From Serving Iniquity to Serving Righteousness Romans 6:19

Paul the apostle told the people in Rome, “Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness”, and in chapter six and nineteen of Romans, Paul told the Romans how they, “yielded” their “members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity” and were now “servants to righteousness” where we read:

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

The verse begins, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:” Paul began with the words, “I speak” which means “Paul utters, declares and proclaims” “after the manner” which means “the common ways” “of men” or “of human beings whether male or female” “because” which means “through and by means” “of the infirmity” or “of the want of strength, weakness and feebleness” “of your flesh” which means “of Paul's human and earthly nature which is apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God”. Paul shared with his believing readers about the “way” people behave “since” they have “weakness and feebleness” in their “human and earthly” nature.

The verse goes on to say, “for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. ” Paul began with the word, “for” or “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “as you have yielded” or “in the same way Paul's readers had shown, proffered and brought into fellowship and intimacy” “your members” which means “Paul's bodies or parts of their bodies” “servants” which refers to “slaves, bondmen and people with a servile condition” “to uncleanness” or “toward physical impurity, lustful, luxurious, profligate living of impure motives” “and to iniquity” which means “to the condition without law, wickedness and contempt and violation of law” “unto iniquity” or “toward physical impurity, lustful, luxurious, profligate living of impure motives”; “even so now” which means “in this manner, thus and on this wise” “yield” or “show, proffer and bring into fellowship and intimacy” “your members” which refers to “Paul's readers' bodies and parts of their bodies” “servants” or “slaves, bondmen and people with a servile condition” “to righteousness” which means “toward the state of him who is as he ought to be and the condition acceptable to God” “unto holiness” or “toward consecration, purification and sanctification of heart and life”. Paul shared how his “believing readers” used to be “slaves” from “wicked behavior” to “wicked behavior” but now were to be “slaves or bondmen” to “God's acceptable condition” and “sanctification”. Paul desired for his believing readers to “submit” their “bodies” to “the conditions acceptable to God” with the same passion they gave themselves over to the desires of their “flesh”.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how “serving iniquity” is natural for a person, whereas serving “righteousness unto holiness” is not. Before a person receives Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they are inclined to function according to whatever their hearts, minds or bodies desire. However, when a person “submits” themselves under the “Lordship” of Jesus, their ways are to be according to the standards God Himself has called “right”. In other words, rather than pleasing their own passions and desires, they now follow after the “righteousness” and “holiness” of God. This type of living requires “power and strength” from the Lord Himself, and He is willing to supply everything that is necessary to help His believers comply.

Next time Paul tells the people in Rome when they were, “the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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