Romans 6:15-18

 Scripture Verse

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

One might say that rules and consequences make up the foundation of a safe and stable society. Here in Switzerland, it seems like there are rules for EVERYTHING! What garbage bags are you allowed to use, where you are allowed to park your car, how late in the evening airplanes are allowed to land at the airport, and yes, there are even rules about how and when you can do laundry or mow your lawn! Swiss society is a tight-knit, compact, running machine! People do adhere to these rules and the ones that do not have to deal with the consequences.

Christianity is a very special type of religion. According to the Bible, we also have “rules” (the ten commandments) that we are expected to follow, but at the same time, we are also given free will. When Jesus died on the cross, our slavery to sin was abolished and our allegiance to become slaves to righteousness was born anew. Long gone are the days of the tabernacle, where the purest and most perfect male animal was brought forth to serve as the sacrifice. Jesus became the sacrifice, his blood fulfilled the prophecy, and through his crucifixion, we are given a direct communication and relationship to our heavenly Father.

However, this free will that we are given is a choice. We need to constantly remember this. Just because we are no longer punished “under the law” when we sin, we are not to abuse or misuse this freedom. We should strive to follow God’s precepts according to the Word. This is the challenge that we face day by day. We learn from the Bible, that “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) I would further expand this and claim that we cannot serve both God and sin!

The world may tell us otherwise, but as a Christian, we know that there is only One, who is worthy to be served. So, the question is simple, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Who do you serve?

Prayer:

Dear Father God, You are a loving, merciful and gracious God. We are so thankful for your never-ending love and devotion to your Kingdom. Lord, help us to ignore the noise of the world and truly listen to Your doctrine, never forgetting that you gave us a choice so that we may recognize the Great God that giveth and taketh away life. Thank you, Father God that You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen!