Devotions: Enslaved to Whom

 

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.

Romans 6:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 

This chapter is a long exposition by Paul encouraging believers to put off sin because they have put on Christ. Apparently in Rome, many believers thought that since they were no longer saved by obedience but were saved by grace and they knew God would forgive them when they sinned that they could live how they wanted. As Paul said, May it never be! How can we who have died to sin still live in it? That is what happens when we are saved. Jesus died to defeat sin and death, and when we believe in Him we go through that same process of dieing to sin. He died so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, for that is the state of all prior to salvation. Yes we are saved by grace and not by works, but we were not set free from sin so that we could return to sin. We were set free so that we could live for Christ. We are a slave to whomever we obey, if we obey God we are His slaves, but if we live in sin then we are still enslaved to sin. It is grace that saves us, not obedience to the law, so if we live under the Law (as if obedience will save us) then we are still bound by sin because we can never perfectly obey the law. However, just because we are no longer saved through obedience does not mean we do not need to obey. Jesus said that those who love Him will obey Him, not out of duty but out of love, out of a desire to please Him and become like Him. Living in sin after salvation, saying that it doesn’t matter because we are under grace and not saved through obedience, is proof that we are not truly saved because God hates sin, and if we love Him we will hate what He hates and cease to do what He died to save us from. We need to “work out our salvation,” live in a way that proves we are His, not to earn anything but to show our love, to show the transformation that He has done in us. Our actions show our hearts and motives, whether we truly love God, or only care about ourselves. Where is your heart? What is your response to your own sin? Does it grieve you, or do you brush it aside knowing God will forgive you? Do you desire to please and live for God, or yourself?

 

 

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