Romans 6:19-23 (NIV)
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery 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 to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Many times to convince his readers of the truth of God Paul simply employed the question of, "How is that working for you?" Well he didn't quite put it that way he said things like, "What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?" One of things that a former psychologist turned philosopher by the name of William James said in his philosophy of Pragmatism is that, 'in the end what ever you believe it must work'. I believe that William James is absolutely correct in his estimate of a philosophy of life. I believe that following Jesus Christ works and it works in whatever circumstance you find yourself. I believe that following Jesus is a benefit and not a negative. By us becoming slaves of God we reap the benefit of holiness and that results in eternal life. Holiness is one of the most wonderful truths taught in the Word of God and yet if a book came out and its title was, "How to Be Holy" my guess is it would not sale many copies. If the title was let's say, "How to Be Happy" then the interest would really be piqued.
Yet, what I know to be true in the Bible is that the more holier we become, that is we are becoming like Jesus Christ, then as a result we become a happier people. If the wages of sin is death then it behooves us to turn over our body, mind, and soul to righteousness. Maybe right now you could pray a prayer something like, "Lord here I am, all of me, please take my mind, my lips, my hands, my feet, and most of all, my heart and make them yours, in Jesus name, amen!"
Although we just heard this quote a few days back it is worth revisiting after today's reading:
It is the great moment of our lives when we decide that sin must die right out, not be curbed or suppressed or counteracted, but crucified.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Romans 6:15-18 (NIV)
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
In verse 14 Paul reminds them that they are under grace and not under the law. Paul knows that this truth can then be used to justify sin and so he takes this head on. We are out from underneath the burden of having to fulfill the law in order to gain access to God and heaven. For this truth of freedom in Christ we should rejoice, but we must understand that Christ has standards for us to live by. If we fail to live up to these standards this does not mean we are tossed aside. God's grace will bring us back and show us forgiveness in Christ. The language that Paul uses is very strong in order to help followers of Christ to be enlightened on this subject of sin. If we obey sin then we are slaves to sin. Paul then says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Are you a slave to righteousness? We are free when we are a slave to God and his righteousness. One time I was sharing with a friend who did not go to church and he said to me, "I want God and Satan to leave me alone and let me live my life as I see fit."
It seems to me this friend of mine sums up the spirit of the age which is: "I only want to serve me and everyone else leave me alone". It is counter intuitive thinking to propose that true freedom comes by way of being a slave to righteousness.
Freedom does not mean I am able to do whatever I want to do. That’s the worst kind of bondage. Freedom means I have been set free to become all that God wants me to be, to achieve all that God wants me to achieve, to enjoy all that God wants me to enjoy.
Warren W. Wiersbe
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
In verse 14 Paul reminds them that they are under grace and not under the law. Paul knows that this truth can then be used to justify sin and so he takes this head on. We are out from underneath the burden of having to fulfill the law in order to gain access to God and heaven. For this truth of freedom in Christ we should rejoice, but we must understand that Christ has standards for us to live by. If we fail to live up to these standards this does not mean we are tossed aside. God's grace will bring us back and show us forgiveness in Christ. The language that Paul uses is very strong in order to help followers of Christ to be enlightened on this subject of sin. If we obey sin then we are slaves to sin. Paul then says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Are you a slave to righteousness? We are free when we are a slave to God and his righteousness. One time I was sharing with a friend who did not go to church and he said to me, "I want God and Satan to leave me alone and let me live my life as I see fit."
It seems to me this friend of mine sums up the spirit of the age which is: "I only want to serve me and everyone else leave me alone". It is counter intuitive thinking to propose that true freedom comes by way of being a slave to righteousness.
Freedom does not mean I am able to do whatever I want to do. That’s the worst kind of bondage. Freedom means I have been set free to become all that God wants me to be, to achieve all that God wants me to achieve, to enjoy all that God wants me to enjoy.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Romans 6:11-14
My prayer today is that you pay attention to God's Word. Please do not forget to do the Martin Luther method of praying where he used these four words: instruction, thanksgiving, confession, and prayer for going through the ten commandments or the Lord's prayer.
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Right now before you make another move, count yourself dead to sin. You may not have experienced this truth to the degree that you should have, but you can experience more of it than you have already. Paul is telling us that we must reckon this truth as a fact of our life and live by faith in that truth. The nitty gritty of this truth is laid out when Paul lets us know we have an active part in this truth. If we are dead to sin then sin must not rule in our life. Righteousness must rule in our life. Our part in this act of faith is to not offer our body as a vehicle to accomplish sin. Our sin does not originate from another person and it does not act out through another person--it is us. We must instead offer our bodies as a vehicle to accomplish His righteousness. This is best done through prayer. You can offer your hands, your feet, your tongue, your whole self in prayer to God to be an instrument for righteousness. Paul, I believe, does this in Romans 12:1-2, when we are encouraged to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Perhaps, now would be a good time to pray and offer yourself to God as an instrument for righteousness. Before you do that ask God to show you any sin that may be in your life and confess that to Him, then offer yourself to God.
