No Middle Ground! – Romans 6:15-23

Romans 6:15-23
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Welcome back again to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we will wrap out Romans 6, but there is still plenty more on the topics of sin, grace and salvation to follow as we move into Romans 7!

This passage in Romans makes it clear that in this world you have two choices, and two choices only. You are a slave to that which you choose – sin, or God. You are either a slave to sin, and produce the fruit of more sin and eventually death – or you are a slave to God, and produce holiness and eternal life.

There is no third choice. There is no middle ground, no fence sitting.

It is one of the greatest deceptions of this world that there is a ‘middle ground’. You don’t do bad things, in fact, you are mostly a ‘good person’. You think to yourself ‘surely God will recognize that’? You say to yourself ‘but I’m not a murderer, and I give to charity, and I have good will toward men’? But the Bible says this in John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

One of the clearest definitions of sin is this – disobedience to God. So God has called you to obey Him – and if you are not obeying him, you are in sin. So if you are in the ‘middle ground’, then in reality you are in sin, as you are not obeying God! All you are doing is being self centered and defining the world based on your own internal reckoning – you are putting yourself and your own opinions above that of even the God who created you!

The true definition is who you are is in God’s eyes, and there are two choices – obedience, or sin. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God“.

There are no ‘good people’.

Let’s do that verse in John again for good measure -

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

So you are a slave to that which you choose (willingly or by default – because by not choosing you have chosen sin, as you will not be in obedience to God). A slave to sin brings the fruit of more sin and then death. A slave to God brings about obedience, righteousness, holiness and new life.

A slave isn’t the perfect analogy, and even Paul apologizes for it. However it is very appropriate – you remain a slave to that which you serve. If we are in sin we are in slavery to sin – it is our master, and we have no way out except through Jesus Christ. However if you are a slave to God you have to obey His commands, and His ways – we have freedom in Christ, but only within the bounds of what He has set out for us.

And that also is a good reminder for us – God has called us to obedience. Obedience in areas like prayer, fasting, reading scripture, fellowship (church), worship and more. These are things that He wants us to do – and things which will draw us closer to God, and His will, and His way. These are the things that as ‘slaves’ to God, we need to be doing.

So in the end – sin leads to death. But God has given a greater gift – that of Jesus Christ, who will take us from both sin and death, and lead us to eternal life in Him.

Lord God, thank you for your Son. Thank you for providing a way out of being a slave to sin and death – and to new life in You. Help us to understand this, help us to know there is no middle ground, and that we are not naturally good people, but that we are sinful from the beginning. Teach us how to grow in righteousness lead us to new life in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

God’s Toolbox – Romans 6:12-14

Romans 6:12-14
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we will continue our study in Romans 6 with verses 12-14.

Firstly, what does it mean to ‘reign’? We are told not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, so how do we interpret this? To reign is to have authority, or control – and to exercise that authority.  So quite simply we are not to let sin run our lives! It no longer has any authority over us – the temptations of sin will remain with us while we are here in this life, but it no longer owns us, it no longer has the authority to take us over.

And only we can allow it to retake that authority – so don’t let it!

Secondly, we are told not present our ‘members’, that is, parts of our body, be it hands, eyes, mouth or tongue, as instruments of unrighteousness. Another translation of the original language here is ‘weapons’ or ‘tools’ of unrighteousness, and certainly helps give us the picture of what is happening here. Do you want to allow yourself to sin, and be a weapon of unrighteousness, or do you want to commit your whole self to God, and therefore be a weapon (or instrument, tool) for Him?

A hammer is just that – a hammer. It can be a weapon, it can be a tool. It can be used to build a house, and in the same day, tear that same house down. In the end it is just a tool in the hands of its master, to do what he or she wills.

The choice is clear. We can be weapons, instruments or tools for one of two things – God, or sin. God can use us – and use every part of us to His glory and for His purpose, to bring about His will in this world. Or, we can choose to allow parts of us to be used as weapons against God, for that in the end is what they are being used for.

A great example here is our tongue – or even our fingers when working online in this modern world! We can choose to use them for instruments (weapons, tools) of unrighteousness, and pull down people, gossip, slander, spread hate, anger, and more. Or we can use these same things as instruments (weapons, tools) for God, and spread His word, His love and His work in this world through Jesus Christ!

So, don’t allow yourself, or any part of yourself to be a involved in sin, but use these things which God has given you as instruments of righteousness to God. Let Him use them to further His glory, rather than using them to sin!

And lastly, it is a reminder, for sin has NO dominion over us – sin has NO place to reign in our lives, unless we let it. Our bodies, our lives, our gifts and our abilities are all tools that can be used for one of two things – to build God’s kingdom or break it down. To be in God’s toolbox or Satan’s.

