Week 4 - Romans 6:12-14
Romans 6:12-14 (NIV)
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
A New Master
One of the great privileges of putting our faith in Jesus is being adopted into His family and being a part of a new kingdom. With a new kingdom, comes a new master. When united with Adam through sin, our master aligned with dark forces contrary to God’s rule and reign. When we choose to unite with Christ through faith, we come up under a new master, a new way of living. This master is Christ Himself and He not only wants to direct our Sunday mornings but the entirety of our lives. But there is a significant challenge in coming up under the voice of a new master. It’s the challenge of not superimposing the voice of our old, familiar master onto the voice of our new one. The master of sin is an indulgent, pleasing voice when you give it your allegiance. It will convince you of anything and ask you to bring others with you. This same voice becomes very harsh and abusive when trying to align oneself with a far superior master. This voice that was once a “partner in crime,” now wants to condemn and shame the very behavior he so easily applauded. The voice of sin and darkness will exaggerate the restrictiveness of God’s commands and make you feel as if your new allegiance is simply a right set of beliefs with no real power to change your mind, will and emotions and thus no real power to change your behavior. But this is the exact point that Paul is trying to counter in these verses. We no longer have to obey the voice of darkness. It is no longer our master and it no longer reigns in our new identity. Not only do we no longer have to obey this voice, we don’t even have to listen to it in the first place. Our new master, Jesus, offers His righteousness through the free gift of grace. Grace frees us to devote ourselves fully to living God’s way. We can devote our minds, eyes, tongues, hands and feet. We can devote our time, talents, energy and passions. We can surrender our relationships, careers, lifestyles and convictions. All of our lives can be wholly His because He is a trustworthy master who always has our best interest in mind. This is way more than just deciding not to sin (which simply leads to self-righteousness at best). This is a lifestyle started by faith, sustained by faith and fully surrendered to the object of our faith.
Questions
How has God helped you with your desire to obey Him and not the voice of sin and darkness?
What would you tell a friend about your experience of putting your faith in Jesus and coming up under a new master?