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Summary Recap of Romans 6:1-14

At the close of this lesson, I’m going to ask three questions. So, as you go through the lesson keep them in mind and write down answers to them.

  1. What have you learned through this series so far?
  2. What may have been made clearer?
  3. How are you allowing the teaching to change how you see yourself in God’s eyes and how you see others differently?

The main points of the sermon on Sunday were threefold:

  1. We must choose life (righteousness) over death (sin)
  2. We cannot live for God with one foot in life and one in death
  3. We must constantly remind ourselves that Jesus wants only good for us, not evil or some combination thereof

As I said last week and on Sunday, Jesus didn’t give up his life so we could live as slaves to sin or constantly struggle with sin. He didn’t die, rise from the dead, ascend to heaven, and send us his Spirit just to watch us fail.

Paul reminds us, in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

We concluded that Jesus is supplying us all that is needed on this side of heaven so we can live for him.

ASK: What questions or comments do you still have? Email them to Pastor Jerry at jerrygilmore@rhtrinity.org.

We’ll continue in chapter 6 at verse 15.

Text: Romans 6:15-23

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

Immediately, Paul recognizes that verse 14’s truth will be controversial, particularly for long-time Jews (and holiness believers) who raise “keeping the law” to the highest priority.

We must refer to Romans 2:14-16 to answer the question raised by Paul concerning the “freedom” or “license” to sin some feel is given if we only focus on living “under grace.”

Romans 2:14-15:

14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.

All this goes back the consequences of Adam and Eve violating the one law they had to honor. But since they sinned and ate of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”, they immediately became aware of their nakedness—a problem that didn’t exist until after being disobedient to God.

And the effect of their sin has rippled down through the ages as humankind struggled with these consequences:

  1. They would know instinctively what is good and evil
  2. They would have to choose to do good or evil
  3. Because of sin, they would tend to lean toward evil—or at least evil would triumph over good because Satan makes evil attractive

Paul continues and further defines what he means:

 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

So, knowing what is good and what is evil is written “on their hearts” and in their conscience. The part of our being that controls how we act, either “accuses” us of wrongdoing or “defends” us when we act correctly. We are born into this world with the conflict of good and evil warring within us and we can only escape it through grace, not more laws.

ASK: Do you agree, disagree or take a neutral position? What is your immediate reaction to Paul’s teaching on this subject?

Paul continues:

16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Again, Paul is using another type of argument to get the church to be careful to whom they attach themselves.

  1. Jews attach themselves to the Law, thus enslaving themselves to it.
  2. Gentiles attach themselves to pagan rituals, laws, and enlightenment, thus enslaving themselves to it.

Paul says, we must enslave ourselves to righteousness, which is only achieved through grace, which enables us to receive the Holy Spirit and therefore live obedient lives.

He goes on:

17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

ASK: Look back through those two verses and tell me which phrase you think is most important?

  1. You used to be slaves to sin
  2. You have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance
  3. You have been set free from sin
  4. You have become slaves to righteousness

I submit that #2 is the most important because it contains the phrase, “teaching that has now claimed your allegiance”. Here’s why I believe that.

Switching one’s heart-allegiance to God through his grace:

  • Frees us from our enslavement to sin
  • Sets us free from the curse of sin
  • Enslaves us to obedience through righteousness
  • But most importantly, it indicates our heart is open to receiving instruction from the Holy Spirit

ASK: Think about it this way. Have you ever taken a job or position where the training you received was inadequate or didn’t properly prepare you for the work assigned?

90% of my Information Technology career was accomplished by being throw into situations where I needed the learn how to “swim” or drown.

Yes, I received training, but most of the time it was inadequate, or it didn’t prepare me for the challenges. I had to do my own research and learn through trial and error. If I had no allegiance to the company I worked for, my work ethic would have suffered, and I would not have advanced in the company.

In my experience, I was totally committed to learning more about computer systems, programs, software, and networking that I was always learning the next job while doing my current job.

I started in the IT field as a courier, but I immediately began learning how to run the printers in the print shop, which wasn’t part of my job. As a computer reel-to-reel tape librarian, I was not only doing that job but also learning how to load tapes and how storage systems worked on mainframe computers at that time.

As a backup shift supervisor, I was learning how to run multiple operating systems while learning how to manage staff, system failure recovery, and so much more.

Through my positive attitude, desire to learn, and allegiance to my career and the company I worked for all made it possible for me to keep moving forward through success and failure.

Paul continues:

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 

21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 

Paul is basically laying out how we should view our relationship with God. He basically says:

“Take the same mindset, focus, and energy you exerted to allow wickedness to increase in your life—that brought ZERO benefit to you—and refocus it totally on God, thus reaping the benefits of freedom from sin, holiness and eternal life.”

Because, as we all know well:

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [through] Christ Jesus our Lord.

What have you learned?

So, I want to hear from you.

  • What have you learned through this series so far?
  • What may have been made clearer?
  • How are you allowing the teachings of Paul to change how you see yourself in God’s eyes and how you see others differently?

Email your thoughts, questions, and answers to the questions above. My email address is jerrygilmore@rhtrinity.org.

Blessings to all of you!