Romans 6:15–18 (NKJV)
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 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? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Shall we sin? Certainly not! The answer seems obvious to the Christian. And yet history shows that the simple question and answer need to be repeated often, because God’s people, influenced by the devil, the world, and our flesh, easily grow complacent and secure. Such was certainly the case for Israel at Mt. Sinai. God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and claimed them as His special people. They were finally safe and secure under the grace and protection of the LORD God. But instead of serving Him and obeying the commandments He had recently spoken to them, they went right back to serving sin instead, and the consequences were fatal.
And so, just as Paul warns the Corinthian Christians in today’s Epistle, so he instructs and urges the Romans in today’s devotional text: Shall we sin? Certainly not!
Why not? Because you wanted to be free from sin. Remember? The Law condemned you because of your sins. It warned you of God’s wrath and eternal punishment, and you were rightly afraid. And then the Gospel called you away from the judgment seat of the Law to flee in faith to Christ Jesus, to be judged under grace instead. There you received the forgiveness of sins and were welcomed into God’s house and into God’s service, leading to life instead of death. It’s good to be reminded of that, because the devil would gladly convince you that you can live under grace while also living in willful sin. He would lull you to sleep, convincing you that you are secure in God’s grace even as you reject that very grace through impenitence. When he makes such an attempt, return to Paul’s question and answer. Shall we sin? Certainly not! For you have been delivered from sin and death and are now a servant of the God of grace, to do good instead of evil.
Let us pray: Merciful Father in heaven, we thank you for delivering us from sin through faith in Your beloved Son. Help us by Your powerful Spirit to flee from sin each day and to serve You in righteousness. Amen.
