"Do you not know...?"
Text: Romans 6:16
AN APPEAL TO COMMON SENSE
Paul understood the deep concern of believers ending up taking the grace of God lightly. He appealed to sheer common sense when he wrote the following text.
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves
slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey,
whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading
to righteousness?”
Romans 6:16
1. Do you not know?
This was such basic knowledge, it was sheer common sense! Paul was appealing to the most basic of Christian theological knowledge.
2. To whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey-
a) If a person presents himself to obey sin;
b) Then he must be sure that he will become a slave to sin.
c) Being a slave to sin will lead to certain death.
d) Why would the believer want to yield himself to be a slave to sin?
3. Yielding of oneself to obedience that leads to righteousness
a) Any genuine believer will want to yield himself to the Lord.
b) He will want to obey the Lord
i) Who loves him dearly (Cf. Romans 5:5, 8).
ii) Who rules by grace tenderly (Cf. Romans 5:15, 17, 20, 21).
c) In obeying the Lord he finds righteousness.
i) There is imputed righteousness.
ii) There is personal righteousness.
iii) There is practical daily righteousness.
iv) Great are the blessings of the Lord upon the righteous (Cf. Psalm 112).