Title: Obedience and Ownership
Commentary on Romans 45
obedience and ownership
Romans 6:15-16
Introduction: Paul asserts that Christians must never again offer their bodies to sin as instruments of unrighteousness (13). The reason is emphasized, “Because ye are not under law, but under grace” (14). The status under the law and the status under grace are as far apart as heaven and earth. Those under the law are those under God's judgment, and their final destination is Hell. Those under grace are those who have the authority of God's children, and their final dwelling place is Heaven. As such, there is such a huge distance between the two that there are also fundamental differences in their lifestyles and structures of consciousness.
1. What then?
What Paul said in verse 14 is a sharp plea to some of those who do not understand the truth.
(1) One is, “If you say that you are under grace and that sin has no dominion, doesn’t it mean that it doesn’t matter if you sin?” They accuse Christians of deviating from the orbit of the law as non-legalists. They say that they are not under the law, but under grace, and that the power of sin has no dominion over them. Is it not that Christians cannot condemn anyone who commits a sin? So, consequently, Christianity is denounced as destroying the existing moral human life.
(2) Another is the fact that there have been people in the church who claim that “there is no need for any legal restrictions”. Their argument is that once a person has been saved, everything is complete (final salvation has been accomplished), and everything that happens to him after that is of little importance. The conclusion is that Christians can do whatever they want without fear of the condemnation of the law or the judgment of God. However, this kind of thinking will eventually lead to the terrible consequences of misusing God's grace and using it as an object of lust.
(3) It is important for Christians to have a correct understanding of their present status. Christians need to know their firm standing that they have been saved through the merits of Christ. And because we are justified by Christ, and because Christians are not only freed from the dominion of sin but also united with Christ, who has overcome the powers of sin and death, we must confirm our clear identity that we can overcome and defeat sin. . The purpose of our present life in Christ is to recognize that we are in a position to glorify God. Victory in Christ is guaranteed when you build your life on the basis of such knowledge and faith.
2. Will you sin?
Paul takes an aggressive stance against these two wrong views by saying, “Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace?” Since Christians are not subject to the condemnation and sanctions of the law, but are under the grace of receiving all things by grace, then does it mean that it does not matter if they commit sins? means. If you look at the words in verse 14, it seems to mean that Christians have nothing to do with sinning.
(1) We need to know the true meaning of Paul's words, "Shall we sin here first?" This is not to imply that Christians should never sin. When we look at certain passages in the Bible, there are some passages that we think Christians should have nothing to do with sin (1 John 3:8, 9). But when Christians sin, even though they can overcome it, they do it intentionally and do not escape from their own sins and are complacent. And if the reason for their actions like this contains the meaning that it is okay that they are under grace. In the case of Christians, if he is truly saved through Jesus Christ, he cannot sin in such a thought.
(2) To say that we are not under the law refers to the condemnation and salvation through the law. The word “under the law” means under the law, and it refers to being saved by the righteousness of the law or being judged by the condemnation of the law. Christians are by no means subject to such laws. These two facts never apply to Christians.
(3) Christians are certainly not people under the law, but they are not those who forsake the law, but those who have fulfilled the law. Those outside Christ are those who are under the condemnation of the law and seek to fulfill that law. But Christians can accomplish that will through the power of God's new life in them, irrespective of the curse of the law.
3. Can't
Paul asserts that Christians cannot sin because they are not under the law and are under grace, but “it cannot be.” We need a proper understanding of the fact that Christians are not under the law.
(1) This does not mean that Christians are free to forsake the legal life. Of course we are dead to the law. Those who are freed from the curse of the law. But not those who deviate from the spirit of the law. We need to know that the work that we deviate from the condemnation of the law is not to forsake the law, but to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17, 18).
This fact is well illustrated in a conversation with a lawyer (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus divided the law into two commandments, the first commanding, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and the second, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the Christian life that regards God as living.
(2) It is said that we become the servants of those who are obeyed. We cannot be slaves to sin. Servants are people who are under the control of sin. A person who enjoys sinning for himself and remains in it is clearly a slave to sin.
Christians cannot do this. Christians still have sinful habits in his mortal body. And he can remain under sin for a while under the attack of sin that tempts his human instincts. But things like this cannot be continuous. We repent through the groaning of the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 8:26). And by the discipline of God, who does not take pleasure in such things, it bears fruit toward God (Hebrews 12:5-11).
Conclusion: Those under grace are those who have been saved by the grace of God. These people have the power to produce the fruit of righteousness in them (Philippians 1:6). If we say that we are in Christ and do not bear any fruit, it is because we do not have the power to bear the fruit of righteousness. If this kind of power is not present, the person cannot be seen as a person under grace, but as a person under the slavery of sin.
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