Which toolbox are you in?

Lord God, give us an understanding of Your grace. Teach us to know that sin has no dominion, only temptation. Teach us it has no place in our lives anymore and we can choose to use ourselves, our parts, our gifts, and the things you have given us for your glory, rather than against you. Help us to always find the way out of sins temptation and into your grace. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Dead indeed to Sin – Romans 6:5-11

Romans 6:5-11
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we will continue our reading in Romans 6, focusing on sin.

I think we will find today’s scripture rather simple to start with – as Paul sums it up nicely at the end – Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To start with – obviously we have not physically died yet – though we are to consider our ‘old man’ or ‘old self’ dead. We also know that though once we are saved we are dead to the old self, there will still be times that we will sin.

But now – it is different. Why?

In our ‘old self’, we were content to live in sin – sin wasn’t an issue, even if we knew it was sin. Now – we will still sin, but we are no longer comfortable doing it – we don’t want to live in sin anymore, and when we do, we are regretful (or angry at ourselves) for it. This is the key difference – we have moved from the place that we were more than happy (ignorant even) to live in sin – to a place where sin is something we don’t want. As Paul mentions above, ‘that we should no longer be slaves to sin‘.

For what really is a slave? A slave is someone who does someone else’s will – they have no will of their own,  no choice in the matter. We were slaves to sin – so we had no choice, we were just going to sin regardless. But we are free of that now – we do have a choice.

So, we are no longer comfortable with sin, and we now have a choice in the matter.  The words ‘reckon yourselves‘ speaks of a state of mind – we need to think of ourselves already in that new place, without the flesh. We need to make the choices to avoid sin, and keep it out of our lives.

Firstly, take encouragement from 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) – The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

And finally, Galatians 2:20 (which many people know) summarizes everything we have been talking about today well -

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

- We have been crucified with Christ – our old selves are gone. Our desire to live a sinful and selfish life is gone. We are no longer slaves to sin.

- It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me – We now have the Spirit of God within us – guiding our desires. We look to live for Him now, instead of us!

- And the life which I now live in the flesh – yes, we are still physically alive, and we will still have ‘troubles of the flesh’

- I live by faith in the Son of God – This is the key here – we live by faith. We beleive that we are saved, and that God will look after us, guide us, provide a way to escape temptation for us, teach us, love us.

- who loved me and gave Himself for me – the gospel summed up in 8 words!

Lord God, thank you for freeing us from being slaves to sin. We know temptations will continue to come to us while we are still in this body – show us your way of escape – teach us to endure and no longer accept the bondage of slavery, but choose freedom in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Off Topic Follow Up – Still reading your Bible?

So. Hows those new years resolutions coming along? I read somewhere recently the average resolution lasts 17 days – and we are almost there!

Are you still reading your Bible? If not – get back to it! If you are – congratulations! And let me give you this encouragement -

Matthew 4:4

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Yep – these are the same to verses as last time – But they still apply! The Bible doesn’t need to be a new years resolution – it needs to be a way of life. Make it yours.

Lord God, help us to understand the importance of Your Word, and how it helps our relationship with You. Remind us, prod us, push us, pull us to read Your Word daily, and learn from it. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Certainly Not! Romans 6:1-4

Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we are starting out on Romans 6, which changes focus a little from the start of Romans to now look specifically at sin. Remember the context of Romans 5 (the Bible didn’t have chapters and verses when it was written – they were added later for our benefit) that all have sinned since Adam, and where sin abounded, Grace abounded more!

So if the book were to stop there, we could come up with an argument that maybe if we were to sin a little more, we would get even more grace. So if we were to sin a whole lot more – then we would abound in grace, so lets sin as hard as we can, that grace might abound! It is known that this was a way of thinking after Jesus death, and believed this section is now written to counter that specific doctrine. It is amazing – we have a doctrine of grace, and yet people want to twist it so they can continue to live the way they always have – or even sin more than they did before knowing Christ intentionally! Think about it – doesn’t it already sound wrong?

I think Paul covers the question with clear authority for a start - Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! (emphasis mine). No! Of course not! A more casual translation might say ‘no way, that’s crazy talk!’. But why not?

Much of chapter 6 is devoted to refuting this false doctrine, but we are given a first answer immediately – we have died to sin. Not only that, our sin was figuratively buried with Jesus because of His death on the cross (He died as the ultimate sacrifice for sin for all of us), and now just as He was resurrected on the third day, we have been ‘made alive’ again with Him.

