Lesson 86
The Christ-Centered Life
The Foundation
is our Position in Christ - Rom 6
2. Transformation that takes place on becoming a
Believer 6:17-22
#1 of a new position with a new master; New Servant hood v.17-18
- What you were is contrasted with what you became, What you now are in Christ!
To appreciate what God has done for us, we need to
remember from where we have come. BUT
NOT BE OCCUPIED WITH IT!
"But thanks
be to God that though you were slaves of sin,"
- During this period, the time
depicted by the "were"
there was only one thing that we were free from; this is noted in vs:20
What a desperate state to be in! Bound by sin, enslaved by sin, and free from any and all that is righteous,
all that is classified as good, from God’s vpt that is, what is consistent with
God's will.
Here's the contrast (
"having been
freed from sin we became slaves of righteousness."
Grammar here sheds some interesting light on this freedom and
slaves.
- Servant hood has 2 aspects to it;
before cross vs:20 Now vs:18
#1 a domination aspect; sin righteousness
#2 a freedom aspect; righteousness sin, domination
If
there is anything that is true of everyone who has ever lived it is that they
are slaves of something!
The issue here is not whether we are servants but whose
servants?
Going
back to vs:17 we'll find out how this change of master
came about!
"you became obedient from the heart,
[wholehearted, genuine, real, not just external going through the motions] to that form of teaching to which you
were committed,"
What Paul is saying in our context is that these people
had obeyed a tupos, a pattern of doctrine. What they
were taught they believed, and it left an imprint on them!
Truth believed had impact in their lives and in turn they
had an imprint on others that they came in contact with.
Next aspect of the transformation of the believer
#2 there is a difference of
conduct; v.19-20
- again
contrasts our conduct before the cross with our conduct after the cross.
- There's an analogy here between before and
after the cross; indicated by the just
as; so now
What is the difference
between the 2? The just as and the so now?
Before the cross;
its deeper and deeper into sin/lawlessness
After the cross;
its deeper and deeper into sanctification; growing and maturing as a believer.
#3 There is in the transformation of
Believer; New benefits; v.21-22
vs:21
before the cross - under the old servant benefit is death
vs:22
after the cross - benefits are sanctification; eternal life
vs:21 the fruit of sin is death.
vs:22 What a contrast. What a difference that God's
Grace has made!
3.
- Quite simple; he looks first at
the servants of sin and then at the servants of righteousness. As he has all through the context from vs:17f
- term wages; ovyw,nion lit: used to indicate proper compensation, pay, wages for work
performed;
The proper and fitting
compensation for sin is death!
What's the
counterpart to wages? free gift ca,risma grace gift!
While the death and life motif
here is a general principle applicable to everyone, the primary thrust of
Paul's point is for believers to overcome the deadly effects of sin and
experience life; which in the fullest sense may be called eternal life (cf.
- So Servants of sin get just
compensation while the servants of righteousness of God get a free gift,
eternal life, Christ's
life, and all the resources to go with it for life.
Thus,
Paul concludes by stating how Christian victory, as described in chapter 6, is
possible: First by being in ... Christ, identified with Him and second by
counting as true that you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ,
presenting yourself consistently for service to God.