Overcoming Sin

Stephen Terry

 

Commentary for the November 18, 2017 Sabbath School Lesson

 

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

Many look at Romans 6:1-4 as sufficient justification to preach that Christians are obedient and the lost are not. But is it? First of all, Romans 3:10 points out that no one is righteous. Note that it does not say, "no one is righteous except Christians." Christians are very much a part of that horde of the unrighteous. If we consider Paul's letter to the Corinthians (15:52-54), where he relates that we will all be corruption until the Parousia, it becomes apparent that Paul is under no such misconception as to think that people will be obedient to God simply because they are now Christian. Sadly, many a Christian has fallen away from fellowship because of this mistaken belief when they find that others in the church may be no more righteous or obedient than those who have never known Christ.

So what is going on with Paul's verses here in Romans 6? As we previously alluded to when visiting chapter two, some have used portions of that chapter to chastise others for various sins. However those verses were not intended for that purpose, but rather to build up to the point that all are sinners in chapter three. In the same way we are building up to another major point when we reach the end of chapter seven and enter chapter eight. When we ignore context, we can, at times, end up with almost the opposite understanding from the author's intent. It can also be dangerous to ignore the literary style of the author, such as these repeated cycles where Paul' builds up to a climax. He then resolves the tension he has created once he feels we have understood the point he was making.

In Romans 6:5-7, some have felt that this freedom from sin is a promise for the present and that we will live sinless lives because we are Christians, but is it, or is it a future promise to be fulfilled? In order to understand which, we need only to look around us. From Christ's crucifixion, all continue to die, there are no exceptions. The same death suffered by the sinner is also suffered by the saint. The promise is for the future, not today. Death, the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23), will not end until the Parousia. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

The Christian experience is not about present delivery from sin. Rather it is about the future delivery from the power of sin to bring death. It is also about repentance. The Greek word translated "repentance" is metanoia which means "change of direction." Although we continue to struggle with corruption after repentance, we are walking in a new direction. Before we were walking away from God, now we are walking toward Him. Before we were like little children with our fingers stuck in our ears, unwilling to listen to Him. Now we seek His voice and yearn to be with Him. One day, He will pick us up, give us a final cleaning, and take us home with Him. But that day is not today. If you find yourself discouraged over that, bear in mind that that is exactly where Paul wants you to be in order to relieve that despair with the answer later in his epistle.

While verses one and two are often used as a proof text by Christians to emphasize a need for Christian obedience and can be very popular with those who favor a legalistic, or works-oriented faith, this may be interpreting Paul in a manner that takes the focus away from Christ and places our salvation in the hands of obedience to the Law. In order to determine that, we need to ask what it is that kills us. How did we die "to sin" in the first place?

Paul tells us that it is the Law that kills us. (7:10) While this was not the intent of the Law, this was its effect. Every encounter with the Law can only kill us because of our disobedience. Life does not come through the Law, but through Christ as a gift. Those who preach the Law, preach death. Those who preach Christ, preach life. But there is a place for each. It is the preaching of the Law that brings us to Acts 2:38. It is the grace of Christ that allows us to walk in resurrected life afterwards. But this process is not a once in a lifetime event. Moment by moment we encounter the Law and die, and moment by moment we are resurrected by grace. This is the power of the Gospel. (Romans 1:16-17)

Christ died to sin under the Law with the condemnation that we deserve that we might live with the life that was His. (v 8) In dying, He conquered death, for it no longer had power over Him. And with that power broken He rose again. (v 9-10) It is this life that comes to us through grace, a gift, not from our obedience but His.

Through the symbol of baptism, we share in that death that we might rise in that life. (v 11) Paul tells us therefore not to let sin reign in our bodies. (v 12) Is he here telling us that we must now obey the Law that is only death to us? Having begun with faith are we now to be saved by obedience? How can this be the case when we are no more capable of doing so than we are to change the color of our skin? (Jeremiah 13:23)

Perhaps our only task in all of this is to surrender, to offer ourselves to God. (v 13) We may have made the choice to offer ourselves to sin in the past, but God says there is a better option. If we make that choice to offer ourselves to Him instead, He will take care of the rest. (Philippians 2:13) He does not ask us to save ourselves by being good. He only asks us to let Him save us by doing good in us. Grace not only covers our sins, it also places us under a new Master. (v 14)

We are slaves to either sin or righteousness. (v 15-23) While the contrast here is between willing surrender and obedience to one extreme or the other, perhaps the metaphor is more adequately expressed in four parts: 1) not only in slavery to sin but in harmony with the will of the master of sin, 2) in slavery to sin but not in harmony with the master of sin, 3) in slavery to righteousness but not in harmony with the will of the Master of Righteousness, and 4) in slavery to righteousness and in harmony with the will of the Master.

The first could be the person who has absolutely no interest in being righteous. The second may be the person who, while living a sinful life, still does righteous acts, not for the sake of righteousness but in order to delude themselves and others into thinking they are not really in slavery to sin. The third may attend church or do righteous acts out of a sense of obligation to the Master of Righteousness, but their heart is not into a righteous lifestyle. They may even entertain some sinful habits to demonstrate that they are really a "regular Joe" and not a slave to righteousness. The fourth has no interest in being sinful and, although not sinless, truly regrets any failure to be completely in harmony with the Master's will. The difference for these four individuals, however, is not the quality of their actions. It is the inclination of their hearts. If we consider what Paul has shared previously in this epistle, that salvation is by faith alone, it may be apparent that only the fourth person is the one on the path to life.

Paul goes on to make the case that “freedom” is only illusory for no matter which choice you make, freedom from one will mean you are a slave to the other.  Perhaps the difference is that through Adam, slavery to sin has become the default position so that one must exercise choice, free will as it were, to transfer from slavery to sin to slavery to righteousness through Christ.

While in slavery, it is natural to come ever more completely in line with the master’s will. If we are in slavery to sin, we will progress in our sinfulness become ever more experienced and skilled in pursuing impurity and indecency. ( v 19) By the same method we become ever more skilled at holiness as we continue in slavery to righteousness. In these we show the purpose of each. The ultimate end of slavery to sin is death, both now and eternally. The ultimate end of slavery to righteousness is holiness and life eternal.  (v 19, 23) The end of slavery to sin, Paul terms a wage, for we earn it by our endeavors, while eternal life he calls a gift, made possible only through the grace of God and not through our works no matter how good they might be.