17But 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.
18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
- P86
22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- P87
Paul refutes the idea that being under grace means believers can indulge insin. People are slaves to the one they obey-either sin, which leads to death,
or obedience, which leads to righteousness. - P87
Believers have been set free fromsin and become slaves to God. The result is holiness and eternal life. The wagesof sin is death, but God‘s gift is eternal life. - P87
Paul addresses the paradox of grace and obedience. His question, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?" echoes the common misunderstanding that grace excuses continued rebellion in sin. - P88
Grace does not give us permission to sin; rather, it liberates us from sin’s bondage so that we can live lives that are pleasing to God. A heart that has truly experienced God’s grace is transformed. It no longer finds enjoyment in sin. This is what enables us, as those bought with the price of Christ’s life, to become "slaves to righteousness." - P88
Our freedom is not to do whatever we want but to fully live our new life, empowered by the Spirit, to genuinely honor God. - P88
Paul uses the shocking image of slavery to illustrate the spiritual realitythat our choices reveal. Our choices show whether we are enslaved to sinor to obedience to God‘s command. Sin promises short-term pleasure butultimately delivers death and despair. Serving God leads to freedom andlasting joy. - P88
The wages of sin stand in contrast with the gift of God in Christ:salvation is unearned and freely given, yet it calls us into a transformed life.
- P88
We now live changed lives, not because we have to earn eternal life but be-cause we love the God who set us free from sin‘s power. We live Christ-likelives because this is the kind of life that the new heart within us produces. - P88
Gracious God, thank you for freeing me from sin’s slavery through Christ. - P89
Empower me by Your Spirit to live a life of righteousness and obedience that honors You. - P89
May my freedom glorify You and bring me lasting joy. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P89
Healing from these habits begins not with more effort but with recognizinga new truth: that freedom comes from surrendering to God‘s power andliving in alignment with His guidance. - P89
Paul reminds believers that truefreedom in Christ means identifying with Him, dying to old sinful habitsand living a renewed life empowered by grace. - P89
Like a recovering addict finding purpose and health through surrender to treatment and rehabilitation,
Christians experience real liberation when we serve God, not sin. - P-1
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