Life Reflected

Introduction

Today, we will be going through Romans Chapter 6 in an attempt to tackle the often confusing topic of God’s righteousness. Inside of this discussion we will discuss the very uncomfortable topic of slavery.

When the word slavery is mentioned, most people immediately dismiss the notion as an abusive act that should not be allowed. We do this through the human lens of slavery. We view one human having direct authority over another human as a repulsive act of superiority that is often wrought with abuse of unimaginable proportions. The very idea of unwillingly subjecting ourselves to another is absolutely offensive.

Most people will say that slavery was abolished and made illegal at the conclusion of our nation’s civil war in the mid 1800s. Most will acknowledge that slavery may still exist in other countries, but not here in the USA. In the USA, man is free.

Now, though I agree with that human viewpoint that human to human slavery is wrong, the apostle Paul, in Romans 6 describes slavery as a constant state of being. An unchanged destiny we all share. He actually promotes the concept that slavery is something we cannot escape, but we can choose how we manage our enslavement. He does this, because he is not talking about slavery in the human sense of the word. When Paul speaks of slavery, he talks of the condition of our spirit. And through this lens, he better explains how God’s righteousness is reflected in the life of the believer.

Let’s pray….

As I have shared in the past, Paul is a very skilled author who writes in a style of logical progression. He starts with an overarching theme, or thesis statement, and builds one argument on top of another to support his original stance. When reading one of Paul’s letters, one must exercise caution when we reach out to grab onto a single verse or passage. Though it is not wrong to do that, we can easily run the risk of using the verse or passage outside of it’s proper context.

So we do ourselves well if take just a moment to understand the intent and overarching purpose of the entire letter to the Romans.

Romans is the only letter of Paul’s published in scripture addressed to a people Paul has yet to meet.

The intent of the letter is to preach the Gospel.

“Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.” Romans 1:13-15

His overarching thesis is to better explain how the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”” Romans 1:16-17 NKJV

So to understand all of his work in this letter, including the passages in Romans 6, we must appreciate that:

The Gospel is the power of God to salvation for all that believe.

Within the Gospel is the revelation of God’s righteousness through the entirety of the just life of each believer.

Faith to faith is commonly understood as starting at the point of faith that produced our conversion and continuing throughout all stages of our spiritual growth. Some believe it to be faith that progresses over time from believer to believer; nation to nation; from creation to the end of the age. I believe they all have merit if we all agree that the righteousness of God is consistent and never changing.

I believe that our individual faith is not stagnant but it grows and strengthens over time as we press into our relationship with God the Father through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit because of the salvation provided through the saving work of His Son Jesus. So this message will be viewed from the individual believer perspective of faith to faith.

The entire life of the believer reflects the power of God that is the Gospel that is continuously revealing God’s righteousness.

And because of this, we must not be ashamed of the truth that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is a story found in Matthew 15 of a woman pleading for help, who cries out to Jesus. Seizing a moment to put her faith on full display for the sake of the onlookers Jesus makes an opening statement to this woman saying “it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She answers Christ back, “yes Lord but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the masters table.” Jesus openly declares “Oh woman, great is your faith.”

This story is an example of how Jesus himself uses a space of discomfort to showcase to all what great faith looks like.

Episcopalian Sunday sermon in fall of 2024. Dressed in cleric robe standing in front of a group in church, a young person self described as a Millennial, said this about Jesus initial treatment of the Canaanite woman.

“This is the last example of Christianity that I want. It is not a good look on Jesus and I hate that this is supposed to be upheld as a scriptural example for us. That is not the Jesus that I pray to, this not the Jesus that I know.”

I use this only to give you an example of what it looks like to be ashamed of the Gospel. Believe it or not, we have in this world people that only want to take the good of scripture and easily dismiss what makes them uncomfortable. To take only the good and reject the rest. The apostle Paul makes no such statement. Paul refuses to be ashamed. And in all of his writings, making people feel warm and fuzzy was not even a thought that crossed his mind.

Paul knows that the Gospel is the power of God to Salvation and His righteousness is meant to be reflective from faith to faith. The preaching of the Word must done confidently. Unwavering to the truth of the Gospel.

Paul carries this very important theme of God’s righteousness all throughout his writing as he details

life under the law vs. the freedom from the law

physical circumcision vs. circumcision of the heart

judging others to a level of conduct we ourselves fail to uphold

and yes, even in the explanation of spiritual slavery.

Turning now to Romans 6, let’s look for the righteousness of God as we tackle our constant state of Spiritual slavery.

Throughout this chapter, Paul is talking about the necessity to live righteous vs. continuing to live a life in sin.

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:10-14 NKJV

Here, we find Paul appealing to believers to see the necessity of living a righteous life. By living a life that pursues righteousness, we present ourselves to God as being alive from the dead. We openly accept and worship God for the grace He provides so that sin no longer has dominion. We do not self manufacture our own level of righteousness for God to judge, instead we become instruments of righteousness to God.

This is the set up for a huge course of what many may find very uncomfortable. A logical progression to a point of undeniable truth regardless of comfort level.

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:15-18 NKJV

Because of sin we began as slaves to our sin. But now, as believers, we as slaves experience a transfer of ownership. We go from serving our sinful nature to being a slave to righteousness.

Please note that this is not being written to non-believers in an attempt to persuade a conversion to Jesus through logic. This is a logically progressive argument directed at those who already believe. This is written to you and I.

The statement “…to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey,…” is an absolute. There is no choice in terms of enslavement. You obey one or the other and the one you submit to is the one you obey. Most will see this as an uncomfortable reality in terms of our spirit. Some will reject this because that is not the Jesus I pray to. Truth is not always warm and fuzzy. But if we can shed our comfort level and see that spiritual enslavement is an absolute, just as is the presence of gravity, we can see the value of freedom offered by being obedient to the righteousness of God.

Paul is calling to all believers the dire need to pursue a just life that reflects the righteousness of God from faith to faith. Fortunately, Paul does not expect perfection as we see in the rest of the chapter.

“I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:19-23 NKJV

Paul speaks to us in human terms because he knows how weak we are in the flesh. He declares the purpose of our slavery to righteousness is for holiness. In other words, it is not that we become instantly holy, but we present ourselves on a path that transforms us. A path that shapes our thoughts and actions. This transformation has an end, which is eternal life. This is what he means when he says you have your fruit to holiness and the end, everlasting life. Holiness is a life journey that ends in eternal life, the ultimate gift of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The righteousness of God reflected in our daily life serves as evidence that we are traveling on His narrow path; a path of holiness. That evidence so labeled the fruit of holiness is what our life reflects.

Paul is not declaring that we must be perfect because he knows we are too weak for that. But he calls out true believers to be a slave to righteousness on our pursuit of holiness. And as we journey, our living to God’s standard of righteousness becomes recognizable throughout our journey of faith. Faith to faith. Simply put, our life on earth reflects who we obey. And obedience to God’s righteousness reflects who we serve. His righteousness through us reflects who we are owned by, and the One we have chosen to obey.

So how do we summarize this notion of spiritual slavery.

It is a fixed position of the Spirit. We are a slave to sin or, as a believer, we are a slave to righteousness. There is no alternative. We don’t get to look behind door #3.

Being a slave to righteousness is not in anyway abusive or oppressive like our view of human slavery.

The Gospel is the vehicle in which the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.

Our enslavement produces evidence or fruit. Being a slave to righteousness produces the fruit of holiness.

Holiness is a journey that is evident throughout the entirety of your spiritual growth.

Righteousness is not a rule book of do’s and don’ts. It is the evidence that reveals who we are enslaved to. Righteousness is the power of God, from God, through the working of the in dwelling Holy Spirit. Righteousness is not a do or don’t, but a will and won’t.

Like or not; comfortable or uncomfortable, we have no choice on whether or not we are a slave. Slavery is our only option. The only choice we possess, the only question one can ask, is to which master do you want to serve?

The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Who do you choose to serve?

In the entire design of creation, enslaved to sin leaves us separated from our creator to manage on our own. Enslaved to righteousness invites a relationship with the One who created us in His image so that He will be our God and we will be His children. A offer to relationship that is similar to a loving Father caring for and adoring His child. Who do you choose to serve?

Jesus in John 15:14–16

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Does your life serve the one that reveals nothing or do you want a master that freely reveals all things heard from the Father because we are considered a friend? A hand picked, chosen one appointed to bear fruit. Who do you want to serve?

John 15:11

““These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Here Jesus, promises the believer that our joy is replaced by His joy so that our joy may be full. A transfer of ownership from being a slave of sin to a slave of righteousness so that our joy may be full. Who do you want to serve?

One commentary stated that being a slave to righteousness is being in union with God’s character. Seeking out the righteousness of God begins with daily worship. Through prayer, praise, reading His word, we enter into communion with Him. We spend time with Him. And in this time, His love, mercy, and never ending grace becomes further revealed. Our lives transform into the likeness of Jesus both in our thoughts and actions. Conformed to the mind of Christ, we are compelled to serve others in love to the level that Jesus loves us. Living righteous is no longer a step by step list of do’s and don’ts but a desire to act in line with His will. And through the righteousness He provides, we in turn live a life that reflects the One we serve.

Being enslaved is not an option. We will either be enslaved to sin unto death or be enslaved to righteousness unto eternal life.

So I ask this final question. Which master do you want your life to reflect?

Let’s pray….