Week 22 - Free Weeknd Program for Street & Vulnerable Children

A Study from Romans 6 :15-18

Before we start today’s study, Lets remember all we learnt from Romans chapter 1-5, repeating this over and again is exceedingly helpful to us, so listen attentively.

From Romans 1, we see our sinfulness by nature and the natural tendency for us to go from bad to worst as we deny the existence of God. Our corruption is deeply inherent, with depraved minds, we plunge deeper into iniquity, oblivious of coming judgement and the clear warnings before us. The easy word here is DEAD in sin.

In Romans chapter two, it became obvious that our pious, moral, religious grandstanding mean nothing! I don’t kill, am not boko haram, I don’t steal, I don’t cheat, I’ve never done abortion, etc etc but truly speaking, we are hypocrites at best, we are like whited sepulchres - graves beautifully designed but inside are filed with rotten stinking dead bodies ridden with maggots; we are outwardly attractive but unclean and vile on the inside. This is a sad reality for us because unlike men, God looks on the inside, he sees and can judge accurately.

From Romans chapter 3 we see a clear verdict - none is righteous, not one, no one does good, all are evil, the venom of viper is on our tongue; this is God speaking based on his righteous judgment, this is true. Believe it! Or pray that the Lord will open your eyes. Luke 5:8 is a good example.

In chaper 4, we see the remedy we desperately need, the doctrine of Justification by Faith. What is doctrine? It is a strongly held belief according to scripture; justification by faith means, like Abraham, God counts us righteous by believing and like David said, we are blessed because God does not credit our sins into our heavenly account; no record of sin is against us though we have sinned. Christ paid it all, no sin debt left.

A great songs says

“Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow.

Amen.

In Romans 5, we see the benefit of our justification, we have peace with God, security and assurance of our salvation from sin and it’s costly wages, which is death - eternal damnation in the lake of burning sulphur. Hell is a fearful place, thank God for your salvation through the death of Christ.

As we come to Roman 6, we see another doctrine - The Doctrine of Sanctification. First, by Faith, we believe we died with Christ and has been risen to a new life in Him, our baptism is a proof.

Last week we learnt and were commanded by scripture not to lend our members as instruments of unrighteousness but rather, to yield them as instrument of righteousness. In simple terms, don’t use your members as tools, instruments for disobedience but use them as instrument for OBEDIENCE unto GOD. Why? Because sin is no longer your master, we can choose not to obey sin. Christ is now our new master, we are under grace not under the law - Morality, Civility and Legality. Sin has lost its controlling power over us; on the Cross Jesus broke the power of sin over us by dying to sin.

Today, we will repeat Romans 6:15, it says “ What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace, By no means! No one who dead to sin and was raised to a new life in Christ will continue to live in sin. It’s not possible!

Let’s read 1 John 3:6 “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” If a person continues habitually in sin, finding peace and comfort in sin, he proves he didn’t die to sin with Christ and was not raised to a new life in Him.

Though a Christian does sin, he cannot live in it habitually as a life style. A new nature is already in Him, the Christ life. According to the words of William Newell, moral and spiritual impossibility is greater than physical impossibility. It is impossible for a regenerated soul to live habitually and happily in sin - drinking iniquity like water. No! It’s not possible, he has a new nature that hates sin and loves righteousness.

Verse 16 “Do you not know that if you present yourselves onto anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. Sin was our master, we were delighted, running errand for it, it ruled over us, held us in bondage and we had no power to free ourselves, but Jesus came and through death, he destroyed the power of sin, freed us from its slavish bondage and brought us under the law of grace with the power to obey Him, our new master.

“Obedience, which leads to righteousness”, this is not the righteousness by faith in Christ alone (justification by faith) as we have learnt repeatedly, but the fruit that our obedience produces.

et me explain the difference, God considers the finished work of Christ on the Cross alone on our behalf and count us righteousness (justification by faith); this gift is righteousness produces fruit. Faith in Christ comes first, followed by the fruit - good works. Good works without Faith in Christ is Mr. legality, Mr morality - the worldly wise man, it’s a white sepulcher- a beautiful grave of dead stinking body; souls dead in sin & trespasses. A dead person can not give life to himself, he is dead.

Verse 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,” Though we were slaves of sin, dead in sin, Christ made us alive by the power of His Spirit, using the Gospel - Christ death on the Cross as the only means. Believing the Gospel is obeying the Doctrine.

The Scripture tells us in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, give your ear - attention to the Gospel preached to you, always listen attentively. Never forget this phrase “…faith comes by hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17. We will study more on this next year but keep it in mind, without the gospel, and faith in Christ, nothing that we do pleases God; Night vigil, fasting, etc, without faith in Christ alone for all righteousness are evil works, a white washed tomb.

How does faith come? Faith comes by hearing the Gospel. Galatians 3:5-9 and Acts 10:44-48 are good examples. When Faith comes, it produces obedient in the heart not just in your head, it is a divine work of God. Steve Lawson, a preacher said it this way, the preacher, can only bring the gospel to your ear, head, Only God can take it from there and put it in your heart. Without regeneration, there is no salvation. Regeneration is the sole work of God, He give us a new heart that believes in Him.

Finally verse 18 “and, having been set free from sin, we become slaves of righteousness. We become slaves to the law of love, we take great delight in serving God and obeying His commands. Jesus said “ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” As slaves of righteousness, many missionaries have sacrificed their lives in their service to the Lord, many are still risking their lives daily , denying themselves , so they can serve the Lord as his bond servants.