Servants of Righteousness

Fun lesson today. This is really part of the meat of Romans and it never ends. This is a section of the scripture that is just so uplifting, so encouraging, so important, I think, for us to grasp and apply to our lives. What I'd like to do, really, would be begin in Romans 6.11 and begin reading there.

Roger, could you read loudly, please, Romans 6.11 through 18, please? I caught him without his Bible. starting with 611.

Consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, but you should obey its lust. And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive and dead, and your members as instruments For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be.

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey? Either to sin, resulting in death, or to violence, resulting in righteousness. For thanks be to God. that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that point of teaching which you were committed on. And having been free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

All I can say is, wow, this is just so incredibly important. Let's see if we can begin to at least touch the surface here today about this huge iceberg that the Lord has for us. And we, in fact, are just seeing the tip. But I think the intention is for us to really get down to the very foundation of this obstruction of the sea. So let's begin with 617. I thought it was important to start at 611 to set the stage for the verses that we're studying today.

This is the New King James Version, but God be thanked that though, in parenthesis, not in the original Greek, you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. Before looking at verses 16, which Roger read in 19 and 20 to follow, how would you define being a slave of sin?

Okay, you're not all in that big room downstairs now. We're tucked in here in a confine that's more convenient for discussion. Maybe you'd rather listen to him. Slaves to sin. What is this? Being a slave to sin. You have no choice. A slave doesn't have a choice. Would the world view it like that? If you talk to an unsaved person, would he or she think they're a slave to sin?

So what makes us know then that before we were slaves to sin and now we're not slaves to sin? Our master has changed. We're going to get more into that a little bit, Carol. It's a good point. What does the world measure sin by? What is their yardstick? You kill someone if you're a murderer. I mean, sin is usually something big.

It's a big thing and relative to everybody else. Exactly. That horizontal vision, right? I'm not as bad as him or her. I mean, look, I would never have done that. Boy, I'll tell you, I grew up in that whole environment. I mean, I was raised in a non-Christian home and believe me, it was always comparing yourself to somebody else in terms of better than or worse than. I mean, the yardstick was horizontal.

But again, why do we believe that we were once slaves to sin and no longer are slaves to sin? Because we believe we have a sin nature as opposed to I think many people in the world think you're all basically good. So get to the point, Margaret. What's the point? Why were we slaves to sin and we are no longer slaves to sin? Because we have a sin nature that was saved. We know we're free and that we're no longer slaves because we're dead. Okay, by faith we believe it, but secondly, what's the standard? The Lord Jesus Christ is righteousness, right? And because of the Lord Jesus Christ and who He is, we are slaves to sin before we have a relationship to Him.

Let's look at 6.16. Jim, would you read 6.16, and I'm going to ask Margaret to read 19 and 20. Go ahead, Jim. Do you not know that when you present yourself to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Okay, 19 and 20.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanliness and to iniquity and unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness and to holiness. For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

All right, now remember, Paul is writing to the believer. We're not talking about the unsaved versus the saved, but he's appealing to us in terms of the slaves that we were to sin. These are facts now, right? We're looking at the facts of who we are in Christ. We were once slaves unto sin, and oh by the way, why should you want to return to that?

So what's the next phrase then? The next phrase is, but God be thanked. Wow. Why don't we thank ourselves for making a good decision rather than God? It does appear we obey from the heart the new doctrine. But God be thanked that though you were slaves to sin, once upon a time you were slaves to sin. But positionally, we're no longer slaves to sin. Yet you've obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which we were delivered. Well, we're not talking here about outward obedience, are we? Where is the source of the belief? The heart. Right? This isn't some sort of intellectual performance. This isn't a standard that we're trying to meet. Our obedience is from the heart. And what kind of obedience is this? We obey from the heart.

Think out loud a little bit. It has to be a new heart, because the old heart, the old man, would not have obeyed, not have mean it has to be a changed heart to be under that obedience if you want or that You read my notes ahead of time, didn't you? I didn't. Oh, OK.

OK, Hal, read 2 Corinthians 5.17. And Wendy, would you pick up? And I don't have any notes, so I can't look at it. I know.

Romans 8.11, please, Wendy.

And let's have Hal go first with 2 Corinthians 5.17.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, Alright, so we're born again. We're born again into a new creation. Old things aren't buffed up and changed. Old things, as we learn, as we grow by grace, seem all the more real all the time in terms of what the sin nature can really do, right? But God sees us in Christ. So now we have the capacity to obey from the heart. And how does that happen?

Wendy, Romans 8.11. Amen. I mean, not only were we born again as new creations, but we're given the Spirit to lead us in all truth.

So, obeying from the heart is what? What's the difference of obeying from the heart from obeying from the mind? Now, it doesn't mean our mind can't be conformed. It's simply is the source is different, is it not? The obedience from the heart is obedience unto what?

Well, and what's the vehicle? Obedience unto the faith. Good, okay. It's obedience unto the faith. And the faith, what is faith? This is all my favorite question for... Believing what God has revealed. Good, Margaret! Faiths. I think Schofield does well with this. Believing what God has revealed. It's very simple. It's not complex, doesn't require a lot of discussion. Believing what God has revealed.

And that belief is that we've been buried with Him with baptism unto death and risen with Him in newness of life. And now we're to reckon on that as a fact. And we believe by faith that that's true. Alright, that new doctrine. Now look at this now. This is so relevant. Remember, we were slaves unto sin, and now we've in fact become, well, we're obedient from the heart into that form of doctrine which was delivered, or better yet, which we've been delivered unto, or handed over. being delivered to Jews elsewhere. Let's look at this.

Gail, could you take a look at 1 Corinthians 9.20 in terms of the Jews kind of being delivered unto the law? That's on page 1342. Alright, so in effect the Jews have kind of been delivered. We could go back in multiple texts in the Old Testament, finding the Jew was delivered under the law system.

But the Jew was still demanded to respond by faith, right? I mean, they were given the law. We know the law can convict them unto sin, but yet through the law and through the animal sacrifice, ultimately their faith lived out as being true. They were looking to the promises if they really lived by faith.

Let's look at the Lord Jesus Christ. And this really, I think, is very graphic in terms of being delivered. Matthew 20, 17. Larry, can you get that for us? Matthew 20, verse 17. And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the Father's life aside by himself, and on the way he said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests of Christ, and they will condemn him to death. And they'll deliver him up to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him. And on the third day, he will be raised up. Okay, Ruthie, John 1911, please, to kind of finish that thought. Jesus answered, you would have no power over me.

Isn't that beautiful? I mean, the passivity of the Lord Jesus Christ in being delivered up. fully recognized that this was in God's hands and He would work through mankind in a way to ultimately make that everlasting covenant fulfilled. I mean, Christ being delivered up, I mean, think of that in terms of us being delivered over. The same verb, as Christ was delivered to the cross, for the sins of all men of all time, we are delivered unto righteousness.

I mean, it's amazing. The same grace of God really is equally as powerful under both circumstances. Notice this, aorist, passive, plural. Having been done, plural means all of us, the believing world, and it's passive. We are the recipients of being delivered. to the new doctrine, to the new life. Grace, grace, grace.

There's no better way to define this new doctrine to which we've been delivered or handed over to. In one of the commentaries, the Geneva commentary, the doctrine of the gospel is like a certain mold in which we are cast to be shaped and fashioned like it. Don't you love that? It's kind of a description of what this is all about. Let's look at the contrast, because remember we were slaves unto sin, and now we've been delivered over to the new doctrine, or the new life, or the new way.

1 Corinthians 6, 9-11 Know ye not that unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor exhaustioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.

Jim, Ephesians 2, 5, and 6, please. Even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by faith, Lindy, first Timothy 1, 13 through 16, please. And, Bonnie, I'm going to give you Titus 3, 4 through 7. I'm giving you so much of this because the contrast really needs to be clearly articulated. Go ahead.

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor in a violent manner, I have shown mercy because I activate ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saint that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. So for that very reason I will show mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus may display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.

Okay, thank you. Okay, Bonnie? When the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of sin, which we have done in righteousness, but, according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that, being justified by his grace, we might be made whores according to his grace. Okay, thank you everybody for bearing with all these verses.

But again, the contrast is dramatic in all of these verses. It's what we were, who we were identified with, and actually bond servants or slaves unto that nature. And then we look at the righteousness of God and we reflect back on although we did many good things in the eyes of the world, we are in fact slaves to another nature. But look at this, the vehicle here in terms of obedience unto the new doctrine is the vehicle of faith from the heart. And I just put, following that, this is walking in the light of the facts.

The facts are, God has declared us no longer servants of sin. We have the old nature, sin is not eradicated. But for the believer, he or she is set apart and sanctified from a nature we will curse once slaves unto. Isn't that a great fact? That is just such a fact of freedom, a fact of relief, a fact of security and sanctification. It just takes us on to heavenly places.

I apologize for the bottom of the screen. On mine, it wasn't like this. Something about the transmission on the computer. But anyway, this is exemplified by Abraham. I have that text written out here. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should, after receiving for an inheritance, he obeyed. And he went out, not knowing whither he went. Now, I think in a sense, we can relate to that in the fact that by faith, Abraham believed God for what he had revealed. His act of faith is just believing God. And ours is no more difficult. I mean, in a sense, it seems like our task is somewhat different than what Abraham's is, but the principle is the same.

He's being asked to respond by faith. And in fact, God was leading him into a path that he wasn't clear about. None of us know what this afternoon is going to bring. We may have an agenda for this afternoon. We kind of have things thought out as to what we're going to be doing with our time. But by faith, we walk you know, in the valley of death, or in fact we walk on mountaintops, but nevertheless our act of faith is there to remain, that we in fact are being delivered into a new doctrine. And this is for us too, as I just mentioned.

Romans 1.5, this whole issue of the obedience to the faith, and it says early in the book, Paul says, "...by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name." And look at the way Paul ends the text.

Romans 16.26, but now is made the gospel manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of the faith. So, I mean, this whole issue of obedience unto faith, this isn't obedience to some legal system. This is simply, do we believe God and that he's generated us positionally, and by faith conditionally into a new life. No longer being slaves to sin, but in fact obedient to righteousness.

All right, let's go on to 618. Verse 18, the New King James says, and having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Does that sound like a good deal? Well, In a sense, being a slave to anything doesn't sound so good. That doesn't sound very free. But let's look at this in a little bit more detail.

Kind of like the Amplified here. It says, in having been set free from sin, you become the servants of righteousness. Parenthetically, the Amplified says, of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action. Kind of like that description that the Amplified has added to what it means to be servants of righteousness. conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action. Neat. Having been set free from sin, indicative meaning factual, aorist, has happened, passive meaning we have been the recipients, and plural means all of us. Again, another passive part, that means we do nothing but believe. God has declared this is true. Do we believe it?

Let's look at Romans 6.3 and 6.14. We read 6.14, but let's go back and look at 6.3. These are the facts that the verse is really reflecting.

Romans 6.3.

Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Let's look at 4.2. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. And then verse 14 that Roger read for us, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Position, position, position. Grace, grace, grace. Now we have to respond to this. I mean, we're not a bunch of passive robots that God simply energizes and we live the Christian life. The act is the obedience by faith. And that is obedience. We cannot simply be sponges and simply soak up the rain.

We have to believe that in fact these facts are really facts and they're true to our lives. Sin here is an article before it. And so here we're talking about the sin nature. So this is not mosaic law, this is not sin falling short of the legal system, this in fact is everything that Adam is about and was crucified and buried and resurrected.