Christ died to save us, not from suffering, but from ourselves; not from injustice, far less than justice, but from being unjust. He died that we might live—but live as he lives, by dying as he died who died to himself.
George Macdonald (1824–1905)
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Right now before you make another move, count yourself dead to sin. You may not have experienced this truth to the degree that you should have, but you can experience more of it than you have already. Paul is telling us that we must reckon this truth as a fact of our life and live by faith in that truth. The nitty gritty of this truth is laid out when Paul lets us know we have an active part in this truth. If we are dead to sin then sin must not rule in our life. Righteousness must rule in our life. Our part in this act of faith is to not offer our body as a vehicle to accomplish sin. Our sin does not originate from another person and it does not act out through another person--it is us. We must instead offer our bodies as a vehicle to accomplish His righteousness. This is best done through prayer. You can offer your hands, your feet, your tongue, your whole self in prayer to God to be an instrument for righteousness. Paul, I believe, does this in Romans 12:1-2, when we are encouraged to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Perhaps, now would be a good time to pray and offer yourself to God as an instrument for righteousness. Before you do that ask God to show you any sin that may be in your life and confess that to Him, then offer yourself to God.
Christ died to save us, not from suffering, but from ourselves; not from injustice, far less than justice, but from being unjust. He died that we might live—but live as he lives, by dying as he died who died to himself.
George Macdonald (1824–1905)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Romans 6:11-14
I hope you are reading your Bible and asking God to help you understand it and apply it to your life. God's Word is one of His most magnificent gifts to us.
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
There is what God has done and there is what I must believe and obey. I believe that a follower of Christ is both passive and active. Notice take another look at verse 12,
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." We are commanded to make sure that sin no longer holds sway over us. Christ did not die on the cross just to release us from the penalty of sin. If it was only the penalty of sin then we would still have to live in misery. However, Christ came to release us from the power of sin. This is some of the best good news you will here or share. We can really have a better life right here in enemy territory. We have to remember that we belong to Christ. We no longer belong to this world and it's ways. We no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to Christ and His kingdom! Let's look at this passage in the Message.
Romans 6:12-14 (MSG)
12 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day.
13 Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things.
14 Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
The only lasting treasure is spiritual; the only perfect freedom is serving God.
Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990)
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
There is what God has done and there is what I must believe and obey. I believe that a follower of Christ is both passive and active. Notice take another look at verse 12,
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." We are commanded to make sure that sin no longer holds sway over us. Christ did not die on the cross just to release us from the penalty of sin. If it was only the penalty of sin then we would still have to live in misery. However, Christ came to release us from the power of sin. This is some of the best good news you will here or share. We can really have a better life right here in enemy territory. We have to remember that we belong to Christ. We no longer belong to this world and it's ways. We no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to Christ and His kingdom! Let's look at this passage in the Message.
Romans 6:12-14 (MSG)
12 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day.
13 Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things.
14 Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
The only lasting treasure is spiritual; the only perfect freedom is serving God.
Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Romans 6:5-14
I thought I would give you a verse that has meant a lot to me. It has to do as to the why we should let the Word of God into our life.
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
The word dwell means to take up residence. The Word of God should feel at home in your life. The Word of God or as it says here the Word of Christ should take up residence in a rich way. The Word of Christ should not be cheapened in your life by placing it in the basement of your life. The Word should be given top billing. The result is that we are equipped to help serve other people. It also helps in our worship of our Savior. Here is how it stated in the Message,
Colossians 3:16 (MSG)
16 Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!
Now on to the book of Romans.
Romans 6:5-14 (NIV)
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
We will camp out here for a bit. In verse six the body of sin is what we are apart from Christ. It is us in our Adamic state. Paul goes back and forth as to what Christ has done and what we are in Him. Paul is teaching us that in Christ we have experienced death, burial, and resurrection. We will see this clearly in Romans chapter 8. In verse 11 of chapter 6 Paul exhorts us to count ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God. We are to reckon it as so in our lives. In other words we are to have faith in Christ and appropriate this truth everyday of our lives. We are to have the audacity to believe that Christ has set us free from sin and act as if it were so. This is where Chapter 8 comes into play again because Paul talks about the Spirit life. We cannot appropriate this truth of dead to sin and alive to God in our own strength.
Let these powerful verses sink in through the weekend and we will pick back up next week.
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
The word dwell means to take up residence. The Word of God should feel at home in your life. The Word of God or as it says here the Word of Christ should take up residence in a rich way. The Word of Christ should not be cheapened in your life by placing it in the basement of your life. The Word should be given top billing. The result is that we are equipped to help serve other people. It also helps in our worship of our Savior. Here is how it stated in the Message,
Colossians 3:16 (MSG)
16 Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!
Now on to the book of Romans.
