We are all slaves to something!
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a slave as “a person who is excessively dependent upon or controlled by something.” Some people are slaves to chocolate—they simply cannot resist! These self-professed chocoholics keep secret stashes of Hershey’s Kisses in their cupboards to satisfy their cocoa-cravings. And now that the Creemee stands have reopened after a long cold winter, you can see them twisting their tongues around those cones of creamy chocolate goodness. Other people are slaves to more destructive behaviors. Alcohol, sex, and drugs are three obvious ones. How many people do we know who have been shackled by addiction, adultery, and overdose?
Others are enslaved by their work. Do you know anyone who is chained to their job? Still others are fettered by their spending habits. They see something and just have to have it! Did you know that the average American household now carries over $16,000 in credit-card debt?
And I have done enough pastoral counseling to be convinced that the need for “approval” is one of the most pervasive and insidious forms of slavery in modern times. This is a form of servitude that can dominate a person mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. It can diminish the prospects for self-respect and contentment. It can compress a life into a relentless cycle of anxiety and depression. If you look close enough under the surface, this excessive need for approval is one of the primary drivers behind unnecessary cosmetic procedures, anorexia, and cutting.
Yes, we are all slaves to something! What is it that has captivated you?
In Romans 6:15-23, the Apostle Paul affirms this truth that all human beings are slaves to something. As he continues to show how God’s grace overcomes sin through the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is ever concerned about the church abusing God’s grace by using it as justification to continue in sin. He wanted the church in Rome and Christians everywhere to avoid the attitude where we would say, “Oh well, I know it’s wrong…but God will forgive me anyway.” To use God’s grace as an excuse for sinning is a sign that one is not really “under grace” at all.
Paul already addressed this issue in 6:1-14, but now he reinforces it again in 6:15-23. In verse 15, he asks a similar question to verse 1, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” And he gives the same unequivocal answer, “By no means!”
Now he digs deeper into the imagery of slavery to reiterate his point. This metaphor was familiar to his original audience; it is estimated that the population of Rome in the first century was about one-third slaves. So vast was the populace that proposed legislation to force slaves to wear a distinctive color of clothing was voted down because it would reveal their numerical strength. Likewise, many free men had once been slaves. There was not a member of the church in Rome who was not keenly aware of the implications of what Paul was saying in this passage. (Hughes 124)
Therefore, Paul drives home the idea that all humans are slaves to something. And he breaks it into two spiritual categories: Everyone is either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ.
Slaves to Sin (16)
Paul begins this section with a general description of slavery. In verse 16, he says that a person is a slave to whatever or whoever they obey. Then he quickly lays out the choice of only two masters to serve: sin or obedience. We would expect sin to be directly contrasted with righteousness or God, but obviously he wants to hammer home the importance of obedience, so he uses the word in a positive sense to denote the Christian moral demand. Both choices have consequences: Serving sin leads to death but serving obedience (to Christ) leads to righteousness. The “death” referenced here is certainly spiritual death (i.e. separation from God) but it also carries overtones of physical death. I could give dozens of examples of how sinful behavior directly led to physical death. (Moo 210) Sin, by its very nature, leads to death.
Radio personality Paul Harvey used to tell the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. Next, the hunter sticks his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night.
So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his own warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more–until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!” It is a fearful thing that people can be consumed by their own lusts.
Sin isolates us from God and destroys lives! It destroys marriages, families, and friendships. It wipes away emotional and financial security. It causes stress, anxiety, and depression. Sin is a harsh taskmaster! And it holds millions of people in bondage. It is no wonder our world is so screwed up!
Slaves to Christ (17-23)
But thanks be to God that slavery to sin does not have to be a death sentence. In verses 17-18 Paul goes on to praise God again for the fundamental change that happens when people become Christians. When they genuinely put our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are no longer slaves to sin or its consequences. Positionally, Jesus sets people free from bondage and they can now resist sin and pursue righteousness.
In verse 19, Paul explains why he is using this image of slavery: “because of your natural limitations” or “fleshly weaknesses”—as a contrast from the former way of life to the new way. We will always be slaves to something, so just as we used to be obedient to our sinful desires (impurity and lawlessness), now we should present our members (abilities and capacities) as slaves to righteousness. Our practice should match out position. As we become more and more obedient to Christ, we become more and more righteous in our living. This is a beautiful description of sanctification—the process whereby be become more holy and Christlike. Paul is essentially saying this: We gain freedom from sin by becoming slaves to Christ!
Can you imagine how our lives would be different if we were actually obedient to Christ in our thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions? We would have fewer rifts in our relationships and less stress, less anxiety, and less depression. We would experience a higher level of peace, joy, and contentment.
When we actively obey Christ in every aspect of our lives, it frees us from sin’s grip over our lives, which leads to even greater freedom. If we pursued obedience to Christ with the same single-minded passion that other people seek fame, money, or power, our lives would be completely transformed.
When I think about Paul’s teaching in this passage, the image of a Border Collie comes to mind. Over the years Jennifer and I have attended several Scottish Highland festivals. We love listening to the bag pipe bands, eating Scottish meat pies, watching sheep herding demonstrations. It was always amazing to watch how Border Collies would obey their masters perfectly. With a simple voice command or a hand motion, a master can command a collie to corral whole flocks of sheep or to sit still in one location all day.
This is a picture of the type of obedience to which Paul is calling us. If we would just obey Christ’s commands as a Border Collie obeys its master, we would be spared so much pain and grief. We would live the life that Christ has called us to live and grow in godliness.
Remember, we are all slaves to something! Let us be slaves to Christ. Let us give up our independence and depend on Christ! Let us stop trying to control everything and yield to Christ’s will! You see, there is great freedom in slavery. I know its a paradox, but it is true: We gain freedom from sin by becoming slaves to Christ!
Wages of Sin or Gift of God (20-23)
Paul concludes chapter 6 with a summative comparison between slaves to sin and slaves to Christ. In verses 20-21, he returns to his initial question about continuing in sin because of grace. Here, he reminds Christians that when they were slaves to sin, they were free regarding righteousness. That is, before they put their faith in Christ it was impossible to live a righteous life. Now that they can live righteously, why in the world would they want to return to the shameful sins that enslaved us in the first place? These things led to death. So, he urges them to take advantage of the opportunity Christ has given them to grow in sanctification and freedom!
Verse 23, in my opinion, is the clearest encapsulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the whole Bible. If I could only use one verse of scripture to share the gospel with someone, this would be it. Most people would choose John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is a good one! It’s no wonder you see big signs bearing this reference at sporting events.
But Romans 6:23 shows an even clearer contrast between life with and without Christ. “Wages” is the opposite of a “gift.” With wages, people get what they work for. With a gift, they get what they don’t work for. “Sin” is the opposite of “God” and “death” is the opposite of “eternal life.” And people can receive God’s gift of eternal life through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This “eternal life” is not only a future destination in heaven; it is also a present quality of life here on earth!
So, the next time you find yourself heading to Gillette Stadium to watch a Patriots game, get some magic markers and make yourself a big sign that reads: ROMANS 6:23. I guarantee this will create an opportunity to talk to someone about the gospel.
As we conclude our study of Romans 6, I hope we will all take Paul’s primary point to heart! I hope that we all realize what Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross and rising on the third day! I hope that none of us will ever take advantage of God’s grace by having a flippant attitude toward sin! And I hope that we will all grow in godliness—We gain freedom from sin by becoming slaves to Christ!
We are all slaves to something!