Become is a weak word. A better word, I think, is enslaved. I mean, so this gives you the concept of being slaves under righteousness. You have become enslaved. Again, position. Servants of righteousness, again, a commentary. This is the JFB commentary and Jameson Fawcett Brown.

In quote, the case is one of emancipation from entire servitude to one master to entire servitude to another, whose property we are. There's no middle state of personal independence for which we were never made and to which we have no claim. When we would not that God should reign over us, we were in righteous judgment sold under sin. Now being through grace made free from sin, it is only to become servants to righteousness, which is our true freedom."

And I bolded that out. Let's look a little bit about this issue of freedom. Let's turn to John 8, 31 through 36. It seems like we've got a contrast here. We've got servants who are enslaved unto righteousness, and then we have this concept of freedom. Those seem to be conflicting. They seem to be oxymorons, to be enslaved unto something, but yet have the freedom. Let's play that out a little bit. Because if you're a slave unto righteousness, that in fact creates a works type of atmosphere, doesn't it? If we don't interpret this correctly in terms of what the rest of the text says. John 8. 31 through 36.

Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, we are Abraham's seed, and we're never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the Son abides forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. So here's a prophetic statement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the type of enslavement we're talking about, about being free indeed in Him.

Again, doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. But let's go ahead now. Let me go back. Let's go to 3rd John 3 and 4. And these are often verses that we don't turn to very often. I'll just personalize this a little bit. These two verses really, I think, are among the most uplifting verses in the Word of God. Same author as we just read, quoting the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of being free indeed. Third John 3 and 4, For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth. That is, in thee even as thou walkest in the truth, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Wow.

And that truth is this enslavement unto righteousness is not an enslavement of handcuffs and chains. This is an enslavement into freedom. And that freedom isn't freedom to sin. It's freedom to live the Christian life, proclaiming and declaring and revealing the glory of God as we walk by faith. Boy, there's no bond there that's not one of great comfort and peace and rest. It doesn't mean we let go and let God. It's simply as we live an active life by faith in these truths, that ultimately the freedom that Christ has promised is truth portrayed in our lives. Thoughts and comments about this whole series of points. I was thinking about the idea of slavery.

When we're walking in the flesh, in our condition, We can't help but sin. We're a slave. We're under the authority of our master. So therefore we can't help but sin. So then the flip side is true. When we're walking in our condition, in light of our position, when we're walking in the Spirit, that idea of slavery is one of, you know, because I'm walking in the Spirit, I can't help but, you know, walk in the Spirit. Then there's the fruit of the Spirit manifested. our lives. So it's one of, you're under the influence of either one master or the other master. And that's how I kind of see the idea of slavery.

There's no gray area. I think a lot of people think you can sort of But see, Jim said something very, very important, is that the Christian life, that enslavement to righteousness, is number one, positional. But number two, the Holy Spirit is there to be our direction and guide and comforter and peace and convictor actually at times. And when we do fall back into the old nature and really break our fellowship with God, the Spirit reminds us and we renew our fellowship and we move on.

Boy, that's freedom, that there's no condemnation of those that are in Christ Jesus. That's uplifting. That's rest. That's peace. And that's truth. Nothing that John liked better than hearing that his brethren walked in truth. And the truth is this enslavement to righteousness, which is a freedom to live the Christian life. Think about that, the freedom to live the Christian life without being bound to legality.

1 Corinthians 7.22 For he that is called the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's free man. Likewise, also he that is called being free is Christ's servant. Boy, or Christ's slave. But you know, the concept of enslavement is something we think of in a negative tone, is it not? It's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about being lifted up with no condemnation, being given the freedom to live the life that is that of righteousness.

The result, Romans 6.22, which one of us, I think Jim's going to be teaching this in two weeks. But now being made free from sin and become servants of the God, ye have your fruit unto holiness. And Jim, you mentioned that. The fruit of the Spirit, the fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Positional truth that we respond to by faith. So, question to the class, and I want to hear some people led by the Spirit to share some of this. How does this freedom in Christ impact you in your day-to-day life?

