06:15-23 Submit to be a slave
Introduction:
This passage has a more interesting comparison of the slaves of Sin and Slaves of God. It defines the slaves and identifies the slaves through their trademarks and the resourceful gift of God. This passage will lead the reader either to cling to Eternal Life or reject it with an arrogant attitude without realizing the consequence.
Romans 6:15-18 Definitions for Kinds of Slaves
Paul categorically divided the believers and unbelievers as slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. He says that obedience to the teaching of the gospel entrusted is the sign of a slave to righteousness. Non-obedience, and not heeding the teachings itself a sign of slave to Sin. Accepting one is the result of rejecting the other. Either accept the Gospel to become a slave of righteousness or reject the gospel to dwell in Sin. All are slaves of sin by birth, but those who accept Christ are the slaves to righteousness. The sin bounds a person and never leaves until take that soul to eternal death. But the redeemer paved way for the bindings to be loosed and released forever.
Romans 6:19-22 Signs of Slaves
The slaves of sinners have yielded their bodies and their parts to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness. Whereas the slaves of righteousness lead to holiness. Slaves to sin are free from the control of righteousness. The slaves of sin indulge in shameful, awkward, dirty abominable things. God hates those activities. God hates the iniquity and filthiness. The result of such lives is death. But those who are free from sin are slaves to God. The benefit is holiness and the result is eternal life. Those who are under the grace have to obey the Love of God rather than the law of the Lord given through Moses. Law threatens, terrifies, and chases away from the grace of God. Grace could complete what the law couldn’t. The old life has gone from the body and a new lifestyle has come in. New man aims at pleasing the Master, who is God. The old man has yielded to Sin and was pleasing the flesh and self. Salves to righteousness were the result of the possession of the Holy Spirit. The slaves of righteousness are the servants of God.
Romans 6:23 Gift of God
The Gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus! But the wages of Sin are death. The rebels are meted out with death. It is the natural course of action according to the divine law of nature. The Gospel has reached with Good News but if some decided to give up, they end up in the death penalty. Thanks are to God for his love, care, and promises of eternal life to those who obey the good news. The wholehearted obedience leads to the life eternal. Those who are renewed in their hearts are observing the Truth of God proclaimed through the Gospel. There is spiritual death for those who indulge in Sinful acts whereas there is spiritual liberty in Christ for true obedience.
Discussions:
1. Are you under law or grace?
2. What are the identification marks of the slaves?
3. How a person can reject the Gift of God?
(For Further studies in Romans, kindly refer to this cite)
