Slaves of Righteousness

Part 2

16^th November 2013

We're following on from last week, when we read:

Romans 6v16-18
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 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. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Our self-image as Christians is very important. If we see ourselves as God sees us, then we'll live more as God wants us to, both in terms of our behaviour and in terms of our internal peace and joy. In these verses, Paul is giving us one element to this self-image we have - or should have - as Christian men and women.

If we've grasped what it means that Jesus died for us, if we've repented - chosen to live God's way instead of our own, if we've wholeheartedly embraced God's wonderful offer of forgiveness and eternal life, then we should see ourselves as people who were once slave to sin but who are now slaves to righteousness. That should be our self-image.

We should envision the rest of our lives as being for God's glory, for service to Him in worship, in telling others about His love, and about living good lives.

Do we see ourselves as slaves to righteousness? And are we glad about that, or is there some resentment? That resentment is sin - it's wanting to be our own God, rather than serve the God who died in our place to set us free from sin and death, so we can experience righteousness and life.

Romans 6:19
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.

We can use any part of our being - not just our body but also our mind, our will, our thought life, our relationships, either for sinful self-indulgence or for God. If we're truly Christians, we're supposed to use everything we have for God, for His kingdom, and for His righteousness.

We all have what some people call besetting sins (from the Authorized Version of Hebrews 12:1) - sins that we as individuals find particularly difficult to resist. Different people have different besetting sins, but we all have them. Paul's saying that, before Jesus sets us free from sin, these sins can grasp us at any time. We can suddenly lose our temper, or find ourselves gossiping, or complaining, or eating a third cream cake, or swearing, without really meaning to. But he's also saying that, after we've died to sin and been born again, we can choose not to sin. Sin is no longer our master. Of course, it takes time to learn that we don't have to come running every time sin calls, but God promises to set us free, and He means what He says.

Here's the self-image thing again. Consider yourself free from the power of sin. Now you and the Holy Spirit within you, and a good dose of self-control, can conquer those sins that trouble you, although it may be more of a process than an instantaneous change.

Romans 6v20-21
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

I can still remember the days when I was a slave to sin. I was very unhappy. Sin will always tell you that a bit more sin will make you happy, or at least less unhappy. But it never does. It just kills you. Not only in the sense that we'll be judged according to how we've lived our lives, but every day. Sin dulls the senses. It damages the conscience. It makes us less alive every day.

Romans 6v22-23
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. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Real life - real happiness, is life spent with God, filled with His Holy Spirit, serving His purposes. Never settle for less. You'll never be as happy when you're being selfish as you will when you're serving God by serving others. And, when we see ourselves as slaves of God, slaves of righteousness, then we'll become increasingly holy. We'll live closer and closer to God. We'll know Him better and better. We'll know more of His love, joy and peace. And, rather than dying a little every day, we'll know His eternal life ore each day.