This is the start of the concept of ‘new life’. Yes, we will continue to sin, and have sin in our lives – that is just the way of it (wait till we get to Chapter 7, or read ahead if you want to hear it now!) – but we no longer live in sin – we no longer try to sin, or go out of our way to sin. The desire lives on in our flesh – our bodies – but we are no longer chained to that desire. In fact, our desire is moving the other way – to avoid sin. We now start to want to get away from sin, and to get it out of our lives!

There are many people in the world who ‘live in sin’. They aim to sin. Many of them don’t even categorise it as sin – it is just what they choose to do. Be it sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, crime, whatever – it is the thing they are ‘living in’. They go out of their way to do those things because it makes them feel good, or powerful, or takes them away from the cares of life for a time (and brings them back to reality with a hard whack usually). This is living in sin – and this is what we are free of now!

So what does it mean to ‘walk in newness of life’? Think about it – to walk is an action – to move along from one place to another. Usually in the Bible to walk in something means to do it, or continually do it. We don’t get our new life and them just sit back and relax! No! We need to ‘walk in it’ – constantly live and remind ourselves of this new life, and slowly move from the life of sin we once lived, to a life of holiness before our God. It’s not an instant transformation – forgiveness of sins is, but getting to the point where we are walking daily with God and avoiding sin all together is going to take some time.

So let’s get walking!

Lord God, give us the strength to walk in new life with You. Teach us to respond to our desire to sin with certainly not! Continue to give us revelation into what it means to be a child of Yours. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Off Topic – Read your Bible!

Matthew 4:4

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Time for a quick off topic post. Have you considered how important it is to read your Bible? Take a read again of those verses above in that context.

For me, I read online using youversion.com – I link every scripture there too. Why? For me, online is easier – I read on my laptop or iphone, and it marks for me what I read.

That’s right – I have a daily plan, with set goals every day. I use the new reading plans here to help me do that (right now I am doing  Bible in 90 days). It might not be for you – but for me it helps, and it might just be the resource you need. You can choose from one of many reading plans, customise it to be faster or slower, or just create your own. You can also share your plan and set accountabilities if that helps.

Take a look - http://www.youversion.com/about/reading-plans

No, I’m not affiliated with them – I just think it’s a great idea! So get on with it and read your Bible – whichever way works for you!

God, place in us a desire to know you more, to read your word more, to understand you and what you want for our lives more. Help us to be all that you created us to be. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Eternal Life – Romans 5:20-21

Romans 5:20-21

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we will wrap up Romans 5, which with these two verses gives us an excellent summary of the message of Romans so far. Next time we move into Romans 6 – Sin…

The first thing we note is we are back on the law. The law entered that we might recognise sin for what it is. Sin wasn’t created by the law – just exposed. Just as when we shine a light on an object the light doesn’t create it – it is just the tool for revelation. So the law entered to reveal to us the things we were already doing.

And think about this some more, when sin ‘abounded’ it means it ‘grew’, or ‘grew abundantly’. In reality, our knowledge of sin had to grow to the point that we recognise there is nothing we can do about it on our own. We are stuck, drowning, incapable of saving ourselves. It is the law shining the light on our sin that brings us to this point – that is, the knowlege that we are stuck in our sins, with no way out!

And it was this revelation of sin that brings us to ‘grace through righteousness’ – for despite our sin, God’s grace is greater. And it is through this grace that the righteousness of God is imputed to us, which leads us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So lets break it down a little more – these verses are really a great summary of the message of the gospel!

Law - The law entered the scene that we might recognise our sin – it was always there, it has just shed light upon it

Sin - with the light of the law upon us, it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast that there is not much we can do about it – we are stuck in our sins! Powerless, there is nothing we can do of ourselves.

Death - The final outcome if Sin – not just physical death, but eternal death and separation from God.

Grace - Gods eternal grace to us – because He loves us. What does grace mean? The shortest definition I think is ‘unmerited favor’ – so we have God’s unmerited favor on our lives. I think that’s awesome, because I know for sure I don’t deserve it! (see sin, law )

Righteousness - not ours, but God’s righteousness imputed to us through Jesus when we beleive in Him.

Eternal Life – the outcome of us beleiving in God, and God’s righteousness being sent our way.

Jesus Christ our Lord – The whole reason we are still here – and where we are today – because He took our sins upon Himself – that we might be declared Righteous before God. The complete definition of love and grace!

I pray that all of us will gain more revelation of this into our lives – first, the revelation of where we are without God (stuck in our sins and rapidly on the path to death), and where we can be with Jesus in our lives (free of our sins and declared righteous before God!). If you ever need a quick reminder of the key points of the Gospel, here it is!

God, I pray You will continue to teach us Your Word, teach us and give us revelation so that we might not just know and understand, but act upon that and live in Your grace! In Jesus Name. Amen.