July 05, 2022 – Tuesday
Romans 6:15-16 NIV
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Comments
This probably seems like a continuation of Friday’s verses of the day which mentioned 6:1-2, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? I added the following to the start of verse 2 By no means! writing, “The KJV is even more emphatic in its answer, God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Many versions of the Bible say God forbid! or Absolutely not! and a few May it never be! Note the exclamation mark (!) at the end of each of these. I cannot imagine his answer without that emphasis!” A friend wrote in about his thoughts on this as well. He wrote, “Romans 6:2: “By no means!” is a rather wimpy translation of the Greek, <Me genoito> which in the vernacular is “Hell, no!” (May I be damned if this is true!).” And the same applies to the end of verse 15 above, By no means!
In our verses for today, 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? What we have is a continuation of the discussion Paul started in first verses of this chapter, 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? But the emphasis is different.
The difference is about the change of living in sin under the law and then beginning to live as one who has died to sin. The verses for today are about who we are going to serve as servants or slaves, having died to sin (as our master) we are now slaves to obedience which leads to righteousness. This is not any righteousness on our own part, but imputed to us by God for our faith in Christ paying for our sins on the cross. Paul makes this explicit in the next two verses, 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Then in the next three verses Paul wants us to know and understand what we have gained for what we have given up. 19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. We gave up death (!), set free from sin with the benefit of a life that leads towards holiness and eternal life.
Bottom Line: No contest, the benefits far outweigh the costs. That’s not strong enough. The benefits infinitely outweigh the costs. And we had best keep this in mind during our day-to-day trials and tribulations.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us to always keep in mind just how much Your grace, Your unmerited favor, has gifted us with as we look to the future. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek