These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
Romans 6:12-23
- Victory over Sin:
- Romans 6 – the CHOICE – do not continue in SIN
- Romans 7 – the BATTLE – we still struggle with SIN
- Romans 8 – the VICTORY – we overcome SIN by the power of the SPIRIT!
- The Choice…
- In light of the truth that where SIN abounds – GRACE is more abundant – Romans 5:20
- Should we [future] CONTINUE [abide] in the [τῇ] SIN nature – so GRACE may abound…
- NO [optative] – because whoever has DIED to SIN – should NOT continue [abide] in SIN!
- What we Know…
- Paul gave us THREE things we are to KNOW to help us NOT abide in SIN…
- FIRST – do we NOT know that we were BAPTIZED into the death of Christ…
- God did NOT crucify our SINFUL nature – so we would CONTINUE to walk in it…
- SECOND – we KNOW that our OLD man is dead [crucified] – we have been set FREE from SIN…
- Grace is NOT the freedom to SIN – it is FREEDOM from SIN…
- THIRD – we KNOW that DEATH has NO power over us…
- Just as Christ only died ONCE – and the life He now lives He lives to God…
- So we also must [imperative] count [daily] ourselves DEAD to SIN – and ALIVE to God!
- 1st – The Choice… vs. 12-15
- 1st – Do not let… vs. 12
- Mortal body…
- Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body!
- Therefore [οὖν] – in light of the CHOICE we have as believers…
- That we should NOT continue in SIN even though GRACE abounds – Romans 6:1
- KNOWING we must COUNT our old man as DEAD – and walk in NEW life…
- FIRST – we must [imperative] NOT let the [ἡ] sinful nature [old man] REIGN…
- Within our MORTAL bodies [θνητός] – from the verb to be DEAD [θνῄσκω]!
- Paul is drawing the lines – so we can see where the BATTLE comes from…
- When we put out FAITH in Jesus – our SPIRIT is Born again – 1 Peter 1:23
- But we still have our SIN – they are still the same OLD body…
- As a result our OLD body – is on the same side as our SINFUL nature…
- Therefore our NEW Spirit is now at WAR with our OLD [dead] body!
- Obey lusts…
- That you should obey it in its lusts!
- We MUST not let the Sin nature RULE [βασιλεύω] over our body [αὐτός]
- So that we continually [present] OBEY [ὑπακούω] all of it DESIRES [ἐπιθυμία]!
- What does our SINFUL nature – in league with our OLD body want…
- It wants to EAT – more than it should – and things that are NOT heathy [sugar – fat]
- It wants to SLEEP – rather than get to work – or spend time with Jesus [quiet time]
- It wants PLEASURE – even if it is in ways that are NOT honoring to God – I Thessalonians 4:3
- It wants MONEY – but no matter how much it is NEVER enough – I Timothy 6:10
- Our spirit has been reborn – but we are still live in our fallen sinful bodies…
- The result is a constant BATTLE between our NEW spirit and our OLD body…
- Every decision we make is influenced by this WAR….
- But we must NOT give into our SINFUL nature – because we CANNOT have TWO masters!
- Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the one and love the other.”
- 2nd – Do not give… vs. 13
- Unrighteousness…
- Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin!
- SECOND – how do we FIGHT the WAR against the SIN nature…
- We must NOT [imperative] PRESENT [παρίστημι] our members [parts of our body]
- As INSTRUMENTS [weapons] to do what is WRONG [ἀδικία]
- Through the influence [dative] of the SIN nature working within us!
- A hammer has NO loyalties – it is NOT good or evil – it is just a TOOL…
- It the same way our members are TOOLS – the question is what we are using them for!
- Righteousness…
- But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead.
- And your members as instruments of righteousness to God!
- But [ἀλλά] – in contrast – we must [imperative] PRESENT [aorist] ourselves…
- Through the influence [dative] of God working withing us…
- As those who have been made ALIVE from the DEAD [new life]
- And our MEMBERS as TOOLS of righteousness to God!
- The way we CHOSE to LIVE for the FLESH or the SPIRIT – is with our MEMBERS…
- What do we CHOSE to watch with our eyes [the Bible or social media]
- Where do we CHOSE to go with our FEET [to Church – or the mall]
- What do we CHOSE to listen to with our EARS [the truth – or gossip]
- We are FOOLISH to think that we can LISTEN – LOOK – TOUCH and not be affected…
- Our DAILY decisions on WHAT we allow to influence our lives [body or spirit]
- They are going to be what inevitably defines WHO we are!
- 3rd – Under Grace… vs. 14-15
- No Power… vs. 14
- For sin shall not have dominion over you – for you are not under law but under grace!
- THIRD – why are we NO longer bound to our SIN nature…
- For [γάρ] SIN will [future] NOT lord [κυριεύω] over us anymore [it used to]
- Because we are [present] NOT under the LAW – but [ἀλλά] under GRACE [χάρις]!
