THE GIFT OF GOD: ETERNAL LIFE

Passage: Romans 6:15-23

Key verse: 23

NIV

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?(A) By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey(B)—whether you are slaves to sin,(C) which leads to death,(D) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God(E) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,(F) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching(G) that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin(H) and have become slaves to righteousness.(I)

19 I am using an example from everyday life(J) because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness(K) leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin,(L) you were free from the control of righteousness.(M) 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!(N) 22 But now that you have been set free from sin(O) and have become slaves of God,(P) the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.(Q) 23 For the wages of sin is death,(R) but the gift of God is eternal life(S) in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Footnotes
  1. Romans 6:23 Or through
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? (A)Are we to sin (B)because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves (C)to anyone as obedient slaves,[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But (D)thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the (E)standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, (F)having been set free from sin, (G)have become slaves of righteousness. 19 (H)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For (I)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members (J)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 (K)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 (L)But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things (M)of which you are now ashamed? (N)For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you (O)have been set free from sin and (P)have become slaves of God, (Q)the fruit you get leads to sanctification and (R)its end, eternal life. 23 (S)For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Footnotes
  1. Romans 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Paul asks a second question similar to verse 1 in verse 15. If we are under God’s grace, and we’ll be forgiven every time we sin, why not just continue to sin? And again, he answers the same way: “By no means!” We can only serve one master, as Jesus says elsewhere (Mt 6:24). We can either be slaves to sin or slaves to obedience (to God). If one leads to death and the other to righteousness (and thus eternal life), it certainly makes sense to choose the latter! But we can’t decide who to serve on our own. Our sinful nature would dictate that we become slaves to sin. But thanks be to God, that through Jesus we have been set free from sin and are made slaves to righteousness!

How can we begin to offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness? Paul gives us an example. We can do it “just as” (Ro 8:19). “Just as” we used to offer ourselves as slaves to sin, now we can offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness. We know how to offer ourselves as slaves to sin. That’s easy! We have plenty of experience there. In the same way, we can offer ourselves as slaves of righteousness. What is the benefit? Eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Prayer: Father, I lived so much of my life as a slave to sin. But because of your son, who died on the cross for my sin, I have been set free and am now a slave to righteousness. Thank you for your gift.

One Word: God gives us his gift, eternal life