Why we are to yield (vv. 14-23). Three words summarize the reasons for our yielding: favor (Rom. 6:14-15), freedom (Rom. 6:16-20), and fruit (Rom. 6:21-23).
Favor (vv. 14-15). It is because of God’s grace that we yield ourselves to Him. Paul has proved that we are not saved by the law and that we do not live under the law. The fact that we are saved by grace does not give us an excuse to sin, but it does give us a reason to obey. Sin and law go together. “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 15:56). Since we are not under law, but under grace, sin is robbed of its strength.
Freedom (vv. 16-20). The illustration of the master and servant is obvious. Whatever you yield to becomes your master. Before you were saved, you were the slave of sin. Now that you belong to Christ, you are freed from that old slavery and made the servant of Christ. Romans 6:19 suggests that the Christian ought to be as enthusiastic in yielding to the Lord as he was in yielding to sin. A friend once said to me, “I want to be as good a saint as I was a sinner!” I knew what he meant because in his unconverted days he was almost “the chief of sinners.”
The unsaved person is free–free from righteousness (Rom. 6:20). But his bondage to sin only leads him deeper into slavery so that it becomes harder and harder to do what is right. The Prodigal Son is an example of this (Luke 15:11-24). When he was at home, he decided he wanted his freedom, so he left home to find himself and enjoy himself. But his rebellion only led him deeper into slavery. He was the slave of wrong desires, then the slave of wrong deeds, and finally he became a literal slave when he took care of the pigs. He wanted to find himself, but he lost himself! What he thought was freedom turned out to be the worst kind of slavery. It was only when he returned home and yielded to his father that he found true freedom.
Fruit (vv. 21-23). If you serve a master, you can expect to receive wages. Sin pays wages–death! God also pays wages–holiness and everlasting life. In the old life, we produced fruit that made us ashamed. In the new life in Christ, we produce fruit that glorifies God and brings joy to our lives. We usually apply Romans 6:23 to the lost, and certainly it does apply, but it also has a warning for the saved. (After all, it was written to Christians.) “There is a sin not unto death” (1 John 5:17). “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30 nasb). Samson, for example, would not yield himself to God, but preferred to yield to the lusts of the flesh, and the result was death (Judg. 16). If the believer refuses to surrender his body to the Lord but uses its members for sinful purposes, then he is in danger of being disciplined by the Father, and this could mean death. (See Heb. 12:5-11; note the end of verse 9 in particular.)
These three instructions need to be heeded each day that we live. Know that you have been crucified with Christ and are dead to sin. Reckon this fact to be true in your own life. Yield your body to the Lord to be used for His glory.
Now that you know these truths, reckon them to be true in your life, and then yield yourself to God.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
- What are three objections to the doctrine of justification by faith? How would you answer each of these objections?
- Why is justification considered a living relationship?
- What does Wiersbe mean when he describes some Christians as “betweeners”?
- What is the meaning of baptism?
- What should be the believer’s relationship to sin? What does this look like in your own life?
- How would you distinguish between the words know, reckon, and yield as ways to attain victory over sin?
- How can we yield ourselves or present ourselves to God?
- Why does God want our bodies? How might knowing this change how you live your daily life?
- What might happen if we refuse to surrender our bodies to the Lord?
- How are the words favor (vv. 14-15), freedom (vv. 16-20), and fruit (vv. 21-23) related to yielding?