Bible Study 6/3

Romans 6:15-23

This is a difficult passage, but here's my best understanding of it. Paul once again asks the question (as he did at the beginning of chp. 6) of whether we should continue sinning since we are under grace? In the beginning of 6 he answered "no" because of the fact that we were "dead" to sin and alive to God positionally - therefore, we should and will increasingly live that out.

This time, he continues to develop the slave / master word picture. The Christian was once a slave to sin. Sin was the master, sin owned the person. In return for service to sin, sin rewards the person with death. In the present, the Christian has been set free from sin to become slaves of righteousness. God is now the Christian's master - God owns the Christian. God rewards the Christian's service with sanctification (the character of God) and eternal life (a relationship with God that lasts forever). The Christian also has the promise of the completion of this gift in the future.

The difficulty comes from the fact that the Christian still sins. What is clear is that the Christian is no longer positionally a slave to sin. However, he can still offer sin service even though he belongs to God. But it doesn't make sense, knowing the kind of wages that you were being paid by sin and the fact that you are now the slave of someone else. This is the point of the commands Paul gives not to present members of your body to sin. The power to keep from sin lies in the knowledge and experience of your position as a slave of righteousness, not sin.

It is clear from this and other passages also that if one continues to submit to sin as their master and does not serve God as their master, their true master is sin, and their wages are death.