“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?“
Romans 6:15-16
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The issue addressed at the beginning of this week’s passage could be framed as, “How should we exercise the freedom that comes with God’s grace?” Freedom grants the opportunity to make personal choices. But while we are free to make choices, our decisions reveal to whom we offer our lives—or to put it another way, to whom we are enslaved.
But if we are free, why talk about enslavement? Decisions are not made in a vacuum. Although personal preferences may guide decision-making, these are radically changed for those who place their faith in Jesus. In fact, personal preference is the wrong term when decision-making is no longer based upon self-interest. This, of course, is not true of all our choices. But as followers of Jesus, we have been given opportunity to obey our Lord. The unbeliever does not have this option. So who is more free?
Our obedience has consequences. Those who obey sin as master are headed for death. Those who obey the Lord are on a path toward righteousness. However, righteousness is not a result of our obedience. Righteousness is given as a free gift to the believer. This is what it means to be under grace. We receive the unmerited favor of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
True faith in Jesus is inseparable from obedience to Jesus. This is not to say that we do not sin, but sin is no longer our master. We have been set free to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. We are gradually transformed into the likeness of our Lord as we obey Him.
But this is not a cake-walk. This is a life of repentance, because although sin is not our master, it is still our foe. Sometimes we defeat sin, and sometimes sin defeats us. But defeat is not surrender. The Holy Spirit gets us back on our feet as we confess our sins and receive forgiveness and restoration. The adversary may continue to scream accusations against us, but we, as recipients of grace, are led unfailingly to righteousness.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- : How are you exercising your freedom as one under grace?
- How is your daily decision-making affected by the opportunity given you to obey the Lord?
- What have been some of the results in your life now that sin is no longer your master?
Church Reading Plan: Proverbs 12; Ephesians 5