Are you speaking for the class now? but one thing we're not carrying around lists I'm going to do this today in that way that's that's very tempting Because something may go wrong when they go forward and say, well, I'm going to do better tomorrow. But you get the temptation, I'm going to do better tomorrow, but somehow you never do better tomorrow. And in fact, Roger, I think not only don't you do better, sometimes you do worse, right?

Because the legal system is never meant to be kept, right? And by the way, this law system is not simply the 623 or whatever it is, commandments of the Jewish law. It's in fact those little legal systems we put up for ourselves. Yes, Carol? I think it frees us from guilt. So much that you feel sorry that you know the Lord isn't laying some guilt trip on you. You know He sees you in His Son. That's just wonderful. Well, you know, along that line, Margaret and I were having a conversation on our way to church this morning, and we have a young lady. Her name is Jacqueline, and you'll all meet her next Sunday.

In fact, Jacqueline is coming from Indiana, where her home is, and she's a nursing student at Pensacola Bible College. Now, I'm not sure how much you know about Pensacola, but anyway, there's a tradition there that we can look on with interest. That's a good statement, Bob. And so, and we've learned that she comes from a fairly kind of strict legal home in Indiana. Her father's a pastor, sounds like, of a small church.

And she needs to earn her tuition for her third year of nursing school at Pensacola. And they know the tray seats. And so we kind of got word of mouth that ultimately she needed a year off of school to earn her keep for the next year. And so, praise the Lord, she's interested and willing to come live with us for nine months. And so she's going to have room and board, and we're going to pay her to help with Anna Merrill's care.

So Jacqueline is coming to us, and Margaret and I were discussing on the way down, someone who's been raised in kind of a legal system, which is clearly what's existed in her home, now coming to a house where we've, by God's great grace and by by leading the Holy Spirit of love, Morgan and I into a life that accepts a little more freedom. You know what I'm talking about. We're here at Holly Hills because of that freedom we have in Christ, right? To live the Christian life as God allows us to live by faith.

But anyway, so we're talking a little bit about how we're going to But she doesn't want to go, interestingly enough, I'm not passing judgment now, but she does not want to go back with her father and live with him for a year to earn her keep there. She wants an opportunity that extends herself a little bit beyond the way she's been raised and where she's going to school. So it should be interesting in terms of how we allow her to sense that freedom in Christ.

And there are many things in the world system that are kind of amoral, right? I mean, take music. I mean, when I listen to jazz, is that sinful? I mean, at one time, I thought it was. But I no longer feel that way. I like good jazz. But I don't have to confess that. I think God gives me plenty of freedom to enjoy music as I so choose.

Now, there's music goes, you know, out into the negative sense. And I think, you know, but I can't tell Jim what that is. The spirit has to lead Jim to know what that is. Or Harry, some of his choices may be very different. I mean, I love classical music, it's where I spend most of my time, but the freedom to listen to some jazz is the freedom God gives us in grace. There's no...

She's going to really get upset when we put on the rock and roll music. When we're cleaning up the kitchen. We had a church party a year ago, right? We actually danced while we were cleaning up the kitchen. We're in there dancing and we're going, I wonder how she's going to feel about that.

But there we deal with stumbling blocks and things like that. Hopefully the Lord's going to give us the grace and the way to deal with her in a way that's going to be uplifting to the Lord Jesus Christ and ultimately that he be glorified through this. We're not going to try to make her a heathen. or to put her on a path to hell. We're just going to hopefully, you know, just be able to allow her to envision the freedom that we have in Christ. Cards, I mean, cards in the Baptist church would not be permitted. How? Our bridge game would have to be turned in, right? We're guilty, right? I mean, enjoying a game of bridge? What the heck is wrong with that? So anyway, there are all these ways in which this freedom in Christ impacts our lives. All it does is give us a belief that there is no condemnation and the Spirit is sufficient to guiding us in truth.

