Friday, December 26, 2014

Romans 6:17

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed  Romans 6:17 ESV

We spent a lot of time going through Romans 6:16, where Paul laid out the two conditions of man: willing servants of sin, or willing servants of obedience to God - there are no options other than these two. Paul has spent most of early Romans explaining that, by default, we are willing servants of sin - the lusts of the flesh and selfish pursuits that stem from a debased mind and corrupt heart (see Romans 1:18-32).

Keep in mind the context of these verses. At the end of Chapter 5, Paul touched on the abundance of God's grace, and knew the question would follow: if God's grace abounds where there is sin, why not sin more? Paul then spent Chapter 6 explaining the powerful transformation that takes place when a sinner is baptized in Christ and set free from sin - abiding in sin is no longer an option.

Being set free from the condemnation and control of sin through Christ means we are no longer under the law, but under grace...again Paul knew the question would follow: if we are no longer under the law, are we allowed to sin? (he really had a grasp on the selfishness of the human heart didn't he)

So, now Paul has explaining, in verse 16 and now 17 (and will continue through chap 7), that being set free from the law by no means gives us a license to sin freely. Instead of leaving it at that though, the Holy Spirit of God instructed Paul to lay out in detail why we shouldn't even desire to sin freely...just like He did at the beginning of Chapter 6.

We shouldn't have a desire to live a life of sin as God's children...if we don't desire to purge sin from our lives on a daily basis then we haven't grasped the power of the transformation that takes place when we are transferred from darkness to light, from death to life.

The entire bible speaks to this transformation, through Christ. We see who we were in light of who God is, and who we are by the grace and of God - which allows us to be used by God for His glory, to do things we never would have wanted or been able to do! We are set free to live a life that reflects the character and glory of God, which He reveals through His Word!

This transformation is what Paul speaks to in verse 17 of Chapter 6. After explaining the two possible states of man, lost or saved, he uses this phrase to transition:

But thanks be to God

I love this, because it puts the credit squarely where it belongs...to God alone. 
The phrase 'thanks be to' here is very interesting...it is actually the Greek word 'charis' which is translated as 'grace' 130 times in the New Testament. This is important, I believe, because it reveals a different type of thanks than we might be used to.

We thank people all the time, for many different reasons. When Paul says thanks be to God, he is talking about a specific type of thanks...Paul is talking about a response brought forth by an act of grace...which is where the word charis, usually translated grace, comes in. In Romans 11:6, Paul describes this 'grace' as a gift that cannot be earned:

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; 
otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 

The word 'grace' in Romans 11:6 is the same Greek word 'charis' -  our thanks is in response to a gift we have given that we did not earn or deserve... in response to God's grace, we thank Him and praise Him! (Thanks be to God). Why? What happened? What was the result of God's grace?
  
that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart

By the grace of God, this powerful transformation has taken place! To Him be the glory, praise, and honor forever! Our response to this work of grace should be thanks - thanks that plays out in offering our life as a living sacrifice to this Awesome God! 

Paul covers a lot of ground with this part of verse 17. I want to break it into two parts. First, we see who we were (think the two states of every man discussed in verse 16). We were slaves (willing servants) of sin! All of us were, regardless of geography, gender, race, religion, or anything else - every single person ever born falls into this category to begin with. We are a sinful people, who give birth to sinful people.

There are many passages in the Bible that speak of the evilness of man in his lost state, we oppose God at every turn, we hate the light, we slander, murder with anger in our hearts, lust after everything that seems to satisfy the flesh...we are ugly inside and out - no matter how we try to paint it. This is what willing servants of sin look like...and such were we.

But...those who have been saved are no longer this way. We have become obedient from the heart! How? Not because we worked hard enough or went far enough...not at all. Remember...thanks be to God...by His grace we have been saved through faith! We have been regenerated, our hearts changed, our minds renewed! We now desire God and all that He is about!

It's necessary to acknowledge, though, that as Christians, we do have a past. We have been completely forgiven, but the lusts and selfishness of the flesh still come up against us, causing a battle within us. One day this battle will cease when we enter into eternal glory with God, but today the battle is real, and it can be fierce. It is a battle we will fight until the day we die, as God continually reveals the depths of our sinfulness, and the influence that our flesh has all that we do.

When we are battle weary, we need to come back to what God is promising us here through Paul - we are His children, and through grace we have become obedient and submissive from the heart. Notice, God doesn't command us to do anything to become children of this promise...He tells us it has already happened. We have become obedient...this is a result of our regeneration!

How does this Truth (we were lost sinners but have become obedient from the heart) help battle weary soldiers of God?
-We acknowledge we were sinners - controlled and condemned by the sin we loved.
-We embrace the promise that God, by His grace, has caused our heart to become obedient through the washing of regeneration.
-We nurture this obedience and submission through the things that are explained throughout God's Word - love, renewing our minds, pursuing a clear conscience, seeking a pure heart, living with sincere faith, giving our lives as a living sacrifice (dying to self as we exalt God's will and design).

When we consume ourselves with these three things, acknowledge, embrace, and nurture, of God's promise, we begin to recognize areas of sin in our life and attack it with a vengeance...with a passion driven by appreciation for God and His amazing, undeserved grace. This minimizes how much of a foothold the flesh is able to gain in our lives!


The question then becomes this: what are we obedient from the heart to? Paul said in verse 16 that one option was to be obedient to obedience, or as we found as we dug in, obedient to submission. When we obey by submission, what are we submitting to? The easy answer is God, but what does that all entail? Paul tells us at the end of vs 17:

to the standard of teaching to which you were committed

In obedience, we submit to the standard of teaching (also translated doctrine) to which we were committed (also can be translated 'which was delivered to you')
We were entrusted with a doctrine, a doctrine to which we have become obedient to through submission to it...what is this doctrine?

This is a study that would take years and years (most likely lifetimes) if we really dug in, but I think it can be summed up with what Paul said in verse 16. The doctrine itself is a doctrine of submission, humility, and obedience. Through this doctrine, God's character is revealed, for His glory. His grace and mercy are on display, His love shines through, the power of regeneration through Jesus Christ is made known - regeneration that is seen through changed lives, lives that are centered on submission and obedience - lives that are in direct conflict with the pride and selfishness of the flesh and the world that strives to satisfy that flesh.

I believe that everything in God's Word points to this teaching of submission, humility, and obedience to God's will and design... how to embrace it, protect it, apply it, and live it so that God is glorified through it! This is the teaching I believe Paul is talking about here in verse 17.


As we move towards a new year, lets pray that God keeps this important doctrine of obedience that has been entrusted to us at the forefront of our minds. Pray that throughout the next year, God reveals areas of our life that need to be addressed, that we could submit to His will and design to an even greater degree...for God is glorified through this, and that is where true joy and peace are found!