What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!Paul begins this section of his letter to the members of the church by responding to a question: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” While this is a different question that what we looked at last week, this question still surrounds the same issue as last week. And that issue is the issue of sin in the life of a follower of Jesus. Last week, the members of the church at Rome questioned Paul as to whether or not they could embrace a lifestyle of selfishness and sin after they had been separated from sins domination through faith in Christ. Here, however, the members of the church at Rome are focused on individual acts of sin instead of a lifestyle that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of sin. In addition, the motivation behind their questions is different as well. Last week, the motivation behind their question was based on the belief that embracing a lifestyle of selfishness and sin would enhance God’s reputation. Here, however, the motivation behind their question was based on the belief that individual acts of sin don’t matter since we are under grace and not the Law.
This question, if asked in the language that we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Can’t I occasionally sin? I mean, I know its sin, but is it really that big a deal since I am no longer under the Law as a follower of Jesus. And because my relationship with Jesus is not based on whether or not I keep a list of rules, then what is the big deal if I break the rules occasionally? So, if I am under grace as a result of what God did for me, do my occasional acts of sin really matter that much?
Now while we would never admit this, or say that publicly, how often do we, practically speaking, live our lives this way? “I am saved by grace, so an occasional peek at pornography is not that big a deal. I am saved by grace, so it’s no big deal if I cheat on my taxes or have friends with benefits or am dishonest with my employer or teacher. Since I am not under a list of rules anymore, I am under grace, so at the end of the day I’ll just ask God to forgive me and He will because He loves me so much”. How often can we find ourselves falling into that way of thinking? How often do we find ourselves feeling comfortable with that kind of thinking? And more importantly, is Jesus o.k. with that kind of thinking by His followers?
We discover how the Apostle Paul feels about that kind of thinking based on his response in verse 15: May it never be! Paul responds to this question with the strongest negative response that is possible in the language that this letter was originally written in. And as the Apostle Paul proceeds in this section of this letter to respond to this question, we see revealed for us a timeless truth that is necessary to embrace if we are to live a life that responds to our rescue by becoming more like Christ in our character and conduct. And that timeless truth is this: Our rescue should result in obedience. In Romans 6:15-23, we see Paul provide three reasons why our rescue from selfishness and sin should result in obedience. We see the first reason in Romans 6:16. Let’s look at it together:
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? But 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, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.Here we see the Apostle Paul introduce the members of the church at Rome, and us here today, to a well known and generally accepted fact that they were aware of. And that well known and generally accepted fact is that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey. As we discovered last week, the word present literally means to place beside or at someone’s disposal. When Paul uses the word slave, he is referring to someone who was solely committed to the service of another.
Paul’s point here is that when we place ourselves at the disposal of someone or something so as to comply with their desires, we are committing ourselves to serving whatever we follow. And here we see Paul provide for us the first reason why our rescue should result in obedience. Our rescue should result in obedience because we are slaves of the one we obey. The timeless reality is that we serve what we follow. Whatever we commit ourselves to follow, we become their slaves. Intuitively, this makes perfect sense. And we see this timeless principle play out throughout our lives, don’t we? When we follow our employer’s instructions at work, what are we doing? We are committing ourselves to serve our employers. When we follow our teacher’s instructions at school, what are we doing? We are committing ourselves to serve our teachers. We are slaves of the one whom we obey. We commit ourselves to the service of whatever desires and demands we follow.
Paul then unpacks the implications of this principle when it comes to sin in the life of a follower of Jesus in verse 16. Paul explains that either you are a slave of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness. The person who places their lives at the disposal of the evil and destructive power of selfishness and sin so that they are committed to serving selfishness and sin results in death. As we talked about throughout this series, the word death conveys the concept of separation. And when we follow the desires and demands of selfishness and sin, we are committing ourselves to serving sin. Because we are slaves of the one we obey.
And as a result of committing ourselves to serving selfishness and sin, we experience eternal separation from the relationship with God we were created for. By contrast, the person who decides to place their lives at the disposal of obedience to the message and teachings of Jesus so that they are committed to faithfully follow the message and teachings of Jesus results in righteousness. As we talked about throughout this series, righteousness is the quality or state of being right with God.
If Paul was writing this today in the language we use today, his answer would sound something like this: “Why would you even consider placing your body at the disposal of the evil and destructive power of selfishness and sin? Because at the end of the day, you end up being a slave of the one you follow. And at the end of the day, slavery to selfishness and sin results in eternal separation from God. So why would you think that you could dabble in occasional sin after you have been rescued from its power by Jesus? Your desire to rationalize and justify occasional selfishness and sin makes me want to ask a question. And the question is who do you want to serve and follow? Do you want to serve selfishness and sin, which separated you from God, or do you want to serve and follow Jesus, who rescued you? Because, at the end of the day, you are a slave of the one you obey”.
In verse 17, however, Paul expresses his gratitude that the members of the church at Rome, who had previously been solely committed to serving the evil and destructive power of selfishness and sin, had been rescued through God’s transformational intervention and activity through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And as a result of God’s transformational activity, the members of the church at Rome had given themselves over to following the message and teachings of Jesus. From the heart, which refers to the center and sum of our being, the members of the church at Rome had responded to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.
And as a result of their response to God’s transformational activity in their lives, the members of the church at Rome had been freed from commitment of following and serving selfishness and sin. Now as followers of Jesus, they were committed to following and serving Jesus Christ in the right relationship with God that they were created for. Because we are slaves of the one we obey.
You see, you cannot dabble in occasional selfishness and rebellion and act as though it is no big deal. Dabbling in occasional selfishness and sin is a big deal, because Jesus entered into humanity and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. Jesus died to rescue us from the slavery and eternal separation from God that selfishness and sin produces so that we could live in the right relationship with God that we were created for.
So to think that we can just go back and dabble in selfishness and sin, after being rescued from its power to enslave us, makes absolutely no sense. But how often do tend to rationalize and justify doing that very thing? And this is not just a local problem; this is a human nature problem that occurs across calendars and centuries. Tomorrow, we will see Paul provide a second reason why our rescue should result in obedience.
In the meantime, who do you obey? Who or what do you find yourself following?
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