Trinity 7 2020

Romans 6:19-23

July 26, 2020

Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID

To be called a slave is not usually a desirable thing. This is especially true in our current political and cultural climate. To hear the word “slavery” in our American context brings to mind the Civil War and the fight to free black people from the oppression of being treated as property. 

However, the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Romans long before our American context. At that time, “slave” did not carry with it all of today’s racist overtones. It was an institution in the ancient world and a common part of everyday life among the Greeks and Romans. Slavery crossed all racial lines and often dealt with a person’s economic standing rather than ethnicity or the color of your skin. In fact, if people had no way to make a living, some sold themselves into slavery. Slaves were sold into bondage and had to belong to a master and remain in his service until set free by him.  Yet, don’t misunderstand, being a slave in Paul’s day was an extremely oppressive life.[1]

And here to the Roman Christians Paul explains our relationship to sin and to Christ in light of slavery.  He says that you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience to God, which leads to righteousness.  Whoever we serve, whether it be sin or God, will control us and shape our lives.  Paul confesses that since the fall of Adam all people are by nature slaves to sin. Your thoughts, desires, and behaviors are taken captive to what is wrong and sinful according to God’s commandments. 

There may be no visible chains that shackle. But as a slave to sin, weakness traps a person. Patterns of behavior ensnare the sinner. Jesus Himself says this in John 8:34, “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”  The devil lurks behind every evil desire, every wicked thought, and every immoral behavior. He is a relentless slave master. He is deceitful and cruel and unyielding, shouting lies into your ears, shoving shame into your face, and grinding guilt into your conscience. He seeks to divide countries, divide races, divide Christians, and divide families. 

His sinister plan is to beat every last ounce of hope and strength out of your body. He won’t let up until he strips every last weapon of faith from your existence—he wants you to stop praying, studying the Word, and serving others in love. His every waking desire is to keep you caged in the pain of your hurt, trapped in the filth of your depravity, and chained to your sin.  Sin darkens the mind, blunts the conscience, and deadens the soul. The consequence are wages, the payment due and the reward earned. Death.

That’s why Paul’s declaration that we have been set free from slavery to sin is so important. But this isn’t just any kind of freedom.  Real freedom is found in submission to Christ, it is enslavement to Christ, not in doing whatever you feel like at the moment.  That is enslavement to your passion, to the sinful flesh, to lawlessness. Christianity is not a form of libertarianism.  There is no middle ground here, nor any independence.  We are not to pass from one master to no master, but from one to another, from one slavery to another. You are a slave to whomever you obey.  Slaves to sin or slaves to Christ, slaves of righteousness.  When sin ruled, sin was master and you were free from righteousness (Romans 6:20).  When Christ rules, He must be Master and sin put away.  Only when we are “slaves” to God do we have freedom to be the people that He created us to be. 

You, baptized into Christ’s name, have been enslaved by God. You have been bought by a price, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.  He did this so that you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  You are united with Him by faith so that He is your and you are His. You are duty bound to Him and to live according to His word, in His service. The accusations of the devil cannot condemn you or throw you under God’s wrath even though you don’t keep the Law as perfectly as you should.

St. Paul says, “Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the stand are teaching to which you were committed.” (Rom 6:17) This is not forced obedience, but a willing commitment that is born of faith. Notice what Paul says here. The wording is important. “You were committed.”  God’s people don’t commit themselves to Christ, they are committed by God’s power in Baptism where a person is connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

The wages of sin is death. Death is what sin earns, what slavery to sin deserves.  But look at how St. Pauls writes these words.  “the gift of God is eternal life.” He doesn’t use the word payment here. Previously, Paul taught that we do not obtain eternal life because of our works as a reward, but out of pure grace for Christ’s sake through faith. That is why this is a gift.  Enslavement to Christ does not earn anything. Your servanthood does not deserve anything.  You are only doing your duty, what is expected of you. It is all earned, all deserved, all paid for by Christ.  The life of the Christian is not the consequence of his goodness, but in spite of his sinfulness.  Death can be deserved, life cannot.  It is pure gift, given freely by the Life of the world. 

Because a Christian knows that through God’s grace his sins are forgiven and blotted out, he obtains a heart that is hostile toward sin.  Even though you still feel evil thoughts and the temptation to sin, faith and the Spirit are present to inform your conscience to do what is right and deny what is evil. God’s gracious gift of a good conscience before Him which is hostile toward sin and fights against it. You enter a different obedience since you have been delivered from sin, serve God, and are devoted to doing what is pleasing to Him.  You are called to confess your sins, fight against ungodly passions, and strive to live as the sanctified people Christ has made you to be—no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness and to God Himself.  That is why St. Paul says that “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Rom 6:22). This is the true freedom and it is a pure gift of grace.  So live free, live in slavery to God, bound to Christ and His freedom for eternal life.

[1] Some of this sermon was adapted from a letter by Minnesota South District President Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford.  http://www.mnsdistrict.org/engaged-in-mission/2020/7/15/slaves-of-righteousness