In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:11-18 NIV
If you’ve ever been caught in an addictive cycle of sin, you know exactly what Paul is talking about in these verses. We cringe at the thought of being a “slave” to sin but absolutely love the word “grace,” because we are well aware that we all fall short and no one deserves God’s favor. All our hope is in the redemptive power of the blood of Christ! Paul was able to write about this topic with confidence and certainty, inspired by the Spirit, yet fully able to relate to our struggle with sin. If you want a closer look at Paul’s struggle just read Romans 7.
Paul makes a bold statement here in verse 11. You have been set free from sin. Earlier in this chapter he makes a similar declaration. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:6-7 NIV
So if we’ve been set free from sin, why is it that we still struggle with sin, and even more disheartening, why do we so often lose the battle? I think we can glean some important clues from this passage. He starts by saying, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” That tells me we have some level of control over the situation. If we are admonished not to let sin reign, than it stands to reason that there must be things we are doing that are giving sin that power.
He goes on to say, “do not offer any part of yourself to sin.” Other Bible versions translate the word offer as present or yield. The actual Greek word is paristēmi, and it literally means: to place beside or near, to set at hand, to place a person or thing at one’s disposal, to bring into one’s fellowship or intimacy, to stand beside. Could it be that sin still has the upper hand because we don’t position ourselves far enough away from it? Let’s be honest, sin doesn’t usually just sneak up on us and without warning drag us under. There’s a progression of thought that usually requires a process of steps leading up to the actual moment of sin, and all the while, during that process, we have the opportunity to bail out. As we proceed through each step, we are, as Paul says, offering ourselves to sin. And until we re-position ourselves, so sin is no longer at our disposal, we continue to offer ourselves up to sin and ultimately to Satan himself.
Paul continues by saying “though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” If you want to break free from slavery to sin you must settle the matter of who has your allegiance. You can’t offer yourself to sin and to God. You can’t be a slave to two masters, especially when both masters have opposing plans for you. God has already won the battle on your behalf. If you have pledged allegiance to Him, He has already set you free from sin, there’s no reason to continue offering yourself to it! It’s time to offer yourself to God alone!