What's the result I've given in to your easily besetting sin?

The end of sin is death.

On the other hand freedom from sin and slavery to God leads to sanctification which is being made more like God and the end of that is eternal life.

We live in a very material world. There are so many ways for us to use wealth to make us more comfortable. Just a few moral compromises and we could have more wealth and be more comfortable. But the end result of sin is destruction.

In Psalm 73 the psalmist wrestled were they apparent comfort and success of the wicked.

Psalm 73:5 ESV

5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

They are wealthy and healthy

Psalm 73:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.

The psalmist sees what the wicked enjoys and he is tempted towards that until he realizes the destiny of the wicked.

Psalm 73:17 ESV

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

Psalm 73:18–19 ESV

18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

In the end he turns to the strength of God.

Psalm 73:23–26 ESV

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The Psalmist wants us to understand that despite the apparent pleasure that the wicked get to enjoy in the end God will bring justice and judgment. And in the end God will sustain and give hope.

In the same way that Paul finishes Romans chapter 6 with these words

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here's the illustration that Paul lays out for us today. Our life looks a lot like the life of a slave. Before we knew Jesus we were born slaves to sin. in the same way that people in Paul's day could be born as a slave we were born slaves to sin. But because of what Jesus did we are now free to choose a new master. We can choose to remain slaves to sin and that will lead to death in our lives. Or we can choose to be slaves to obedience which leads to righteousness which leads to eternal life.

Now I want to make one thing clear here as Paul does. The gift of eternal life is a free gift that God offers. You simply choose to receive it.

If someone chooses to live a life never receiving God's free gift then that life will result in eternal death and separation from God. He or she will see the results of sin in his or her life throughout life on earth and then in eternity.

If someone receives God's free gift of eternal life and then chooses to live a life still going back to his or her old master they will experience death in many ways in this life. But because of the free gift of eternal life they will still have that.

Conclusion

God calls us to offer ourselves and our bodies as slaves to righteousness. And the value of this illustration is the reality that slaves don't spend much time deliberating what they will do in response to the command of their master. Commit to offer yourself as a slave to righteousness.

Crack open Matthew and read the sermon on the mount with the slaves mindset thinking that what Jesus says you simply will do. Commit yourself to say yes to God throughout your life and see the adventure he takes you on. Say yes to God and you will experience life and hope and peace