◄ What Does Romans 6:18 Mean? ►

Paul is setting out the only two options for life that are given to believers. He explains the differences between the two choices we have, the benefits we derive, and the consequences of our decisions, which depend entirely upon which of the two paths we choose to take in our Christian life.

Paul explains that there is a principle of life for every one of us. We are servants under the authority of a master and as a servant we carry out the demands of the one who is our master. Whoever we obey determines who our master is and dictates which path we take. And as believers we have a choice of two masters: sin or obedience. Either sin which results in death or obedience which results in righteousness. The death we experience as a result of committing a sin as a believer is not physical or spiritual death for death in the Bible means separation. Here we see that sin separates our fellowship with our heavenly Father. In other words, sinning as a believer does not result in losing our salvation, but takes us out of fellowship with the Father. And coming to the Father with a repentant heart and asking Him for forgiveness will bring us back into fellowship with Him.

As members of the human race who have been saved by grace through faith, we have volition. We can choose to be a servant of sin or to be a servant of righteousness. We can choose to allow sin to be our master or we can decide to have righteousness as our overlord. We are either a slave to sin and under the authority and rule of sin, in which case we obey sin in our everyday life, or we are a slave of righteousness and under the authority and rule of righteousness, in which case we remain its obedient servant.

Whoever we choose to obey in our everyday life is our master and we have two options; sin or obedience. The former results in death and the latter in righteousness. And moment by moment we are faced with the same choices; to be a slave of sin or a servant of righteousness. Whether in mental attitude, spoken work, or physical action, we are faced with the same choices every day of our lives; to sin or to obey.

Having set out this important life-principle, Paul finally explains the reason for his forceful emphasis: having been freed from sin, by grace through faith in Christ, we became salves of righteousness. Having been rescued from the powerful enemy that had placed us under bondage to sin, Satan, and death, we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and bought with the precious blood of God's only Son. This released us from the curse of the Law, God's condemnation, and eternal death (separation from Him).

And having been freed from sin, we became slaves of righteousness and our duty to our heavenly Redeemer was to be obedient servants under God's perfect rule of righteousness. But during the rest of our life on earth, a moment by moment choice remains: we can choose to be a slave of sin or to be a servant of righteousness.

Day by day, may we make the right choices in thought, word, and deed, so that we may remain in sweet fellowship with our heavenly Father as we abide in Christ, submit to His leading, mature in the faith, and grow in grace, for our eternal joy and for His greater glory.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I have been freed from slavery to sin and become a servant of righteousness. Help me day by day to make the righteous choices in my life that keeps self nailed to the Cross so that my life may be lived in willing obedience, as I seek to do Your will to Your praise and glory. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.