God’s Secret
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reflection of Bee:
The amazing grace of God had saved us from the guilt of sins when we accepted His salvation. After being saved, we need to know that Satan has no more power over us, unless we allow him to control us (v14). "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." —1 John 4:4
The wages of sin is death (v23). This death not only refers to the physical one but also the spiritual death and death to our soul. When we continue to sin our conscience may becomes numb to guilt and therefore will not repent.
We need to learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting in our heart so that we will not fall into the trap of the devil.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the fact that sin has not power over me. Therefore, I can have the choice to be Your 'slave' and do what is right in Your sight. Yes, though there may be struggles in obeying You, yet You always win. Let me be sensitive to Your Spirit and know Your will for me in my life.
I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Reflection of Tommy:
There are still many Christians out there who are struggling with sin. They are unable to picture themselves as slave to righteousness as mentioned by Paul in today’s passage. Despite their sincere desire to offer themselves in slavery to righteousness they still stumble continually in the bondage of sin. Is there a way out? Is it really possible for us to freely choose between sin and righteousness?
The solution to this problem can be found in the first and greatest commandment of all: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37). To love Him is to obey Him wholeheartedly and looking at His commands positively. It is also about trusting and surrendering our all fully to Him. Next is to seek Him and His kingdom first. And God will then be able to give us the power and strength to obey Him with all our heart.
Dear Father, thank You for what Christ has done on the Cross and Your gift of salvation. Forgive me Lord for any disobedience and ignorance towards Your clear commands to me. Remind me always that because of my union and identification with Christ that I should regard all my old sinful nature as dead and that I have the choice of no longer obligated to give in to sin anymore. Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to help me in my daily experience to grow into what You have declared me to be. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
