Welcome to “Learning and Living the God-centered life”

Carmel Baptist Church

www.learningandlivingtheword.com
June 13, 2010
We can see that in our study of Romans 6:15-23 that when a
person becomes a Christian is nothing less than to pass from
one slave master to another slave master.

If we have a slave master then it must mean that we are a

slave.

This is the Greek word “doulos” and it means pertaining to a

state of being completely controlled by someone or something
Paul uses this word 8 times in Romans 6:15-23 and only one
other time in Romans. And that is Romans 1:1 in which he
writes; (look at each of these words in the text for today)
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set
apart for the gospel of God,
And we are learning from our study of Romans 6 that a
person is either:
 Under the dominating power of sin
 Under the dominating power of righteousness

This doesn’t mean that Christians aren’t tempted, hassled

and affected by sin because they must deal with this battle
daily.
We also have come to understand that the believer does
sin, but he does not provide in his life’s plan a regular
routine for acts of sin. Because of his regeneration he
hates sin and endeavors to keep it out of his life. And in
the event that he does commit an act of sin, he deals with
it in confession to the Lord Jesus, putting it out of his life
and receiving the cleansing the blood of our Lord offers.

The apostle John says the same thing but another way in:
1 John 3:9 - No one who is born of God practices sin,
because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God.
Last week we ended with Romans 6:19

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of

your flesh. For just as you presented your members as
slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further
lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to
righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
Again look at the pattern that Paul uses when writing. In verses
17-18 we see the constant use of the indicative and now we are
coming to the first and only imperative in this section of
Romans.

And he is saying that since you are no longer a slave of sin but
now you are instead a slave or righteousness then give yourself
to that reality. Because of who you are now then give yourself
to the things that are consistent with your new condition.

Give yourself to the things that will glorify God and that will
fulfill the real you.
Rom. 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were
slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that
form of teaching to which you were committed,

Rom. 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became
slaves of righteousness. (God’s Responsibility)

Rom. 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of the

weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your
members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness,
resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your
members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in
sanctification. (man’s responsibility)

Indicatives Imperative
Side note on the word PRESENT which means to place beside or
to place at one’s disposal
This word occurs 8 times in Romans but 5 times in Romans 6.
The next use of this verb occurs in Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service of worship.

STUDY ALERT
Go back and look at the other uses of present to understand what
Paul means by what he writes in this text.
Romans 6:13, Romans 6:16 and Romans 6:19
Observations in Romans 6:19
Not only are you either a slave to sin or a slave to
righteousness.
But there is a progression in a person’s life that occurs
based on which master you are a slave to:
 Slave to sin results in a moral deterioration
 Slave to righteousness results in a spiritual
transformation in which a person becomes more and
more like Christ.
The apostle Paul now spring boards from Romans 6:19
and in Romans 6:20-23 he will give the reasons that we as
Christians should give ourselves to righteousness.

Notice that in verse 20 Paul starts with the word "For"

because his flow of thought is coming from verse 19 of
what he teaches is the wise thing to do.

Again we might ask Paul at this point why give ourselves

to righteousness?
And he gives two basic reasons but he starts first with the
negative
There were some problems the way you used to live when
you were giving yourself to sin. He covers this in verses
20-21
 Rom. 6:20
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to
righteousness.

When was that exactly?

Answer: Prior to regeneration, conversion or being born again

What did that look like prior to regeneration?

Titus 3:3 For we also once were foolish ourselves,

disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures,
spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one
another.
What did that look like prior to regeneration?

Eph. 2:1 ¶ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Eph. 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course

of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of
the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Eph. 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of
our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and
were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
What did that look like prior to regeneration?

Rom. 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds
on the things of the flesh…

Rom. 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death…

Rom. 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God;
for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able
to do so,

Rom. 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
What does a person look like prior to regeneration?

Col. 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as

dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which
amounts to idolatry.

Col. 3:6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will
come upon the sons of disobedience,

Col. 3:7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in
them.
Rom. 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were
free in regard to righteousness.

Rom. 6:21 Therefore what benefit were you then

deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the outcome of those things is death.

So why does Paul argue that we should give

ourselves to righteousness?

