Romans 6:20-23

THE WAGE OF OUR MASTER

Romans 6:19–23 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. 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.

Main Proposition:

Statement of Doctrine or Application (SILVER BULLET)

We are able to see our true selves before and after life in Christ

Intro:

Statement of proposition

What is leading Paul to go into the detail of our life in Christ V. Our life in sin?

We need to ask ourselves why is this important?

Those are the questions that we are going to answer tonight.

Other texts that support

Why does this matter?

Here we have Paul talking about people that have the mindset of there is no change in their lives before or after Christ.

Let us think about that for a minute.

Here we have people that think that if they sin it will ultimately bring more glory to God.

Leading up to these verses Paul has gone into great detail and description of how we were alive in our sins, but because of Christ, because of our Effectual Call God’s Elect are now dead to their sins because of Christ’s

obedience, His Work on the cross and His ascension to Heaven. We are now considered dead to our sins, dead to the world and alive in Christ.

There is nothing that we did in order to deserve that, but only by the grace of God any of that is possible.

Here in three short verses we see in even more detail what the mindset of a believer is. We see the mindset that we have to have if we are to call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ.

Paul is reminding his readers of what slavery looked like in their sin and now what their new slavery to righteousness looks like.

He wants them to live in submission as slaves of Jesus Christ and not to be intertwined or twisted up again with the sins that characterized their old life. The same sins which no longer have any claim over M them.

This is Paul’s emphatic statement. This is Paul’s exclamation mark on chapter 6 of his epistle. We have been building up to these verses over the last nineteen verses and now we see the fruit of a believer, the mindset of a believer and finally the internal change of being truly convicted of our life before Christ.

Main Point #1: Do people prefer to be slaves to sin or righteousness?

Statement

Romans 6:19–20 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. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Prove

“In human terms” Why does Paul use this phrase?

Because there are some terms that as humans we cannot understand. We cannot understand God in God terms. We cannot understand God as a being because as humans we cannot comprehend it.

All language about God is an analogy for us to be able to understand just a little. We have limitations on what we can know and how much we can know.

What is Paul trying to accomplish with verse 20.

At face value it can sound a little confusing. “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Just glancing over it, it looks like when we were enslaved to our sins we were free in righteousness, but that is not at all what Paul is saying.

Paul is explaining why believer’s should present their members or bodies as slaves of righteousness instead of as slaves of uncleanness and lawlessness.

The unsaved person is free from righteousness meaning his bondage to sin will drive him further into that slavery until it becomes harder and harder to do what is right.

Who wants to be slaves to anything?

In today’s world when we hear the word slave people get super tense and look around to make sure no one got offended.

But we have to be realistic with our thinking. There is no middle ground when it comes to being a slave. You are either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ.

Paul is stating this again because verse 20 is going to assume that the believers in Rome prefer to be slaves of righteousness and free from the shackles of sin.

Psalm 1 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

In this passage just like Romans 6 we see the progression of the two roads: One in wickedness and the other in godliness

For the wickedness they become increasingly settled in ungodliness by their practice of it (You are what you put in)

Their lives bear no fruit, they are barren plants or trees.

Then we see the switch to godliness:

In verse 2 we see that the true believer, the true follower of Christ consistently internalizes the Word of God for ethical direction and obedience.

Because of that this person produces lasting fruit

We see David use the illustration of a tree which is fitting describing sinners and believers.

Israel has a very dry climate with little to no rain. So we have someone that is a believer/tree in a climate that is not desirable to grow fruit.

We know that trees do not plant themselves just as sinners can’t transport themselves into God’s kingdom.

Salvation is a work of God’s immeasurable grace.

The first path brings us to slavery to sin. It is the condition that each of us are born into (None of us are born righteous)

Sin drives us along. By ourselves we are not able to escape from this type of tyranny.

The second path starts with slavery to Christ

This path leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to holiness.

The point of Paul’s analysis of this topic is to exhort (encourage) Christians to live holy lives.

Illustrations

The Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-24 is a great example of that “freedom”

When he was at home, he decided that he wanted his freedom, so he left home to find himself and enjoy himself.

But that rebellion only led to deeper slavery in those desires.

He then hit rock bottom.

What he thought was freedom turned out to be the worst kind of slavery. It was only when he returned to his father did he find true freedom.

When you guys are in the world wanting to do your thing, I get it. You want to be independent from anything and everything, but sooner or later you will find that if you drift further from God, His Word it’s harder and harder to come back.

It doesn’t start off with big jumps. They are small progressions. A little here and a little there, but before you know it its like quick sand. The harder you try to escape the more you sink.

Main Point #2: We will receive the wages from sin or the free gift of righteousness

Statement

Romans 6:21–22 ESV

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.

Prove

If you serve a master, you can expect to receive wages or payment.

Sin’s wage is death

God’s gift is holiness and everlasting life

What fruit do we produce as unbelievers? We produced fruit that made us ashamed

What fruit do we produce as believers? Fruit that will glorify God and brings true joy to our lives.

Once again we see the difference between the two categories of belief and what the ultimate outcome is.

Paul wants to obstruct or prevent any tendency, urge or feeling on the part of the Romans to believe that slavery to sin may be more favorable to slavery to righteousness.

Why is this? slavery to righteousness is going to produce good fruit that leads to sanctification and eternal life while slavery to sin produces shame and eternal punishment.

At the end of verse 21 we see a question mark? reflecting back on myself am I ashamed of some of the actions of my life before I was saved? absolutely. I was selfish, arrogant, self centered.

At ShepCon I went to HB Charles breakout session on servanthood and I can tell you before I came to Christ I was not a servant. As much as I thought I was I was not.

HB said “People want to be servants without being treated like one.”

