Slaves!
A Study in Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how the law was powerless to save us. We looked at the apparent discrepancy between James and Paul and how they seem to contradict each other. We found in the end that they are not at all in disagreement, rather they complement each other. Paul is saying that no works you do can get you saved, whereas James says, if you’re saved you’ll perform works. One says you’re not justified by works, the other that you are and both use Abraham as their example. We concluded that Paul is saying you are not justified before God by your works, but you are justified before men- as a fruit of your new life in Christ. We looked in depth at the trinity, and what it really is and what it means. We talked about the fact that we ourselves are made in the image of God and that we are also triune in nature- We have a Spirit, a Soul and a Body. The body returns to dust but the spirit returns to God who gave it. This leaves the destination of our soul up in the air. It is determined on whether we ever became alive to our spiritual person (born again) or not. If we are born again, then our soul will be inclined to stay with our spirit, and if not, it will have no other option than eternal separation from God.
For if you live according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Ruach you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For all who are led by the Ruach Elohim, these are sons of God.
This week we move on to something that fits hand-in-glove with what we were discussing two weeks ago. This week we will look at why we have good works as Christians. Well, in reality I think we are more looking at why we can have good works as Christians. So let’s start out with a word of prayer.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that to whatever you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to what you obey—whether to sin resulting in death, or to obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching under which you were placed; and after you were set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you yielded your body parts as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now yield your body parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So then, what outcome did you have that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life. For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
Paul begins with a hypothetical but then very quickly answers his own question. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!” What is required of us to be able to so forcefully reject the idea that we should not continue in sin? Let us consider what we spoke of earlier in this chapter:
Or do you not know that all of us who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried together with Him through immersion into death—in order that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
We talked about the wonderful exchange last week? Where Christ took your sinfulness and exchanged it for His righteousness? Well this was something that was more than just a positional exchange. When He made you righteous by declaration, He made you righteous as a matter of fact. How? Look at the scripture again.
It is death- baptism to be exact! I’ve always sort of known that there was something about baptism, but could never put my hand on in scripturally. But let’s continue on with this passage.
For if we have become joined together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also will be joined together in His resurrection— knowing our old man was crucified with Him so that the sinful body might be done away with, so we no longer serve sin. For he who has died is set free from sin.
“…for if we have been united together in the likeness of His death…” What is the “likeness of His death?” And what, according to scripture, happens at that time? Right! We are united together with Him. Continue- “…we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection”! Do you see it saints? I always knew there was something about baptism! But listen to me. This is not saying that you are not saved unless you are baptized- no. It is saying that this is the part that frees us from sin. I’ve always known that baptism wasn’t necessary salvation because the thief on the cross died without getting the opportunity to be baptized, yet Jesus told him that he would be with Him in paradise “that evening”. Here’s the catch- the thief didn’t need to be baptized because he didn’t need to worry about continuing in a sinful lifestyle did he?
Wait pastor! Aren’t you stretching this a little? Well, no- what did Jesus say the purpose for baptism was?
Then Yeshua came from the Galilee to John, to be immersed by him in the Jordan. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be immersed by You, and You are coming to me?”
But Yeshua responded, “Let it happen now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So John yielded to Him.
That’s right! The purpose according to Jesus, was to fulfill all righteousness, but Jesus was completely free from sin. What could He possibly be missing?
Jesus didn’t come simply to free us from our sins. He came to show us a better way. Dr. Luke tells it this way in Acts.
I wrote the first volume, Theophilus, about all that Yeshua began to do and teach—
So Jesus came to do and to teach. What did He do? He got baptized. What did He teach? That doing so fulfills all righteousness. What do we know from Paul about righteousness? That we are slaves to it and no longer slaves to sin because of what? Right! Because we are united together with Him in the likeness of His death- therefore our old man dies with Him. When we come up out of the water, we are completely new!
So then, this is not that we are only positionally a new creature- we have actually become new creatures after baptism.
Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Do you see it? I hope you do! I’ve never seen it before now! I’ve always suspected there was something there, but until we got into the study of Romans I hadn’t seen it so clearly. I have got to tell you, I wasn’t looking for it but there it was and I’m a little blown away by how important this step is in the life of a Christian.