And how do we know that truth? What is the perfect truth? Where does the perfect truth get revealed? Thank you, Carol. It's right before you. That's where the truth is revealed. And as we grow by grace, we in fact allow that freedom to be used appropriately to His glory and not to abuse. Yes, Gail. You what? I have joy. Joy?

Even when I'm under terrible pressure, like I was when the kids were living with us, and it was a real stressful situation. And even with that and the complaining I did, there was an inner joy. Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I mean, you know, that really cuts the mustard, doesn't it?

I mean, we are positioned in a position of no condemnation. And we've been told that we're fully acceptable to God because of what His Son has done on our behalf. And our union is with Him. Now, keep in mind, you know, should we continue in sin that grace should abound? God forbid. No, not let it be. but yet joy and peace and rest and an act of faith that allows the freedom that we have in Christ to be lived out in our lives is just beautiful, isn't it? Just so wonderful.

Let's now look in a little bit more detail about this righteousness that we're enslaved to. God's principle of righteousness. How do we know what it is? How do we obtain it? Be careful here. Let's look at Romans 10, 3 through 6. Let's jump ahead a little bit. And it kind of deals with the discussion we were just having. Carol, would you read that, please? Romans 10, 3 through 6.

For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. And in every one of these words, for Moses writes that man practices the righteousness But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows, do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down. Okay, now so coincidental, coincidental I don't believe in, I think the Lord had it this way.

This is None but the Hungry Heart. This is a nice daily devotional. Maybe some of you partake of this this morning. This wasn't in my lesson until this morning. And I read this. Listen to this. This is called Volume 9, which is presumably September. And this is 3, which is presumably September 3. And the title of today's devotional is Stand Your Ground.

The Law is Not a Faith, Galatians 3.12. The law will break you. grace will make you.

Nothing can be more sure than the steps of the one guided by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, and yet nothing more complicated than to have to walk in separation from all that exists around us. It is indeed difficult to have to wind one's way through things so perplexing and so complex as the religious systems of our own day. We have to avoid, on the one hand, organizations formed in the imitation of things past, parenthesis, Israel law, and on the other system, more characterized by anticipation of things future or kingdom law. We have to allow that such things were once given by God and that they will yet again be introduced by him, while invariably contending that they are positively opposed to his present, working by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.

With many Christians, it may be almost thought that the Lord Jesus was but the introduction to Moses, that his death procured the payment of sin's debt, so that the debt being paid, the believer might be in a position to keep the law, and that accordingly the law, not in the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, might be the believer's rule of life. The walk of the believer should ever be the natural result of realized privilege. and not the constrained result of legal vows and resolutions, the proper fruit of a position known and enjoyed by faith, and not the result of one's own efforts to reach a position by works of law.

All true believers are a part of the Bride of Christ. Hence, they owe Him those affections which become that relation. The relationship is not obtained because of the affections. beautiful, but the affections flow out of the relationship. Isn't that great? And the text ends, for I through the law am dead to the law, but I might live unto God.

Galatians 2.19. So Roger, back to your point of before, when we try to kind of make these corrections on our own, you know, that's our own little legal system that we've set up for ourselves. And the righteousness of God is the freedom to enter into a relationship wherein that righteousness prevails.

Isn't that beautiful? None but the hungry heart. I just read it. Philippians 3, 9, 10 says it well. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him. and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.

Isn't that great? That I may know him. And that's ultimately what his righteousness is all about that we can partake in. Know is gnoska. And in the Amplified, I like this, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly. That's the righteousness of God in which we've been enslaved. is knowing Him. And that is the freedom, and that's the truth of what Christ said when He said, I'll make you free indeed.

So, thoughts, comments, discussion. I think it's important to realize when you're teaching that we're We learn from a frame of reference that most of us already have. And when we're dealing with other people that don't have that frame of reference, we have to understand that if they don't properly understand the position of truth, the fact that they can be in a fellowship or out of fellowship, if they realize that they're not living the proper life and in fellowship, they think they go all the way back to losing their salvation. And that prompts them to, that prompts more legalism, et cetera. So it's just, I think we need to understand that we're in kind of a three-positional state, not a two-positional state. And we, most of us here, recognize the fact that once we're saved, we're never going to go that far back again. But we also recognize the fact we could be in or out of fellowship.

And when we're dealing with these verses, and specifically dealing with positions of truth, we all in our own minds say, how does this affect us in our daily lives? Most of us just think now, oh, we're just out of fellowship. and realize they haven't lost their salvation, we have to be sensitive to those people who don't have that understanding. And they think that if they sin, that they're going to completely lose their salvation and go all the way back.

And that's why when we're dealing with people who are more legalistic than us, etc., we have to be sensitive to their frame of reference. And it's a matter of proper teaching on condition versus position, as opposed to salvation or loss of salvation.

Larry, great points. And I think the assumptions we all make is that in fact people are more learned in these truths than they are not. In fact, Margaret and I, we've got to realize that with this young lady coming into our home, honey, that she's maybe got a very different framework, very different background. She's seeking out maybe a little more freedom in terms of her decision to come way out to Colorado to live in these. You know people's home that may not aspire to the way of life her father has made her used to so we're I mean But that's very very important why we've got to allow the spirit to lead us to not you know slam-dunk these truths into her life, but allow that to be seen and Discussed and and prayerfully considered. I think very very good point I mean we all exist here in Holly Hills Bible because we all assimilate to these truths to some extent and We're all growing by grace. Nobody's got it made here in terms of that enslaved under righteousness. But nevertheless, we are growing to the truth that it's the spirit through the new man that accomplishes these things in our life. Other thoughts? Thanks. That was very important.

I was just thinking again about the idea of slavery. kind of back to that a little earlier. And I was thinking about the new idea of slavery, slavery to freedom. Yeah, that's that oxymoron. And to me, as I was thinking it through, that kind of communicated well. Slavery to freedom, which in essence isn't really slavery, it's the imposition of freedom. That's why I fell back on the John 8 passage where Christ talks about being free indeed. He knew what this was all about. They didn't understand a word he was saying, I'm sure, about being free indeed. One verse we quoted talks about being a free man.

I always think of this as, if you look at the true slavery picture, we're not slaves because we were in debt and became slaves. We're slaves because we were born slaves, in that regard. Our slavery has been bought and paid for, and that's also a fact of life. The fact that we're still slaves, it isn't that we're in debt anymore, we're slaves by choice. In that regard, God has already paid the price for us and God wants us to continue being slaves.

The analogy kind of breaks down because we don't have a choice in the matter. But I think it's more true in the fact that that we are free slaves and we look at these verses of servants of righteousness and all of us I think here pretty much agree well and every day goes by we're not living like we're like we're free and righteous we sin and by the sheer fact that we have to recognize that fact and that this is even though we've paid we've been freed, the price has been paid, we tend to still live as slaves and do the things maybe we shouldn't be doing in the negative sense when we should be looking at the positive sense and in all that that slavery to God gives to us.

I think what God's doing here, though, is encouraging us to believe in the facts of what he's revealed. And again, that's an act of faith. It's an act of obedience. I don't think we've mentioned that our master now is somebody who loves us beyond what we can possibly, we can't even imagine it. That's called grace, right? But the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, let's close in prayer. Father, we're grateful for your Word.

In many ways, we've probably not gone into the greatest depth here, but yet you've given us many opportunities through the Scriptures to really reflect on the truths that are revealed here. We're thankful for being separated unto yourself by declaration and by the great grace and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And may we continue to realize that we are truly today slaves unto righteousness by your declaration. And as we believe that, our lives will increasingly be conformed to the image of your Son, your great goal for each and every one of us. Maybe walk in truth and rest and in faith that your great glory will be revealed to our families, to our friends, and to all of mankind. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.