As Christians, Paul is wanting to motivate the Romans to present themselves as slaves of righteousness?

I want you to think about this question:

WHO DO YOU PRESENT YOURSELF AS?

IF SOMEONE WERE TO TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR ACTIONS, WORDS, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, INTERNET SEARCH HISTORY

Are they going to be able to say they are living a life that glorifies God? or a life that glorifies themselves?

What wages are you receiving? do you want to receive payment from the world because it has worldly benefits?

In the second half of this section we can see “BUT NOW”

This is the same “but now” that we read in Romans 3:20-21

Romans 3:20–21 ESV

20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

This is was separates our lives from life in sin to life in Christ.

This is our life before Christ, BUT NOW shows us our life after our conversion.

Sin is a tyrannical master that kept us in bondage, trapped with no way for us to escape by ourselves. Sin knows that.

Christ has come and has set God’s elect free.

In verse 21 the outcome is death, while in verse 22 the outcome is eternal life.

Being slaves of sin produces lawlessness, while being subjects to righteousness will yield good fruit.

There are huge differences in the two and we need to truly understand that.

A Christian is someone who is “In Christ”; and because he is in Christ he has died with Him, he has been buried with Him, he has risen with Him, he is alive in God.

Because of that he is freed from sin. It has already happened. It’s true for everyone who is a Christian.

We cannot forget that.

Illustrations:

You get out what you put in:

Whether it is work, sports, relationships, mind, body.

If you are putting in a McDonalds quality effort int your life don’t be surprised when you get McDonalds quality results

The same with your faith. If you are putting in more worldliness in your life that is the payment that you earned.

What is the quality of what your heart is saying? Is it saying follow the world or follow Christ? Whatever your heart is consuming is what you want out of life.

Apply or Confront

There are pastors in the world today that are going to teach that you can be justified, but not yet set free from sin.

That is not the case. Every Christian by definition has been set free from sin.

I want all of us here to know that the second we are alive in Christ we are freed from sin.

Main Point #3: The Whole Argument in one verse

Statement

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.

Prove

As Grant would say this is one of those nursing home verses that you can just meditate on.

In the same way we read Romans 5 we see the distinction between being in Adam and being in Christ. We see the distinction between Sin and Christ

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

We can see the different actions between Adam and Christ

With this verse in chapter 6 we can apply this verse to the unsaved, but I think it can be applied to the saved as a reminder for believers.

In this verse alone we can see the contrast or difference between sin and grace as well as “wages” and “free gift”

Our payment is the principle in which we become heirs to death while unmerited favor is that in which we are given eternal life.

Death is earned, eternal life is purely a gift from God showing his holiness and grace

Death is an inevitable consequence of sin. It’s guaranteed.

When wages are being earned the our payment is death.

We need to ask ourselves: Are we yielding or providing ourselves to God?

At this point after 6 chapters we can look at the argument as a whole. We can see that it is not an option for believers to present themselves as slaves of righteousness.

We must present ourselves to the world as God’s children.

We know see the consequences of presenting a life of unrighteousness and sin and the benefits of presenting ourselves in righteousness.

Those who are slaves to sin, those who practice sin, those whose master is sin we see their payment is going to be: eternal death

The gift that God gives is eternal life. Eternal life involves good fruit and sanctification.

The heart of Paul’s argument in verses 16-23 is that being under grace doesn’t encourage believers to sin. If their lives are characterized by slavery to sin, the consequence will be eternal destruction. The power of grace, the power of Christ’s work on our behalf MUST lead to a transformed life, for holiness of life is necessary for eternal life.

Those who are slaves of righteousness have been freed from sin by the grace of God.

Those who have been freed from the power of sin must be holy in order to experience eternal life.

Let’s look at a book in the Bible that looks at this at a deep level. In the book of Judges. This is one of my favorite chapters in the OT.

Judges 16 looks at Samson, who would not yield himself to God.

God has given Samson this feat of great strength, yet he still refuses to surrender himself to the Lord.

He chased after the lusts of the flesh and the world and the result of that was death.

In his mind the world had more enticing things to offer.

But just like with what we taught last week if the believer refuses to surrender his body to the Lord, but uses it for sinful purposes, than he is in danger of being disciplined by the Father.

Hebrews 12:5–11 ESV

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

I remember something that Grant said a little while ago: God punishes his enemies, but disciplines his children.

We are not talking about being perfect, we will never live or be perfect, what we are talking about is the pattern of our life.

We must know that you have been crucified with Christ and are dead to sin

We must believe this to be true in your own life

We must yield your body to the Lord to be used for His glory.

Illustrations

Application Points:

Present your life in a way that honors and glorifies God.

Are you presenting your life in a way that glorifies God?

What does your social media say about you? What does your language and actions say about you?

What would Christ say about your life?

Don’t coast through life

We talked a lot about how eternal life is a free gift. That does not mean once you receive that gift you can shut down your engine and chill

God didn’t call you to be a passive Christian, He called you to be an active Christian

Being an active Christian is going to have growth and fruit.

Be hungry to grow in Christ: Not just here and now in this Church, but in every situation in life.

If you are a believer reflect on your life before you came to Christ, Pray to Christ thanking him from releasing you from bondage to your sin

If you have not come to saving faith yet, pray that you will be set free from those sins, the world, yourself. Pray that God will open your eyes and heart to the real Christ, the Real God and His real infallible, perfect Word.

Discussion Questions

Why does Paul tell us the differences between “wages” and “free gift”? What are those differences in context to what Paul is talking about?

Why is Paul going into this amount of detail on being a slave to wickedness or a slave to righteousness?

How can we apply these three verses to our lives? How can we use these verses to talk to someone that is not a believer?

What did you learn from Romans 6:20-23 tonight that will help you further glorify God and enjoy him forever?