Romans 6:16
16 Know ye [eido] not [ou], that [hoti] to whom [hos] ye yield [paristemi] yourselves [heautou] servants [doulos] to [eis] obey [hupakoe], his servants [doulos] ye are [este] to whom [hos] ye obey [hupakouo]; whether [etoi] of sin [hamartia] unto [eis] death [thanatos], or [e] of obedience [hupakoe] unto [eis] righteousness [dikaiosune]? KJV-Interlinear
16 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? ESV
Slavery in ancient times, whether voluntary or
involuntary, was rigid, and gave the master over the slave, an absolute right
in all matters concerning that slave.
In the reality of creation, there are only two
possible masters.
The first, is sin, and second is God. There is no
third choice, and no one can be a master over themselves.
God represents truth, and sin represents all that is
false.
If you dedicate yourself and pursue truth, then you
are a servant of God. But that means you have to obey God, which means you have
to obey all of His mandates. And saying it does not make it so. Your thoughts
and actions testify as to the reality of your obedience, or lack of it.
If you do not dedicate yourself to truth, then by
default you are a servant of sin. Sin represents all that is not truth.
You cannot serve two masters. Sin will take you as a
slave no matter what you say or think or do. However God, will not accept you
as a servant, unless you are completely obedient.
Slavery in the ancient world, gave the slave no
rights, and expected absolute obedience to the master.
Therefore, there is no compromise, there is no, a little
of this or a little of that. Slavery or service is an all or nothing
arrangement. And in the arrangement you have no say as to the rules of the
arrangement.
Disregard or indifference toward God, or trying to
define your own rules, and certainly disobedience by ignoring the mandates
which are clearly stated in the Bible, automatically place you under the
service of sin.
We are all sinners of course, and we all fail from
time to time. But the pattern of decisions that you make in your day-to-day
life, determines your course in life.
The spiritually advancing believer, will fail from
time to time. However, the pattern of obedience, determines the believers path,
despite an occasional stumble.
The believer who is inconsistent within their
spiritual life, who pretends or plays games with appearances for the sake of
others to see, is in reality obedient to sin, and going nowhere in the
spiritual life.
Sin leads to death. And death is a separation from
something. And in this case the pattern of sin becomes a separation from ones
spiritual life, and the completion of oneself. So, the disregard of the
spiritual life, means you’re going nowhere, and you will end up with nothing.
Which is just about what happens in death.
Righteousness, on the other hand, is the concept of
pursuing ones spiritual life, by means of obedience to Gods mandates, which
stated in the simplest form, means consistent confession for the purpose of
fellowship, consistent daily Bible study for the purpose of learning, and
consistent application of Bible doctrine for the purpose of enhancing ones
spiritual growth.
In sin, you do nothing and you gain nothing.
In righteousness, you study, listen, and learn daily,
and you grow and you can gain everything.
These studies, are a part of the massive
daily study web site at DailyBibeStudy.Org, that is easily accessible, and are
written, so that you can come to Christ if you have not done so already, and
therefore not be lost forever.
And
if you have already believed in Christ, then these studies are written so you
can learn and understand and grow in your spiritual life, so that you can come
to the full knowledge of Christ, so that you can fulfill your meaning and
purpose in life as God intended for you, and so you can qualify for a
phenomenal eternal reward which you will have forever.
To
ignore this opportunity to pursue a daily study means you will be incomplete,
unfulfilled and you will lose out, big time.
The
Daily Bible Study is online, making it possible as never before in all of human
history, to advance in ones relationship with God, through Christ, and to
complete yourself beyond your imagination.
But
you have to decide to make that commitment.
No one else can study for you.
You have to do that yourself.
