The Tale of Two Slaves

Romans 6:15-23

Main Points: 3 Observations

Intro:

I believe it was the musical artist Bob Dylan who sang a song called “You gotta serve somebody.” He was on to something very true wasn’t he?

As we come to the latter portion of Romans 6 this is exactly what Paul seems to assert. Everybody is serving someone or something. He’s carrying on in this section highlighting union with Jesus from a slightly different angle in order to answer a difficulty or potential objection that can be raised in the readers minds at the end of chapter 5.

What the text will show us today is that true life and freedom doesn’t mean a freedom from all constraint but a transfer from the constraint of sin to the constraint of righteousness.

3 observations in the text:

The Two Slaves Presented Vs 15-16

The second difficulty that comes when grace is viewed wrongly. (Read vs 15)

Paul starts with a similar question that we heard last week in vs 1 of this chapter. Make no mistake, though, it is not the same exact question.

Last weeks question was can we practice sin in order that grace would increase? Now the focus is, can we practice sin because we are under grace and not the law?

He is setting up the analogy of slavery that he will carry on through this text by pointing out the absurd thinking that could potentially be in the minds of the reader in light of not being under the law. Here is how this thinking could go:

“Since Paul just said in the previous section that we are free from sin because we are ‘no longer under the law’, doesn’t this mean, then that the law doesn’t apply to us? Are we free from the law in that we can set aside the law, take up arms against it, and be lawless?”

He says by no means! God forbid! This is, as Lloyd-Jones says, a monstrous thing to think that there would be something about the Christian gospel which would lead someone to a life of sin.

The general principle of two kinds of slaves- (Read Vs 16)

“Do you not know...” Even Paul has his phrase that he likes to repeat and in order for the reader to feel the weight of what he’s saying, he’ll start with this kind of question.

He is essentially pointing out that there are two slaves. And in pointing out two kinds of slaves, he’s pointing out that the question isn’t “am I a slave?” But “What am I enslaved to?”

To put it another way, every person offers themselves to something, Gives themselves over to something, surrenders to something which directs all of their worship and therefore, their actions. You are always serving, always worshiping.

Either a person is given over to, or slave of sin, or a slave of obedience and righteousness.

If I sell myself to a power I then I become the slave of that power; and the power that it has over me is the power of a slave-owner over his slave. But the characteristic of the power of a slave-owner is that it is a totalitarian and exclusive power. If I hand myself over to be a slave to such a power, then I am nothing but the slave of that power. I am in his hands, in his grip, under his authority. It is a totalitarian power and I am no longer a free man; the power decides what I do and what I am.- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is implying ownership. Something that is reigning supreme and that marks the trajectory of your life.

It’s important to remember that Paul not necessarily applying this to a Christian. He is stating a general principle about all humans everywhere.

Paul here is, by using the general principle, describing what marks the trajectory of someone's whole life. Christ and His commands are reigning over your life, or something or someone else is. There’s no neutral ground.

App: Illustration: We live in a very busy culture where people have more than one job with more than one employer. You can work for starbucks AND chic-fil-a at the same time. Don’t apply our context to what happens spiritually. Did you know that is not how it works in your soul? The entirety of your life is ruled by either sin or righteousness.

The Two Slaves Compared Vs 17-19

There are a number of similarities as well as things to contrast when it comes to these two slaves. First, is their origin (Read vs 17)

Take note of the connector word “but” here.

He’s assuring them of which slave they are by, as he’ll go on to talk about more, the freedom-bringing and regenerating work of the Spirit of God.

He’s saying there are those who are slaves of sin, but you are not that. He says here you were “once” slaves of sin.

We have a parallel in origins here.

You may remember 2 weeks ago that we were born fallen in Adam. He was was our representative. So you didn’t choose your fallen, corrupt nature, you were born with it. Every aspect of your being is now tainted by sin bringing you under it’s rule.

In other words, the origin of your slavery to sin is your birth. All you desire and choose is defiance against God and His law.

But at the same time, the origin of your slavery to righteousness is your NEW birth.

Notice he says “You have become obedient from the heart.”

This implies a heart transformation. You see, since the fall of man, it was God’s ordained plan and promise that He would bring forth the seed of the woman that would destroy the works of Satan. One of the way he does this is by recreating the image of God in us through His cross; restoring our whole being and uniting us to Himself. This unfolds and shows up in the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 where God promises that those in the New Covenant would have the law of God written in the heart. There would be a fundamentally new nature given where the will and affections are now changed and directed toward God with a posture of obedience.

Some believe verse 17 here is a direct fulfillment of that promise.

This “standard of teaching that you were committed to”, or given over to, could be Paul simply contrasting the old covenant teaching or the Mosaic law with the gospel— The true foundation of the Christian message.

So in other words because there’s been a change in us, God has handed us over to the rule of grace and there is now obedience that comes not from mere obligation, but from true affection— from the heart. No longer being under law doesn’t mean we’re now against the law, it means that the law is no longer against us. we’re no longer under its condemnation. But it still serves as a guide and a rule for life!

When talking about being enslaved to sin people have a real issue with that. They may say “so what? are you telling me I can’t do whatever I want?” No. I’m telling you you can ONLY do what you want. That’s the problem because all you want is sin. We need rescue.

The second similarity between these two slaves is their progression. Read (Vs 18-19)

He first appeals to the definitive nature of this freedom and holiness before God Vs 18

Paul just got done in the first section of Romans 6 pointing out who we truly are— we are those united to Jesus Christ in everlasting union. Because of this, we are in the sight of God perfectly blameless and declared righteous— Looked at as if we have perfectly obeyed the law when we haven’t all because of what Jesus has done.

The bondage of sin is broken once and for all and we are transferred under new ownership. These words “set-free” and “become slaves” are passive verbs meaning that this is work is not done by man. The sole worker here is God Himself.

Then he begins talking about his method in explaining these things Vs 19a

Illustration: Have you ever had a teacher in school say, let me drop it real low for you so you can understand? Or while you were being taught they told you in a condescending way that they will break it down really simply?

This isn’s what Paul is doing here. He’s not being condescending. He’s essentially telling the believers “hey, I know this concept is difficult to understand I’m speaking in terms you would be familiar with to help.”

These people in the church at Rome would have either been current slaves or former slaves. We obviously have (rightfully earned) baggage with that term, but they would have understood this in a slightly different way than we do. The word for slave here is that classic word “Dulos” which in the Greco-Roman world referred to those under obligation to serve a master and earned some kind of wage or compensation. Some did this voluntarily when they loved their master. We’ll bring that back up later but he’s bringing up something familiar to help them.

We have a progression here between the two kinds of slavery and both begin with “presentation” Vs 19b

He said that before you had your bondage to sin broken, before you came under your new boss so to speak, you presented yourself, your “members” or body parts as slaves to impurity and lawlessness that leads to more and more lawlessness.

But now, Paul is calling these believers to action and says, in light of your definitive sanctification, you must present your member as slaves to righteousness which leads to sanctification.

Illustration: Ever try to operate under a new boss? Sometimes you need reminders that you don’t work for the other guy anymore!

Do you see this grammatical parallel here? Impurity which leads to more impurity or lawlessness, and righteousness which leads to more righteousness.

Paul now is rooting this call to action or the imperatives, in the indicatives that he previously presented. The indicatives in the bible are often what is true of you definitively because of the gospel. These objective truths that are found, not within yourself, but outside of yourself and applied to you.

There is a really helpful distinction you need to keep in your mind as you think about sanctification: there is definitive sanctification, and progressive sanctification. Definitive Sanctification: You are already holy and righteous. Progressive sanctification: You are in process becoming daily what you have already been declared, righteous (Tripp). Both of these are by grace through faith. It’s from a place of resting by faith in the fact that you have been made holy once and for all at the cross that you now strive to present yourself to God daily to become more holy.

“Sin is guilt, but it is also pollution. Justification delivers man from his guilt; sanctification delivers him from the pollution of sin. By the former his consciousness is changed, and by the latter his being is changed. By means of the first, man comes to stand in a right relationship again; by means of the second, man becomes good again and able to do good.” Herman Bavinck

Because no you are not justified by faith and some how sanctified by your strength or own good works. You are also sanctified by faith. You are living constantly by faith in the work of Christ but then as Galatians points out, your faith will then work in love.

So think of it this way: We don’t add our own good works to faith in Christ, but faith most certainly will work through love.

Look at what we have Vs 17 “Thanks be to God you are no longer a slave to sin” This is faith resting. But then now vs 19- “Now present yourself as a slave of righteousness which will lead you to more and more righteousness” this is faith working.

So what kind sanctification then according to verse 19? More righteousness day by day.

Now each day you view yourself and present yourself to God as holy and righteous in order to cultivate habits of godliness and holiness. There’s no stagnant. You are either growing toward Christ or you are drifting away from him and moving backwards.

App: If you find yourself in patterns of sin, you may have underestimated the power of sins progress of sin in your life. Sin is often not a one and done type of deal. Every sin has an addictive nature to it which blinds you to its power and then forms patterns in your life that you never expected. That’s why it’s so destructive. In Genesis 4, God told Cain after he killed his brother that sin is crouching at the door and it’s desire is for you. In other words, like a beast that looks really small because it’s about to pounce and devour, so is subtle sin in our lives. It looks small but its desire is to take over and become bigger and bigger. Here’s the misconception: you think that when you do sin that you’re just done after that and you can move on. But sin is not done with you even when you think you’re done with it. It will take you further, make you pay more, and then kick you when you’re down.

Where is this daily power found to truly change this? You may be here beating yourself up again because you feel broken by your patterns of sin. You so desire to change. but you feel like Paul in Romans 7 - you feel like you’re unable to stop. No matter how hard you try, you keep doing what you hate. Let’s look at our next section to see the power God has for us in the gospel.

The Two Fold Goal of the Reign of Grace Vs 20-23

He reminds them once again of where they were apart from Christ (Read vs 20)

What does he mean here?

Put very simply, as the NIV translation puts it, when we were slaves of sin before we knew Christ, we were free from the control of righteousness.

Put another way, we were unable to progress in righteousness.

He then reminds them of the two fold end goal of being a slave of sin (Read Vs 21)

The first part being that sin brought immeasurable shame.

And the end (Telos- Goal) is death. Eternal separation from God.

Maybe the Christian who begins back down a road of sin for a time is being reminded by Paul writing this that that road brought no eternal fruit. It only brought an end which is death. Eternal death. So why would you go back? In other words, be reminded, Christian, that the old life only resulted shame! This misery brought about by sin has an end goal in sight. The trajectory your on is one that ends in death!

this was pointed out to me recently, God created you and put you on this earth for Him. To know Him and worship Him. you’re his very image. If you indulge in a life you were not created for this will lead to only misery and ultimately death.

Now he once again reminds them of the reign of Grace over the life of the believer (Vs 22)

“But now” are the beautiful words here. There has been true transformation. But it’s true transformation that actually leads to fruit.

The goal (Telos- Same word) of being given over completely to God which happens by God’s sovereign grace is more holiness and holiness’ outcome is inevitably eternal life! It’s a two fold work done by the grace of God in us! We enjoy eternal life now because eternal life is to know God and that will carry on through eternity after we die.

He expounds this Point even further in a verse that we normally give in gospel presentations. (Vs 23)

so under this master or boss called sin, you earn a wage. You get paid. And the wage your rightfully earn is death. The task master of sin is a harsh master. So harsh, you will die eternally on the pathway of sin.

But do you see this start contrast? He doesn’t say that now you earn grace by being righteous.

The people wouldve understood this really well and it would’ve hit home to the original reader because they know what it would be like to be a bondservant or slave and earn a wage from their master.

But as soon as it comes to the promise of eternal life, Paul calls it a free gift.

They may have responded with “Wow! I rightfully earned my wage which was death but now Christ has given me a free gift of eternal life? Something I never deserved?”

You see this is the big surprise of grace: Sins wages rightfully earned are now exchanged for what could never be earned.

Don’t forget, this whole section in ch. 6 began because Paul is trying to correct a misconception that because grace reigned and abounded (ch 5) that we can go on sinning. You see how beautiful grace is? This same grace that justifies us is the same grace that takes over, sanctifies us and preserves us till the end!

A grace that doesn’t change a person is no grace at all. It’s not the grace that saves.

The grace that saves is the grace that sanctifies and glorifies. Grace reigns and abounds to the sinner not to free the up to sin, but to free him/her From sin.

Salvation is comprehensive and holistic. The justified WILL be sanctified. There’s no such thing as an “incomplete” in the kingdom of God.

So youre here struggling. Wanting desperately to change. Stoping patterns of sin begins when we remember God’s grace in Christ. Knowing His bondage breaking grace we can from a place of rest, present ourselves back to Him as slaves of righteousness, we replace our patterns of sin and self-worship with true worship to christ with patterns of righteousness.

Conclusion

So, there’s only 2 kinds of slaves. You’re either a slave of God and therefore of righteousness, or a slave of sin. One leads to death, the other leads to holiness and life. But God’s grace provides us the power by making us slaves of God, changing our hearts, and bringing us the 2 fold end of holiness's and eternal life.

A life of Slavery to sin promises freedom but brings death, but being slaves to God brings true freedom and results in life.

Remember today how our savior Jesus Christ is for you. He’s not coming against you because of your sin, He sides with you to destroy your sin. That place where you feel shame, His heart is drawn out to you in that very place. He was in all ways tempted as we are yet without sin. He can sympathize and provide power.

In the very moment of temptation, We can simply live like who we already are because of our union with Jesus. we can yield ourselves and remember we have been made God’s slaves. He’s a faithful and gentle master and boss. Sin no longer has the control. Grace can reign and we can enjoy eternal life now and forever. So yes, as grace reigns, Fight. Strive. Toil for holiness in your life. Doing that is not legalism. It’s worship. It’s God’s gift because as you seek to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling you will see that it is really God who is at work IN you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Do you remember How gentle Jesus was to Peter knowing the failure he would fall into?

He tells him, “Satan has asked for you Peter, so that he could sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you’re restored, strengthen your brethren.”

This is His heart for you and me right now in the battle with sin. He desires that our faith may not fail. And I can say on the authority of God’s word and because of the cross, He will see to it that your faith doesn’t fail.