27. ROMANS CHAPTER 6 VERSES 12-18 - MESSAGES IN ROMANS – DEAD TO SELF AND ALIVE TO CHRIST; FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM – BUT WHO IS MASTER OVER YOU? – MESSAGE 27
In the last message we saw that our old selves have died with Christ, crucified, dead to sin, and as Christ rose from the dead, so we too walk the resurrected life. Sin is not to have mastery over us. Once we were slaves to sin but now we are slaves to righteousness. This new nature, through being born again, gives us control over sin in our lives.
{{Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,
Romans 6:13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God,
Romans 6:14 for sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”}}
Paul enters a new section within the same area of teaching as he has been explaining. This section begins with a “therefore” and that word takes into account all that has passed before it. As someone has said, “When you have a ‘therefore’, ask what it is there for?” All the previous arguments and explanations might leave a question unanswered so Paul very clearly spells out what all this means for us. We will deal with the verses separately.
[A]. VERSE 12 – THIS YOU MUST NOT DO; THE COMMAND IS CLEAR
{{Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,”}}
Here we have another “Therefore” because the whole passage here is a continual explanation according to the theme, “Dead to self and Alive to Christ”. We have had the great contrasts of the old nature (the old self; old man) with the new nature earlier in the chapter. We have passed from death to life; from bondage to freedom; from the controlling demands of the old life, to the liberty of the resurrected life in Christ. Baptism by immersion demonstrated the change where the old, sinful life is dead, buried, and the new walk is in a raised life with the Lord.
Not only are we to consider ourselves dead to sin, BUT we also must have control over that. This verse contains the action of our wills. We stand our ground against sin, or we indulge the sinful desires in the flesh. This is where we could use the terms, “a strong or a weak Christian”, according to how we oppose, or give into lusts that are reacting with the old nature.
That old nature is dead and should be gone for we have been raised to newness of life, but the dregs of that old nature are still powerful if entertained. We must not entertain that, or feed that old nature for it will bring its lusts against us so very quickly and catch us off guard.
The big problem we have is right at the start. Maybe we have seen accounts where a dam developed a small crack; a small leak and was left unattended. Very soon the crack widens and undermines the dam wall and it begins to collapse to cause a tragedy. The most important word in that story is “unattended”. An unattended Christian life will have the old nature rising up with its lusts and then we follow those lusts because we have let sin take control. Then it is very hard to win back that control.
We know in Eden Eve succumbed because of lust. John wrote this – {{1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world, and THE WORLD IS PASSING AWAY, and also its lusts, BUT THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER.”}}
Eve sought the lust of the flesh – she desired the fruit. Eve entertained the lust of the eyes - she saw it was a delight to the eyes. Eve was promised equality with God – the pride of life. Those lusts conquered her, and they conquer us also. Paul is very clear, DO NOT let sin reign – TAKE CONTROL – in your mortal bodies.
John said the world is passing away, and so too, are our mortal bodies. We must give account before the Lord one day if we are His. This is serious. Yes, I know we slip up and slip back into the old nature sometimes, maybe even grievously, but the sensitive Christian responds to the conviction of the Holy Spirit to depart that sin and return to the Lord. However when sin reigns in your mortal body, it has control over you and you are defeated and useless for God.
When the Holy Spirit convicts you (for He convicts ALL God’s children who have sinned) then speedily repent and return to the Lord. Sin must NEVER have the rule in your lives. You belong to Jesus, not to yourselves or to the devil. Jesus Christ redeemed you with His own blood to be liberated children of the living God.
[B]. VERSE 13 – TO WHOM ARE YOU PRESENTING YOUR MEMBERS?
{{Romans 6:13 “and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, BUT PRESENT YOURSELVES TO GOD as those alive from the dead, and your members as INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS to God,”}}
The previous verse (12) dealt with ALLOWING AND OBEYING, but this one deals with PRESENTING. All three of those actions are deliberate choices of the will. In this current verse it means “Do not keep doing it,” for the carnal Christian lives with sin, and like an adulterated fountain, puts forth pure and contaminated water. Don’t keep doing it!
The verse presents us with a choice; either use our bodies to keep living in sin, OR use our bodies to further the righteousness of God.
The “members of our body” are its eyes, mind, hands and feet. We sin by actions and thoughts and those four members are engaged in working for righteousness, or they work for its opposite. What we do affects other people and we can leave our mark for evil or good according to how we are presenting our members. It is a blessed man or woman who used his/her eyes, mind, hands and feet in the service of the Lord, not with divided minds, but as committed and doing what is righteous.
Can we survey our lives and see where we have failed to do that; where we have been presenting our members in the service of evil? I am sure we can recall examples where we have done that as Christians, but God has forgiven us if we confess our sins. We may still be doing that, but must stop, and present our members to serve righteousness. Sadly we will not be rid of these mutant members until we are in the Lord’s presence.
Paul uses one important statement here – “AS THOSE ALIVE FROM THE DEAD,” and that goes back to earlier in the chapter in the teaching on believers’ baptism. A believer who is baptised following conversion is symbolically declaring he has died to the old life (the old self) and that old life is buried, and he is now a new creation in Jesus Christ, and is walking and living as a new person. Baptism represents that change that took place when a person believes in the Lord so those who believe are ones made alive with a new life, alive from the dead.