Just look at the miserable fruit that came out

of your life while living in sin.
Notice how Paul appeals to us in verse 20-21 from the negative.
The man who is a slave to sin is free, but his freedom is a freedom
to live a wretched and miserable existence.

It is like an invalid that is free from good health

A liar that is free from the truth
A young rebel is free from the wisdom of his parents
A criminal is free from honesty
A mental patient is free from sanity

The only freedom that a person who is a slave to sin can claim is a
freedom from good things.
In verse 21 Paul is trying to get us to look back at our lives to see
what that slavery to sin really looked like. What kind of fruit did
that kind of living produce other than guilt, remorse, wretchedness
and misery.

Example:
Everyone in the room look back on some of your past sins and
bring out one that you were proud that you committed.

The one you here me talking about so often is sitting at D-27 in the
Hartsfield Atlanta Airport and feeling the pride of making money
and coming home from a very successful financial business trip.

I look back on that today and there is a sense of shame and regret.
How blinded was I to the things of God and was headed straight for
an eternal death.
Anytime that you have every given the members of your body to sin
it only brings misery and emotional pain.

Example: The other day Nancy and I were having a rather strong
Christian discussion and when I went into the den I started to feel
awful. It was like I had the mental flu.

Before you become a Christian you are too blind to be ashamed of

the way you ought to be.
And the further you go the more blind you become and the less
ashamed you become of those kinds of events.

Jeremiah 8:12
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
God says that it is a tragic thing when a person loses the ability to
blush.

And today in America just look for example at the programming on

TV we laugh at the very things that should make us blush.
I went 3 months without watching TV a number of years ago and
when I started to watch again it amazed me how unrighteous things
really were as part of normal programming.

Philippians 3:19
18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose
glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

These people glory in thoughts, speech and acts that are unrighteous.
Examples
Go into a high school and listen at the conversation at lunchtime at
some of the tables.
Or go out to eat at a sales meeting with all the reps when everyone
gets into town together. They have a few drinks and the words and
stories start to flow.

The time is spent glorying in the things of which we should be

ashamed.

A professing Christian should not brag about the past but rather
those are the things that they are ashamed.

You now can see because your eyes have been opened to
understand how weak, stupid and sinful the past actions were in
your life.
On the positive side starting in verse 22;
"But now"
Every Christian has a "but now" in their lives
If there isn't a but now or a turning point then a person is not a
Christian

Matthew 18:3
“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like
children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The word converted means to turn again.

Are you still going in the direction that you have always gone or
have you had such a radical transformation that you have turned
around and headed in the other direction to the point you can say it is
your "but now."
Example:
The apostle Paul who was headed to Damascus to persecute and kill
Christians and all of a sudden he had a "but now." Saul became Paul
who was turned around which is called converted.

Check out Romans 6:22

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive
your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
3 observations from Romans 6:22

1. Notice that this is a completed thing. This is not an exhortation,

you don't have to tell any Christian to become enslaved to God
because that has already been done.

2. Notice he uses the word freed and not free. Christians are not
free from sin in the sense that it no longer effects them. But they
have been freed from it in the sense that the sinful nature no longer
has any power of them.
We do not have to let sin reign in our mortal bodies.

3. Notice that this is passive. No one can get themselves free from
sin or enslave themselves to God. It is God that takes you out of
Adam and puts you in Christ.
The best slave owner you could ever have is to be a slave to God.

What is the fruit of a Christian?

Fruit in the Christian life has to do primarily with character and not
service.

God is much more concerned with who I am than how much service
that I am doing.
If you give yourself to God then He will get you serving in the ways
that please Him.
But the key is to know Him and to be transformed by His Spirit and
His word into the likeness of Christ.

The fruit of the Christian is primarily the character.

If you are a Christian then you have fruit.

Paul concludes Chapter 6 with both a negative and a positive.
Romans 6:23
Three Contrasts in this verse
1. The masters served = either sin or God
2. The outcomes for sin = death or life
3. The means = the wages of sin is death or the gift of God is
eternal life

If you ever get handed over to the wrath of God just remember that
you worked hard to get it. But also remember is you get handed
over to eternal life then it was given to you as a free gift from God

Check out the end of Chapter 5 and compare it with the end of
Chapter 6

In Chapter 5 the emphasis is on "through Jesus Christ" whereas in

Chapter 6 the emphasis is on "in Jesus Christ."