Sermon 16

Free From Sin

Romans 6:15-23

There is a second reason why grace is not a license to sin. That's the subject of Romans 6. Here's the logic of this epistle from Paul: Everyone is a sinner incapable of earning or meriting salvation on their own. If anyone is to be saved, God's going to have to do it, chapters 1-3. Which is exactly what God has done. By His own grace He has provided eternal salvation for mankind, chapters 4-5. So, if we are saved eternally by God's grace, what's to keep us from loose living? Well, according to Romans 6 there are two things, two reasons why Christians cannot live in sin.

The first one was the subject of last Sunday's message. Romans 6:1-14 says that we are dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ. Verses 15-23 give us the second reason why sin must be abandoned.

The development of vs. 15-23 closely parallels or mirrors the vs. 1-14. This section speaks more about occasional sin that habitual sin. It gives the second reason why eternal salvation is not an excuse to sin.

Reason #1 - Because We Are Dead To Sin And Alive To God Through Christ, vs. 1-14.

Reason #2 - Because We Are Free From Sin And Have Become The Servants Of Righteousness, vs. 15-23.

The Asking, 15a.

As in verse 1, Paul anticipates the question of those who would challenge the doctrine of grace. "Shall we sin, because we are not under the law but under grace?" Is grace a license to occasionally sin?

The Answer, 15b.

The answer is in v. 15b. It is the same answer as in verse 2, - "God forbid!" The strongest possible negative response in the Greek language. May it never be!"

The Axiom, 16.

The phrase "Know ye not ..." indicates an axiom. An axiom is a general truth that is so self-evident it needs no proof. The illustration of a master and a servant is obvious... whatever you yield to becomes your master. Thus, by yielding to sin, we become the slave of sin which results in death. But if we yield ourselves to obedience, we become an obedient servant of God which results in righteousness.

The Argument, vs. 17-22

Explaining The Two Slaveries, vss.17-22.

1. Our Position, 17-18.

Before you were saved you were a slave of sin. But, thanks to God, having obeyed from the heart the teaching which was committed unto you, you have been freed from sin and have become the servants of righteousness.

The lost person thinks that salvation enslaves one to rules (shoulds, oughts, musts) and that sin liberates. However, the opposite is what is really true. The prodigal son wanted freedom. He thought he could be free by leaving his father and controlling his own life. But his rebellion led him into slavery. He was the slave of wrong desires, of wrong deeds, eventually a slave to someone else, feeding his hogs and eating what they turned their nose up at. He wanted to find himself, but he lost himself. What he thought was freedom turned out to be the worst kind of slavery. At last he discovered that being a servant for his father was a better life than being in control of himself. That's an important discovery which we all need to make! Sin does not free us, it enslaves us. Salvation does not enslave us, it liberates us.

Sin = guest ® friend ® servant ® master ® tyrant ® destroyer.

2. Our Practice, v. 19.

This verse suggests that we ought to be as enthusiastic in yielding to the Lord as we were in yielding to sin. "I ought to be as good a saint as I was a sinner!" Our lives ought to correspond with our new nature. Our practice should line up with our position. Freedom from sin does not mean that we are not capable of sinning, but that we are no longer enslaved by sin. We are no longer the helpless subject of sin, we can resist, we can refuse, we can say no and we ought too!

3. Our Promise, vs. 20-22.

In the past, when we were the slaves of sin, we were not connected in any way to righteousness, v. 20.

What benefit was a life of sin? Now that we are saved we are ashamed of the life we once lived, v. 21. But there is a benefit of having been made free from sin and having become a servant to God. It results in holiness and will everlasting life, v. 22. Do you see what that verse says? The fruit of salvation is not just heaven in the future, it is holiness now! If there is no holiness, then there was no salvation (Hebrews 12:14).

The Absolutes, v. 23.

This verse expresses two undeniable absolutes. First, the wages is sin is death. Death is earned. It is the wages, the just and rightful compensation for a life of sin. The second absolute is that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life is not earned. It is a gift. It is a gift from God. It is a gift from God through our Jesus Christ our Lord.