[C]. VERSE 14 – SIN IS NOT THE MASTER OVER YOU
{{Romans 6:14 “for SIN SHALL NOT BE MASTER OVER YOU, for you are not under law, but under grace.”}}
A law is a set of rules and regulations and practices designed to control your life, for good or bad. The law of Communism is of the devil. The Law of Moses was from God. Whatever law controls you or is set over you, becomes your master, and in the latter, if you allow it. In my State I am not allowed to speak against homosexuality in church, (called “hate speech”) but I ignore it and do it. All knees will bow to Jesus Christ and proclaim Him Lord.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT VERSE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF ROMANS BUT WE LEAVE THAT CHAPTER UNTIL THEN. Verse 14 continues from 13 in the argument where Paul has declared that the Christian must present his body’s members as instruments of righteousness BECAUSE (verse 14) sin shall not be master over any Christian.
We place ourselves under the mastery of a law or system or a sin when we present our members to that evil practice. I have said often that the books of Romans and Galatians parallel each other. The Galatian Christians had submitted to the Judaises and were placing their members under the Law. They were adopting the Law of Moses trying to add Law to the grace that had saved them. In Galatians Paul is most severe (rightly) on those who would downgrade grace and substitute works. {{Galatians 1:9 “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”}}
The greatest contrast is made with Law and grace, and Law and freedom, and bondage and freedom, in both Romans and Galatians. The Christian must be walking close to the Lord or he will be misled in one way or another and fail in the responsibility to submit his members to the Lord for righteousness. Where do you stand in this matter? To whom, or to what do you submit to, so that either the Lord or sin has mastery/control over you? We ALL must be very careful.
[D]. VERSES 15-16 - YET AGAIN: IS SIN COVERED BY GRACE SO WE CAN KEEP SINNING?
{{Romans 6:15 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”}}
Paul raises this matter of a carelessness to sin because we are not under Law but under grace. This is not the first time he does this because it is so important. The blood of Christ has cleansed from all sin, so what does it matter if we go out and use up our lusts and keep sinning because the blood of Christ will cover all sin? Is that what it is all about?
Paul counteracts that argument with another very strong negative. That must never be; must never happen. Well might we ask why that can’t happen. Here are some reasons that are of greatest importance why such things must not happen –
(a). Christ suffered for sin, so horrible it was, suffered more than any person will ever know, so how can you enjoy your sin when it cost Him so dearly. For you to go out and do that, you must think little of the sufferings of Christ.
(b). To have that attitude must mean you love your sin so much, and that brings into question if you have honestly been born again. A genuinely converted man and woman ought to hate sin and the sinful attitude.
(c). Carelessness in a Christian life is a despicable thing. It means not listening to the Spirit of God or being controlled by His word, the scriptures.
(d). If you appreciated truly what grace was/is then you would be so humbled at Christ's sacrifice to win your freedom and you would not want to go out and sin just because you have been set free by Christ.
In verse 16 Paul draws a line in the sand. On one side is “SIN” on a large sign and on the other is “OBEDIENCE” on another large sign. Make your choice. Where will you pitch your tent? Those who want to continue as slaves of sin go and live on the SIN side and progress to death, while those who are obedient to righteousness will go live on the OBEDIENCE side.
Verse 16 teaches we are slaves, either to sin and death, or to obedience and righteousness. They are the only two choices; none other. A Christian surely should be firmly found on the obedience and righteousness side of the line, and if he keeps visiting the other side where sin is, then he becomes a carnal Christian. Such things dishonour Christ to whom that man first gave his life to. Maybe we could question the commitment of that man in the decision he made.
[E]. OBEDIENCE FROM THE HEART IS WHAT GENUINE CONVERSION IS
{{Romans 6:17 “Thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were COMMITTED,
Romans 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.”}}
These two verses state the fact again of the two divisions; once slaves of sin BUT now slaves of righteousness. If you like it this way, we jumped the fence out of one pound into another; from sin to salvation; from death to life; from wickedness to righteousness.
In sin’s pound we were in bondage but in Christ's flock we are in freedom. For that, Paul opens verse 17 with thanks to God, but uses the expression “obedient from the heart”. There is too much wishy-washy acting in a lot of churches today with not very much commitment. This is because the teachers and ministers are themselves not very committed.
Obeying from the heart means a solid, full commitment to the Lord in salvation. He who professes Christ but holds back part of the commitment is in no man’s land. Is that person even saved? Paul knew the position of the Roman Christians and he was thankful to God for their decisiveness.
We live in a day of distractions – social media and phones and reality television and “hanging out”, and out having fun. So much will pull the Christian down if that commitment is not there.
I want to take up the last part of verse 17 – “to that form of teaching to which you were committed,” for this is really important. There are some who steer clear of Romans because they say it is too hard, or too doctrinal, but when they do that there is a whole vacuum of understand and the foundation is missing on which to anchor. Serious Romans preaching is what the church needs and the concepts must begin with the preacher.
The Christian faith is like two legs that must be equal in height. One leg is doctrine and the other is Christian living. Some happy-clappy churches are weak on doctrinal issues so that a proper walk has nothing on which to anchor. Doctrine is the framework that holds the whole lot in place, and is essential.
The professing life of a Christian must be lived under endurance, be that from the world, or from our own lives that we must apply with diligence to the word of God. Each of us must endeavour to master the teachings of Romans as that is the basis of our faith. Romans is the most doctrinal book in the bible and sets the foundation for all Christian living and behaviour.
In verse 18, we switched sides by being born again and are slaves/servants of righteousness which means doing the right things under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who was sent to lead us into all truth. A slave in Paul’s day was always at the ready to answer the master’s will, for that was dedication and devotion. The Christian slave must be able to excel in that.
