Failure to Yield

December 27, 2010 at 10:36 am | Posted in Romans | 15 Comments
Tags: 1 Corinthians 6, commentary on Romans, freed slaves, freedom in Christ, power of sin, power of the Resurrection, practical Christian living, Romans 6, Romans commentary, Sunday School lessons on Romans

Sin as a “power” was defeated by the power of the Resurrection. Therefore, Christians are free from sin (Romans 6:7) – not free to sin. Now, let’s look at the practical application of that in our lives. How do we practically “get the victory” over submitting to our old master?

First of all, we need to believe the facts. Freed slaves have to believe they are free in order to get the benefits of freedom.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:11

Second, after we “reckon” we are to yield.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Note the relationship of “reign” and “obedience.” We do not yield to our old ruler. We yield to our New Ruler.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:13

My members are “instruments” or “weapons,” and they are not to be used for my own cause. They were formerly used to fight against God, but now they are to be used to fight for God.

As a Christian I recognize that I do not really own “my” house. My car is not really “mine.” “My wife” does not really belong to me in an ownership sense. “My” kids are really God’s kids.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

I Corinthians 6:19

“My” members are not really mine. They are a gift from God, but they come with the responsibility to use them for God. Many of the sins which afflict the body of Christ today stem largely from a failure to yield, and the failure to yield stems from a failure of truly believing to Whom we belong.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Romans 6:19

We need to yield our members to righteousness even more enthusiastically than we formerly yielded them to sin.

Here are some motivations for yielding:

1. As a response to God’s grace. We should love God because He has been gracious toward us, and the result of love toward God is obedience to God.

2. Because of our freedom. Freedom brings about responsibilities. The easiest way to lose our freedom is not to exercise it in doing good.

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

Romans 6:20

3. To bear good fruit.

What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

Romans 6:21

Justification is by grace through faith. Being justified, we encounter the problem of how practically to stop sinning. First we reckon, then we yield.