A huge misconception is that this teaching on Romans is sinless perfectionism. Since we are dead and freed from sin, we died with Christ, rose with Him, are new creatures in Christ and are called saints now does not mean we are perfect and never sin! No, it means we are freed from the power of sin, the consequences and damnation of sin, and the ability to chose to not sin. We will learn about this in the following verses from the great Apostle Paul.
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness {Romans 6:18}. Sin and the Law terminated at the moment of death with Christ. Life and freedom from sin began with the resurrection in Christ. Paul is not saying that the believer cannot do other than righteousness, any more than servants of sin means that one cannot do other than sin. {Just as when the slaves were freed, some chose not to be free.} This is not about ability or limitations, but about relationship and orientation. One who is free from sin can still sin if he so chooses. The human person is never beyond choosing. Paul will proceed to explain his point more fully in the next five verses. {I wrote a post about this called Stop Playing In or Near the Lake of Mud!}
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your
flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness {Romans 6:19}. Just as you used to yield your
members to sin with total abandonment, so now with the same zeal and
abandonment yield your members to the principle of righteousness that you might
work holiness. Since Christ has freed us from the power of sin, yielding is now
within the scope of those who are in Christ.
What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death
{Romans 6:20} Those who sustain a relationship to
sin as its servants are under no obligation to walk righteously. If one is
not in Christ, his efforts to do good are not welcomed. He is wasting his time.
He is under no obligation to obey Christ. He is none of His. Christ can say,
"I never knew you." The servants of sin are slaves to their own bodily
passions. Until one repents toward God and is born again, he is outside of
God's jurisdiction.
What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death
{Romans 6:21} In the former relationship, what fruit did sin produce?
Remembering the lousy fruit of the former relationship should cause the new
creature to abandon sin altogether and throw himself into righteousness as
readily as he formerly threw himself into sin. The root was sin, so the fruit
was death.
But now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life {Romans 6:22}. Christ made us free by placing us inside of
Himself and His freedom. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is holiness. Everlasting
life is the end of the life that Christ gives us.
For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord {Romans 6:23}. Yield your members to God as servants of righteousness,
because the wages {the end} of sin is death, but this great gift of God is
eternal life. Therefore, walk in compliance with who you are. You are a child of the Most High who calls you His child and a saint!
The next verse begins HERE. The study begins HERE.
The next verse begins HERE. The study begins HERE.