- There are TWO ways that we can try and CONTROL our sin nature [old body]
- We can try to use RULES [law] – to KEEP us from doing what is WRONG…
- Or we can trust in GRACE to change our HEART – so we WANT to do what is RIGHT!
- Colossians 2:23 – “Rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion… and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering [our] evil desires.” [NLT]
- The failure of RULES is that they do NOTHING to change what we WANT…
- We can be TOLD what to do – but that does NOTHING to help if we do NOT want to…
- The power of the GRACE – is God changes our DESIRES…
- Therefore – SIN can NO longer LORD over us – it has lost its POWER…
- Because we now WANT to use our MEMBERS [body] to do what is RIGHT!
- Not permission… vs. 15
- What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
- Therefore [οὖν] – since we are NO longer bound to the LAW [no rules]
- WHAT shall we do – continue [future] to live in SIN…
- Paul gives us the same reply he opened with [sin so grace abounds] – Romans 6:1
- Certainly NOT – he hoped [optative] this would NEVER be the way we live…
- Go back to – GRACE is NOT freedom to SIN – it is the FREEDOM from SIN!
- Rules tend to give a FALSE sense of RIGHTEOUSNESS…
- We THINK we are good because of what we are DOING!
- But we are MISSING the point – what is in our HEARTS…
- If we are told we MUST come to church – MUST read our Bibles – we MUST pray…
- Then we might do it because we feel a sense of OBLIGATION…
- But take away the RULES – and then look and see what a person does…
- If they STOP – that means they never had a heart to do them…
- But if they keep on GOING – keep on READING – keep on PRAYING…
- Then we can be confident that it is coming from their HEART [they want to]!
- 1st – Do not let… vs. 12
- 2nd – Our Master… vs. 16–19
- 1st – Slaves… vs. 16
- The choice…
- Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey.
- You are that one’s slaves whom you obey!
- Why is it so IMPORTANT to be careful what we DO with our bodies [members]
- Paul is going to use the EXAMPLE of being a SLAVE [δοῦλος]
- SOMEONE is going to be our MASTER – the one who we MUST serve…
- Can we NOT see [εἴδω] – whomever [God or Sin] we PRESENT [παρίστημι] ourselves to…
- We are [present] their SLAVES because we are [present] OBEY them…
- OBEY [ὑπακούω] – from the root words UNDER [ὑπό] and LISTEN [ἀκούω]!
- We often see in movies someone having to make a CHOICE…
- And TWO versions of themselves appear on their shoulders – one next to each EAR…
- One [who looks like a devil] is TELLING them to do what is WRONG…
- While the other [who looks like an angel] is TELLING them to do what is RIGHT!
- We always have TWO voices arguing in our MINDS…
- Our SINFUL nature [flesh] – that is trying to get us to LIVE for their life…
- And our SPIRIT – that is trying to get us to LIVE for God…
- The question is which one are we LISTENING [ὑπακούω] to…
- Because whomever we OBEY – we are making ourselves their SLAVE!
- The Result…
- Whether of sin leading to death – or of obedience leading to righteousness?
- While the CHOICE of who we LISTEN to is ours to make…
- But the RESULTS of our CHOICE are something that we CANNOT change…
- Either [ἤ] certainly [τοι] – we chose to LISTEN to SIN – and it leads to [εἰς] DEATH…
- Or we chose to LISTEN [ὑπακοή] to God – and it leads to [εἰς] RIGHTEOUSNESS!
- If we were given the choice between being DEATH of LIFE [righteous]
- The choice would be VERY easy to make – we would choose LIFE…
- But that is NOT the choice – the decision is who do we LISTEN to…
- If we LISTEN to the LORD – make ourselves a SLAVE to God – we will LIVE…
- But if LISTEN to our FLESH – become a SLAVE to DIN – then we chose DEATH!
- Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death – blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life.”
- 2nd – Set free… vs. 17-18
- Obeyed… vs. 17
- 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!
- But although we used to be [imperfect] SLAVES [δοῦλος] to the SIN nature…
- Paul gave THANKS [χάρις] to God [dative]
- Because we LISTENED [ὑπακούω] from our HEART [not external]
- To the TEACHING [διδαχή] of GRACE – and we were DELIVERED[passive]!
- Righteousness… vs. 18
- And having been set free from sin you became slaves of righteousness!
- And because we have LISTENED [active] to the TEACHING of GRACE…
- We have been set FREE [passive] from the SINFUL nature…
- And we have become [passive] SERVANTS [δουλόω] to RIGHTEOUSNESS…
- We did NOT choose to be SET free [passive] – or to become SERVANTS to God [passive]
- We CHOSE [active] to LISTEN to GRACE – and the RESULT was we were set FREE…
- FREE [ἐλευθερόω] 7x in NT – no longer be under the power of SIN!
- Romans 10:17 – “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
- There is POWER in hearing the WORD – coming together to learn the Bible…
- Because it is the TEACHING of the Gospel of GRACE that SETS us FREE [passive]
- When we hear the TRUTH – our SINFUL nature has no power over us!
- John 8:32 – “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free [ἐλευθερόω].”
- 3rd – New Life… vs. 19
- Human terms…
- I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh!
- The reason why Paul was talking about SLAVERY…
- Using HUMAN [ἀνθρώπινος] terms to describe SPIRITUAL truths…
- Was because of the WEAKNESS of our FLESH…
- He wanted to make it as SIMPLE as possible – so we could UNDERSTAND!
- SLAVERY is a powerful picture – it says we have a MASTER…
- There is SOMEONE who is telling us how to LIVE our lives…
- But we have a CHOICE on WHO we want to be our MASTER!
- Unclean …
- For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness.
- And of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness!
- For [γὰρ] just as we used to PRESENT [παρίστημι] our members [body] as slaves to SIN…
- SIN [ἀκαθαρσία] – we were spiritually FILTHY because of our SIN…
- And that LAWLESSNESS [dative] – led to more SIN [accusative]!
- John 8:34 – “I say unto you he that commits sin is the slave of sin.”
- The same way a drug dealer gets a new client – giving them a free sample…
- Sin can seem to be enjoyable – but it sucks us in and we are trapped…
- And like a drug [the most addictive kind] it will take over our life…
- In the end we find we are in BONDAGE – always looking for more SIN!
- Holiness…
- So now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness!
- So NOW we must [imperative] PRESENT [παρίστημι] our members [body] as slaves to God…
- And RIGHTEOUSNESS [dative] – will lead to HOLINESS [accusative]
- HOLLINESS [ἁγιασμός] – being set apart – living for God!
- Like an ELEVATOR that can only go in TWO directions…
- Our life is either going DOWN [dominated by sin] – or UP [defined by the Lord]
- Therefore it is critical we make sure we are going the RIGHT way!
- 1st – Slaves… vs. 16
- 3rd – The Contrast… vs. 20-23
- 1st – Slaves to Sin… vs. 20-21
- Bad Fruit… vs. 20
- For when you were slaves of sin – you were free in regard to righteousness!
- For [γάρ] – when we were [imperfect] SLAVES to the SIN nature…
- We were [imperfect] FREE [ἐλεύθερος] from being RIGHTEOUS!
- Before we came to Jesus – we were FREE of conviction…
- We blindly followed after our SIN – not caring where we were going…
- No thought of consequence – following without question…
- We had NO choice – we did NOT know any better – we were by nature sinners…
- We did NOT think about God – think about righteousness – we were BOUND to sin!
- Second Death… vs. 21
- What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?
- For the end of those things is death!
- So [οὖν] what was [imperfect] the FRUIT of those things we USED to do…
- Things we are now very [ἐπί] ASHAMED [αἰσχύνω] to even mention…
- The end of living that LIFE – free from God – was DEATH!
- Unfortunately coming to Jesus does NOT mean we FORGET…
- We can clearly remember MANY things that we did before we got saved…
- And we are very EMBARRASSED by all of them – they were SHAMEFUL…
- Why – because we now understand those things will be JUDGED…
- And that judgement meant the SECOND death [Lake of Fire] – Revelation 20:14
- 2nd – Slaves to God… vs. 22-23
- Good Fruit … vs. 22
- 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!
- But NOW that God has set us [passive] FREE [ἐλευθερόω] from our SINFUL nature…
- NOW that He has made us His [passive] SERVANTS [δουλόω]
- We have [present] the FRUIT [singular] that shows we are HOLY…
- Giving us the confidence – in the END we will have ETERNAL life with God!
- Coming to Jesus does NOT mean we are PERFECT…
- We are in the BATTLE every day between our FLESH and our SPIRIT…
- The WAR to try and controls our BODY – dominate our MIND…
- But if we are wondering where the PROOF is that we are SAVED…
- It is the BATTLE – it is the FACT that we are at WAR with SIN…
- Before we came to Jesus we did NOT care about our SIN…
- The STRUGGLE is the evidence that God is working in our lives!
- Eternal Life… vs. 23
- For the wages of sin is death – but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!
- For the WAGES [payment due] – for those who are a SLAVE to sin – is DEATH…
- But the GIFT [χάρισμα] of God – is eternal LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord…
- There is the CONTRAST – do we chose the WAGES or the GIFT!
- The solution to the BATTLE is NOT what we have to do…
- We CANNOT earn our way to VICTORY – try harder to OVERCOME our flesh…
- The WAR is won by receiving the GRACE that God desires to give to us…
- The POWER of the SPIRIT that can change our HEARTS!
- 1st – Slaves to Sin… vs. 20-21