Living in the Spirit

July 1, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Romans 6:12-23
What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:15-23

I do not like the word slave linked to the one we obey. In my mind being a slave is never a choice.  I have difficulty envisioning that same situation describing my relationship with God. My understanding of slavery is drawn from the history in our country of bringing Africans here against their will and forcing them into slavery. I do understand the idea of being a slave of the many enticements in our world that we choose. God is the one I choose to obey, although I have not perfected that obedience. Being a slave to anything other than God seems to be the result of falling down slippery slopes that land us in the mire of addiction or hate or being overtaken by something that we were enticed to choose. Avoiding the slippery slopes is our greatest challenge.

The Greek word for grace is xáris and is preeminently used of the Lord’s favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is “always leaning toward them”*).

I like the imagery of the Lord always leaning toward us. He is readily available but loves us enough to let us choose to follow his guidance and accept his love.

Prayer: Lord, lift us up and let me stand on your higher ground. Amen.

*See at https://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.