Translations: Chinese GB Big5

Romans 6:15-23 (web)

Sanctification and Sin II

Set Free From Sin
Slaves with Respect to Behavior

6:15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!
6:16 Don't you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience,
his servants you are whom you obey;
whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

6:17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin,
you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered.
6:18 Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh,
for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness,
even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.
6:20 For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
6:21 What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.

6:22 But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God,
you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

6:23 For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Discussion Questions

Is the idea of a slave to sin in this section talking about sin determining our destiny or sin controlling our behavior?

How do you answer people, according to this section, who may ask "If Christians are freely forgiven and if their salvation status is not dependent upon their performance, then why should they worry about not sinning? If salvation is secure, then why not do whatever you feel like doing? What incentive is there for not sinning?"

What corrupting effects can sin have in a person's life?

What benefits do you and will you get from living righteously?

Comments

vs 15 Now comes the obvious question that if sin no longer is master over our destiny, then why stop sinning? Because by sinning we show that sins has mastery over our behavior. Rather we should behave righteously in obedience to God and so show ourselves to be His slave. And in fact according to vs 18 that is what our position as believers is.

The motivation for not sinning is to consider the benefits or outworkings of such behavior.

vs 17 Notice that that he gives not room for Free Grace Theology here. Obedience accompanied their faith. It is only of the obedient he categorizes as being set free from sin. Not a single word does Paul speak of alleged "Carnal" Christians who claim to believe but refuse to obey. So also notice that he allows no excuse for sinning. Believers have the power and responsibility to control their behavior.

vs 21 "What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?" Why bother sinning if there is no benefit from it? Sinning leads "to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness." Rather slavery to righteousness leads to holiness (separation from sin), which is our destiny. And being a slave to righteousness, in terms of our position in Christ, our destiny is eternal life.

vs 22 "the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
This must not be misinterpreted to mean that leading a holy life results in eternal life, for that is performance based salvation. Rather, the benefit of being made a slave to God is two-fold. One is that it leads one to a holy lifestyle and secondly it guarantees eternal life as one's ultimate destiny, which means that it leads to assurance of salvation.

Notice also throughout here Christians are spoken of as servants of God. In becoming a Christian one becomes a servant of God. "he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2Cor 5:15

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources


Feb 10,2009