"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? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:16-18 ESV)
Why on earth would I want to subject myself to being a slave of something? Truth be told, we are all slaves to something. The world is a slave to sin: money, lust, greed, pride, etc. But Christians are slaves to righteousness: love, mercy, justice, compassion, and good deeds. In the passage above, Paul is trying to tell us that being a slave doesn't mean that you are unwillfully subjected to be under sin or righteousness. He is saying that you are willfully under one or the other. He uses the phrase "present yourselves" to point this out. You have the choice to present yourself to God for righteousness or to the flesh for sin. As Christians we should be presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Romans 12:1 says that this is our spiritual worship. Our worship stems not from being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. You see, Christian, being a slave isn't a bad thing because in this context you are willfully subjecting yourself to your Master. When salvation took place in your life, when you were born again, God changed your convictions and desires of your heart. He placed the Holy Spirit in your being to help you do the things that please God. When you do those things that please God and glorify Him for the purpose of glorifying Him, that is worship.
The epistle of James says faith without works is dead. If you say you are a Christian and you don't have good works that glorify God backing up what you profess to believe, you need to make sure your heart is right with God. If you are a Christian, you are a slave to righteousness. Your thoughts, speech, and actions should be glorifying God. This isn't to say that Christians are perfect. The Bible says "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Christians don't let themselves make sin a routine in their lives... We don't practice sin. So again, if you claim to be a Christian, you better make sure your life lines up with a lifestyle that is evident of being a slave to righteousness. As you grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Word of God, you should see yourself growing more and more into a lifestyle of thoughts, speech, and actions that glorify God.
Not only should God-glorifying thoughts, speech, and deeds be evident in your life but also an enjoyment of God for who He is. Willfully subjecting yourself to God to be a slave of righteousness and enjoying Him for who He is produces a lifestyle of worship that flows out of you. You can subject yourself to be a "good person" all you want, but you won't have a life of enjoying God. You will only be burdened with legalism. Until you live for the glory of God alone through an enjoyment of Him for who He is, every effort to glorify God will be burdensome (immediately or eventually). Being a slave of worship is a joyful experience because there is no one more enjoyable than God.
Pray with me today that God will give us the ability to be slaves of righteousness and enjoy Him for who He is. Pray also that we will see God as more enjoyable than sin. May God glorify Himself in us and may we enjoy our Maker today.
Blessings,
Nick
