Romans 6:15-23: Enslaving Ourselves to Obedience

Romans 6:16.. "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

Romans chapter 6 is all about answering the question that Paul asks in the beginning of the chapter: "Are we to sin that grace may abound?" Yesterday, we looked at how we certainly ought not to, because to do so would be to play with the cage and the corpse that God has set us free from--to grieve the Holy Spirit of God by going back to the very things that God died on a cross to rescue us from. In Romans 6:15-23, Paul gives us another analogy in regard to our sin: slavery. Let us look at it today.

In his beginning statement, Paul points out that each of us are slaves to whom we obey, whether that be "sin" or "obedience" (Romans 6:16). This creates a sharp contrast for us as humans. Either we will be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or we will be a slave to obedience, which leads to righteousness. Notice that there is no third option. There is no choice that leads to "luke-warmness." Either we serve sin or we serve obedience. We are either for God, or against him (Luke 11:23).

Concerning these two choices between "sin" and "obedience," Paul shows us which one we ought to enslave ourselves to. "Having been set free from sin," Paul says in verse 18, "[you] have become slaves of righteousness." Paul is arguing here that since God has set us free from sin, we ought not to let it be our master. This sounds very similar to what Paul was saying in verse 12 of this chapter, does it not? "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions" (Romans 6:12).

Here is Paul's point: that we ought not to enslave ourselves to our former master of sin, but rather enslave ourselves to obedience to God. You, as a created human creature, will be enslaved to something. You can either be enslaved to sin, which leads to death (Romans 6:16), or be enslaved to obedience, which leads to righteousness (Romans 6:16), freedom from sin (Romans 6:18), sanctification (Romans 6:19), fruitfulness (Romans 6:22), and ultimately the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 622-23).

To put it in the words of Joshua:

"...choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

So, what are you enslaved to? Have you turned back to the sin that God has saved you from, and let it take a hold of you? Have you been letting anxiety, anger, lust, jealousy, or any other sin reign and rule within you? If so, I would encourage you turn from those ways, and enslave yourself to obedience, which leads to eternal life (Romans 6:22).