Romans 6:16-19 - Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:16-19 - 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? 17 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, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Message: It should be that we can't help it, as a follower of Christ, to be a slave of righteousness and in turn reach sanctification.

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
From 6, verse 15-23, is the Believer's Death to Sin in Practice. Yesterday, the question was asked, now that a person is under law, can they ever sin, even if it is just once or twice. Earlier in chapter 6, it was clearly stated that sin is dead from the perspective of God through Christ and I am made alive in Christ. And so the person in Christ needs to realize that we are complete in Christ and our biggest obstacle in life is when we live outside of this condition.

No matter whom you serve, you are a slave
Whether we serve sin or serve obedience, we are a slave (verse 16). I can be a slave of sin or of obedience. At times, in my life, specifically when I was growing up, I struggled with those people that were, so-called goody too shoes. Maybe what I disliked is the confidence they had in doing things well, like school work. They seemed to take great pride in its accomplishment and were good at it. And I struggled because I was not good at it. So, I found myself poking fun at their studious behavior. I remember one summer when the quest was to read books. I had read like 3 books that summer and felt very accomplished only to found out the boy across the street had read an unbelievable amount. I thought it was somewhere in the 70's or even 100. My jaw dropped and I just assumed it was a ruse. Yet, he was good at being a slave of education and learning. 

Thanks to God, we are slaves of obedience
Something interesting has happened as I make a commitment to follow Christ. I become a slave of righteousness. The questions that are asked in this chapter, verse 1 and verse 15, are in essence completely contrary to what a Christian or Christ follower or regenerate sinner would ask. Why? Because in Christ (verse 17 and 18)we have been freed from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.

This is something I struggle with at times. I see Christians or proclaimed Christians in my life that don't seem to have a complete life change. There are changes in principle but not always in practice. They still retain their old life in some shape or form. Perhaps it is a foul mouth. Or perhaps there is no desire for corporate worship or church. Perhaps there is a thirst for alcohol (which in our country equates to a lifestyle contrary to the cross). Or there is little thirst for Bible reading, but more interest in just self-improvement. Yet, here in these verses, it is clear. I have been freed from sin. I became a slave to righteousness. This doesn't mean I always am righteous but I am in turmoil when I'm not living in a righteous manner. I think this is the Christian. The follower or true worshiper really has a tension with sin. And not just because it reaps poor dividends in life. The true worshiper doesn't want to displease God any longer.

There is a goal: sanctification
Verse 19 reminds us that these aren't just things we do, righteous living or sin living. But, they are resulting in a transformed life. If we are a slave to the flesh, then impurity and lawlessness will result. The purpose of the Christian is to follow Christ all the days of his or her life and thus move towards Christ likeness. This is who we are in Christ.

Promise: By being in Christ, God frees us from sin and we become slaves of righteousness.