Romans 6:5-14 (NIV)
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
We will camp out here for a bit. In verse six the body of sin is what we are apart from Christ. It is us in our Adamic state. Paul goes back and forth as to what Christ has done and what we are in Him. Paul is teaching us that in Christ we have experienced death, burial, and resurrection. We will see this clearly in Romans chapter 8. In verse 11 of chapter 6 Paul exhorts us to count ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God. We are to reckon it as so in our lives. In other words we are to have faith in Christ and appropriate this truth everyday of our lives. We are to have the audacity to believe that Christ has set us free from sin and act as if it were so. This is where Chapter 8 comes into play again because Paul talks about the Spirit life. We cannot appropriate this truth of dead to sin and alive to God in our own strength.
Let these powerful verses sink in through the weekend and we will pick back up next week.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Romans 6:4-10 (NIV)
I hope you have a great day in the Lord. May God be attentive to your prayers.
Romans 6:4-10 (NIV)
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Do you have the victory? I was trained in a school of thought that by God's help and especially by His Spirit's aid a follower of Christ can live above the circumstances of life. This is why Irwin Lutzer writes, " The Spirit’s control will replace sin’s control. His power is greater than the power of all your sin." Hence a question that use to be asked of us is "Do you have the victory." Of course the more you study this question you realize how loaded this question is for the believer. Yet it is a good question to put to ourselves. Here is another way of putting the question, "Am I living free of sin and a life fully committed to God?" Once you understand to some degree the Spirit filled life you have to come to Romans 6:4-10. Paul is saying we can be free of sin. This is not to say we don't sin, but we will be discerning enough to know when we have crossed the line and we will confess that sin. That part of us that wants our way, our wants, desires and die and let the God life live in and through us. We are no longer slaves to sin. Amen.
True triumphs are God’s triumphs over us. His defeats of us are our real victories.
Henry Alford (1810–1871)
Romans 6:4-10 (NIV)
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Do you have the victory? I was trained in a school of thought that by God's help and especially by His Spirit's aid a follower of Christ can live above the circumstances of life. This is why Irwin Lutzer writes, " The Spirit’s control will replace sin’s control. His power is greater than the power of all your sin." Hence a question that use to be asked of us is "Do you have the victory." Of course the more you study this question you realize how loaded this question is for the believer. Yet it is a good question to put to ourselves. Here is another way of putting the question, "Am I living free of sin and a life fully committed to God?" Once you understand to some degree the Spirit filled life you have to come to Romans 6:4-10. Paul is saying we can be free of sin. This is not to say we don't sin, but we will be discerning enough to know when we have crossed the line and we will confess that sin. That part of us that wants our way, our wants, desires and die and let the God life live in and through us. We are no longer slaves to sin. Amen.
True triumphs are God’s triumphs over us. His defeats of us are our real victories.
Henry Alford (1810–1871)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Romans 6:1-4
Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
What we are doing is going over the core of the book of Romans. If we are to have victory over sin and live a life fully devoted to Spirit living, then we must understand the truths that are in Romans 5,6, and 8. We have a nagging problem and it is this propensity to go wayward from God. We want to go it alone or find our own way. The Lord is our Shepherd and we must let Him shepherd us. A profound truth is that if you come to know Christ as your savior and Lord then you have died to sin. This means sin no longer has advantage over you. You no longer have to listen to what it says. The language that sin speaks is a foreign language and a follower of Christ no longer knows that language. We are dead to sin. A follower of Christ has been raised to a new life. God wants us to live that new life in Him. The new life is full of possibilities and of transformation. Their is no secret to this new way of living, but there are truths that we must apply to our lives. Here is one of them.
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
We must yield ourselves to the Lord. We must let God have absolute control over our lives in every area at all times. This really comes down to one word and that is obedience to God. Either we our obeying the Lord or we are not obeying the Lord. Are you fully surrender to Lord in every area of your life? Please mediate on this with me for weekend. It is a question I try to ask myself all the time.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
What we are doing is going over the core of the book of Romans. If we are to have victory over sin and live a life fully devoted to Spirit living, then we must understand the truths that are in Romans 5,6, and 8. We have a nagging problem and it is this propensity to go wayward from God. We want to go it alone or find our own way. The Lord is our Shepherd and we must let Him shepherd us. A profound truth is that if you come to know Christ as your savior and Lord then you have died to sin. This means sin no longer has advantage over you. You no longer have to listen to what it says. The language that sin speaks is a foreign language and a follower of Christ no longer knows that language. We are dead to sin. A follower of Christ has been raised to a new life. God wants us to live that new life in Him. The new life is full of possibilities and of transformation. Their is no secret to this new way of living, but there are truths that we must apply to our lives. Here is one of them.
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
We must yield ourselves to the Lord. We must let God have absolute control over our lives in every area at all times. This really comes down to one word and that is obedience to God. Either we our obeying the Lord or we are not obeying the Lord. Are you fully surrender to Lord in every area of your life? Please mediate on this with me for weekend. It is a question I try to ask myself all the time.
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