So not only are we no longer slaves to sin, but we must still choose to not allow it to dominate us.
Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.
We are under no compulsion to obey the lusts of the flesh! That is good news.
The better news is that we are now slaves to righteousness and can present ourselves thusly to Him. Not only have we been freed from doing wrong, we’ve been empowered to do right!
And do not keep yielding your body parts to sin as tools of wickedness; but yield yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your body parts as tools of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
So, we are completely free from sin and the condemnation that goes along with it- we just need to walk in the righteousness that He has already given us!
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has set you free from the law of sin and death.
So then, let me ask once again as Paul did: “Does this mean we are free to sin?”
“No!” You can’t call Jesus Lord, Lord and not obey His commandments.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ ”
See, there is more to salvation than just saying a prayer and having your fire insurance. If you really call Jesus Lord, you must obey His commandments. We cannot do this without salvation, but salvation does not insure that we will do this. If we don’t do it, then the question is, did you really make Him Lord? If you did not, then you’re not really saved. If you do make Him Lord, you become a slave to righteousness. Otherwise you are still a slave to sin.
We are Slaves to Whatever we Obey
We are Slaves to Whatever we Obey
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that to whatever you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to what you obey—whether to sin resulting in death, or to obedience resulting in righteousness?
Grace is no excuse to sin! We are either slaves of sin, or slaves of righteousness. If we continue in sin, we once again become slaves of sin!
Yeshua answered them, “Amen, amen I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son abides forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!
So then, when Christians continue in sin we only make things worse.
For if—after escaping the world’s pollutions through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah—they again become entangled in these things and are overcome, the end for them has become worse than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after learning about it, to turn back from the holy commandment passed on to them. What has happened to them confirms the truth of the proverb, “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A scrubbed pig heads right back into the mud.”
Peter is not talking about occasionally slipping up and needing to repent of a sin once in a while. He is talking about living in a lifestyle of sin. For example, people have asked me if drinking is a sin. Well, there is no straight forward answer to that for everyone.
What does the Word say?
For this reason do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk on wine, for that is recklessness. Instead, be filled with the Ruach,
So if we drink to the point of getting drunk, then yes it is a sin. But it doesn’t stop there, if you have a history of drunkenness or alcoholism, or if alcohol makes you angry and spiteful, then any consumption of alcohol is wrong. It is also someone to drink alcohol if it causes your brother to stumble.
For the one who is weak is destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whom Messiah died. In this way, when you sin against the brothers and sisters and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Messiah. For this reason, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I do not cause my brother to stumble.
So then we must be a slave to righteousness with the same zeal with which we served sin once upon a time.
I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you yielded your body parts as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now yield your body parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in holiness.
We previously offered our bodies as slaves of sin, so now offer our bodies as slaves of righteousness for the purpose of producing holiness.
Like obedient children, do not be shaped by the cravings you had formerly in your ignorance. Instead, just like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in everything you do. For it is written,
“Kedoshim you shall be, for I am kadosh.”
So Paul ends this passage by answering the question He asks at the beginning. “Shall we continue to sin?”
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So then, what outcome did you have that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life. For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
It sounds as though his answer is an unequivocal “NO!”
Conclusion
Conclusion
So then the question is, do you wish to remain a slave to sin? We need to answer that question with the same resounding answer that Paul does. If we understand what he has written in this chapter then we will cry out with him (Romans 6:2,15): "Certainly not!" (NKJV)
Just for fun, here’s how others have translated that response.
"It is not to be thought of!" (Knox)
"Not at all!" (Williams)
"That be far from us!" (Conybeare)
"Of course not!" (Phillips)
"May it never be!" (NASB)
"Far be it!" (Rotherham)
"Never!" (Moffatt)
"By no means!" (Goodspeed, NRSV)
"Certainly not!" (NEB, NKJV)
"Heaven forbid!" (TCNT)
"God forbid!" (KJV, ASV)
May we develop the same response to taking sin lightly!
Have you been set free from sin? Have you become enslaved to sin
once again? Let the grace of God deliver you from the guilt and
power of sin by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ!