ROMANS 6:15-23 - “Obedience from the Heart“

 

Having  previously considered  Romans 6:1-14 we  consider  now  6:15-23. By way of a reminder  we remember that,     

1. Romans 3- 5 reminds us that our   acceptance with God is grounded in the gospel of His free grace.

2. Romans 6 teaches us that this grace truly changes, recreates us. Rom. 6:1   began with a question: 

“Are we to continue to sin in order that grace may abound?”   

The answer is No! 

The reason given is that our baptism into Christ – into His death, burial and resurrection  has shown the world that we are enabled to walk “in newness of life” (6:4).  Conversion is a powerful experience.  No matter how you were converted, what is indisputable is that your desires, your attitudes, your time, your interests are new. You are converted from being a God- hater to a God- lover.  That which He loves is now important to you. That which He hates you hate.   You are alive to God and dead to sin (6:11). Therefore, sin cannot rule your mind and body. While it is possible for any Christian to lapse into sin (see Rom 7:15ff) the sign of a  regenerated heart is that  it  will be  brought  to repentance  upon conviction of sin.  The most powerful evidence for being a Christian is this constant desire to want to live a godly life.   

Our text deals with a vital distinction relating to the question: What ultimately defines a true believer?  We shall see that the lines are finally drawn along the line of what sort of fruit people bear (cf. 6:20-23)

Let us follow Paul’s logic…

1.  6:15  begins with a similar question to 6:1,  “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace “?  Again, we have a similar response to 6:1 … “By no means … do you not know…?  

In context, this question is precipitated by a statement which Paul makes in 6:14,

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace …”

As soon as Paul says this, he realizes that this statement will be misrepresented, misunderstood and misused by someone. 

There will be people who will use an ungodly logic and come to false conclusions about this wonderful doctrine of the free grace of God.   The sad thing about their warped logic is that it takes them  away from the gospel by chasing red herrings. But thankfully Paul retains his composure and   captures the red herring and forces his hearers  back to his essential point.

Remember then , that Paul is talking here about the wonderful freedom that becomes ours when we are liberated by Christ from the bondage of sin. We saw this especially in Rom. 5:1-11. There we find the great list of freedoms we enjoy under Christ:

•    we are justified by faith (5:1a)
•    we have peace with God (5:1b)
•    we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand (5:2a)
•    we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (5:2b)
•    Even our sufferings are filled with meaning. Our sufferings produce more       than we think -  endurance, character, hope! (5:3-4)
•    Above all, God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit! (5:5) 

All this is produced under  the influences of God's grace. And embracing this all produces a freedom that law itself cannot give.  Sadly,  some people can very easily miss the point and come to conclusions that are not warranted, such as, 

• Let us sin that grace may abound (6:1) 
• Let us sin, because we are not under law (6:15)

2. Therefore, Paul has to put this now very bluntly in 6:16 :  

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness?”  

So, those who say, “Let us sin that grace may increase”  have missed the point badly. In reality  they are people who are still slaves of sin.

A slave is a person ‘under’ the authority of someone.

Paul thinks here of two categories of slaves : 

• slaves of sin, which leads to death or 
• “slaves of obedience which lead to righteousness” (Notice that  in 1:1 Paul identifies as a slave of Jesus).  Either way  we have to serve  somebody. To be a Christian  does not mean that you are  free to  think and act as you please.

 3. And then in 6:17-18, Paul  tells them what he knows to be true of them:

17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

What characterizes a true Christian – a slave of righteousness?

• A true Christian will not play with sin to show off the grace which they have received.
• A true Christian understands that sin is offensive to God.  
•  A true Christian  is aware that sin is the very thing for which Christ was nailed to the cross.
•  A true Christian is one who has moved away from under the slavery of sin to become a slave of Christ.
• But the ultimate proof of being a true Christian is this:  A true Christian obeys God from the heart!  Oh, the great difference between a religion that is driven by law (and mere external compliance) versus that faith that is driven by the heart. This difference is seen clearly between Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50.   
• The true Christian is characterized by the mark of the new covenant, which is the receiving of a new heart - a heart that relates to God, loves God and obeys God.  (Jeremiah 31) 
• The true Christian’s obedient heart is instructed by “the standard of teaching to which they are committed” (6:17 Gr. tupon didaches)  -  This is the Word of God that we have now in our hands, which testifies to the character of God and of Christ whom we are called to follow and to imitate.                              

4. 6:19-23 Having explained that nature of biblical Christianity, he then goes on in the rest of the chapter to show us the very different fruit borne by being either  slaves of sin or  slaves of righteousness (Christ)

•  6:19a He begins with the recognition of our natural sluggishness/ inability to grasp doctrine -  “I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations” (you are weak in your natural selves). This   fact, combined with personal laziness in getting to know the message of the Bible, frequently contributes to us falling prey to  the temptations offered to us by false teachers and coming to false conclusions, such as ‘let us sin that grace may increase or let us sin because we are not under law but under grace”. 
•  6:19b He helps us to recognise the respective  trajectories of (i) past inclinations (as slaves of sin) which lead us on to a slippery downward slope (lawlessness leading to more lawlessness), and (ii) by way of contrast  our present inclinations (as obedient slaves of righteousness) leading to sanctification – i.e. becoming more like Jesus.
• 6:20-22 He helps us to understand the fruit of our respective trajectories:  

1.          Recognising that the former way of life (i.e. that former life of being slaves of sin, and ‘free from righteousness’’ - note the sarcasm) was a time in which we were bearing fruit of which we would now be ashamed of – and which led to death (5:21). 
2. Thankfully now, that we have been set free from sin, and have become slaves of God, the fruit we now bear are pleasant fruit that lead to sanctification (growing in the knowledge and the grace of God), and best of all, the promise of eternal life.

5. 6:23  His summary statement:    

•       Living as slaves of sin = the wages of sin is death; 
•       Living as slaves of righteousness = eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO FIND OURSELVES

 5:17 “you… have become obedient from the heart…” . We want to live as slaves of righteousness.  Obedience from the heart - this is the ultimate MARK of Christian faith and behaviour.

Our primary motive for not sinning does not come from obeying the law or rules. It comes from a far higher motive.  It comes from the heart. It is heartfelt. It is moved by a love for the Saviour who so deeply loves us.

It comes from the indwelling work of the grace of the Holy Spirit in us (Rom. 5:5).  We can obey because we have been enabled to obey from the heart.

When I become a Christian I have a new master: Jesus Christ. I am now a slave in His service. He owns me. And I follow Him with a thankful heart, knowing that I have been redeemed from the power of sin.  I have received power to say NO to ungodliness. I bear spiritual fruit.  I await eternal life.

And I do not test the Lord by asking stupid questions such as "shall I sin that your grace may look more glorious"?