Romans 6:15-23

In the first five Chapters of the letter to the Romans, the dominating topic is that of "justification". Paul goes to great lengths to remind his readers of the unmerited salvation made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no effort whatsoever in which man can undertake to place himself in right standing with God. Unholy man is eternally separated from a just and perfect Heavenly Father, and there is no act, apart from an act of God, which can redeem man. Paul repeatedly drives home the truth that God has made every effort to justify man, and that as believers, WE ARE JUS

Beginning in Chapter 6, Verse 15, Paul poses a key question to the believers in Rome; "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace"? Immediately he attacks the issue plaguing many followers: Since we are justified through Christ, is sin an issue any more? Can't we continue sinning here and there, and not be affected by it? Paul answers with an astounding, "By no means!" Paul intends to combat the tendency of falling victim to the desires of the flesh. Just because we are forgiven by God, and have been bathed in His eternal mercy, we do not have the right to take sin lightly. Sin, as we will further investigate, is destructive, and completely at odds with God.

Placing the truth in these terms answers the question posed in verse 15 of Chapter 6. Why can we not continue on sinning, treating sin casually and its consequences without regard? Because, we have removed the control of our lives from sin's evil clutches and have vowed obedience to God. Sin used to control our lives, and our destiny. We were shackled without hope in the deepest dungeons of hopelessness, with death as our reward. However, thanks to Jesus Christ, sin no longer has a say in our future. We are free from its bonds. We can't continue placing value in sin, because sin has no value to us whatsoever. We are owned and ruled by God now. Obedience to Him is our fundamental priority.

Through a vivid usage of imagery in verse 16, Paul masterfully compares the controlling nature of sin to the bondage experienced in slavery. This word picture would immediately strike a chord among the members of the Church at Rome, who were very familiar with the intricacies and economy of slavery. Rome, the cultural and commercial capital of the Roman Empire, boasted a population of more that one million citizens, many of whom were slaves . By referencing the institution of slavery, Paul is able to emphasize the importance of obedience to God, and His mandates.

A slave does not have a will of his own. His destiny is determined by his master. This illustration forms a vivid image of the role of sin in our lives before Christ. There has never been, and never will be a person (apart from Christ) who is completely free

Some topics in this essay:
God Obedience, Roman Empire, Beginning Chapter, Heaven God, Jesus Lord, Day Pentecost, Romans Paul, Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ, Paul Church, slaves sin, obedience god, chapter 6, wages sin death, control lives, word picture, eternal life, death paul, question posed, obedient god, sin leads death, role sin lives, sin death,