July 26th
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:15-23 NKJV
Paul pointed out that there really are only two masters you can serve in this world. It’s interesting that the real master of evil is sin. Sin mastered even Satan, who earnestly works to enslave as many people as possible to sin. There is no salvation for the devil, but there is for each of us through Jesus Christ.
Our power to choose plays a major role in our walk to freedom. Paul wrote to former slaves to sin in verses 17-18. Paul said they had chosen to obey “from the heart” the doctrine taught by the Apostles. That same doctrine is available to us in the Bible, which contains specific instructions on how to live for God.
When we choose to obey God, we became slaves to righteousness. This is a good thing, because we receive God’s power to live a renewed life, pleasing to God. He in turn grants us with all kinds of spiritual blessings that enrich our lives. These blessings include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:21-22). When we’re serving God, God helps us live in righteousness. The power to do so comes from the Holy Spirit which lives in us through our faith in Jesus (John 14:16).
The path of obedience is not easy, as it involves exerting our spirit’s will over our body’s will. The difficulty of sex addiction is that it exerts the body and its carnal desires over the spirit’s desires. If we are slaves to sin, our bodies are mastering our spirits. If we are slaves to righteousness, our spirits are mastering our bodies.
A practical exercise to exert our spirit over our flesh is to fast. Fasting is a way of humbling ourselves before God and it also strengthens our “spirit man.” For more info about fasting, see our page on fasting.
Questions for further thought:
When our spirit man has been mastered by sin, how is our ability to withstand temptations affected? (Proverbs 25:28)
How is the connotation of “slave” dependent on the character of the master?
When we do not want to submit to God’s will, what sins are involved? (James 4:6-7; 1 Samuel 15:23)
Prayer:
“Father in heaven, Thank you for giving me the power to choose my master. I confess that times in my life that I have allowed sin to master me. Please forgive me for not submitting myself to you in those areas. I desire to serve you with my whole heart, Lord. Please help me daily surrender to your will and leadership in every aspect of my life. I praise you and thank you Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”