Romans 6:12-18

Are we using our bodies as instruments of sin or of righteousness?

Paul is pleading with us that now that we have been set free from sin by God's grace, we should use that freedom to live righteously. It really comes down to whom we choose to serve in this life. And that freedom of choice comes with great responsibility.

God has truly removed all of our excuses by giving us everything we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3).

So why would we choose to go back to sin?

Peter addresses this in 2 Peter 2:20–22:

“And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.””

These are the kinds of Scriptural warnings that keep me up at night. Statements like, “It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life,” tell me that I really don't want to know what is on the other side of that warning.

Sin offers us no lasting benefit, only temporary or fleeting pleasure. There is nothing there for us worth returning to. And as Paul says, “You can be a slave to sin which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”

If you think you can't change your ways, then you are still living as though you are a slave to sin. The only way out of this destructive cycle is through Christ Jesus. He gives us the power to live godly lives. We simply have to choose to walk in obedience to Him.

And that is where the rub comes in.

It is often easier to make excuses for remaining as we are than to make the changes necessary to live differently. We can justify our behavior, blame our circumstances, or convince ourselves that we simply cannot change. Yet Scripture is clear that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

God has not left us powerless against sin. Through Christ, He has broken its dominion over our lives and given us the grace and strength to walk in righteousness.

But we must choose whom we will serve.

As I said, God has removed all of our excuses. The choice and responsibility are ours.
 
The question is not whether God has given us the power to live differently, but whether we are willing to surrender our will and walk in obedience to Him.