Sinclair Ferguson describes this chap­ter as, ‘one of the most important in the New Testament. Its teaching is as fundamental to the Christian life as it is stretching to the Christian’s mind.’ It is fundamental because it takes us to the heart of what it means to be a genuine Christian.

In chapter 5, we were reminded that a Christian is one who was once in Adam (and under sentence of death) but who is now in Christ (see chap. 5:12, 18-19). To use Goodwin’s illustra­tion, ‘In God’s sight there are two men — Adam and Jesus Christ — and these two men have all other men hanging at their girdle strings.’ Once we were hanging from Adam’s belt; now we are hanging from the belt of Christ. How do we explain the transfer? God’s saving sovereign grace! The Lord shows great grace to great sin­ners.

How should we then live now that we are saved by grace? That’s the subject of this chapter. ‘Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase?’ Shall we keep on sinning to our heart’s content? Is grace a ticket to go on sinning? ‘Perish the thought’! The very idea indicates an unregenerate mind. It’s impossible to be a Christian and continue in sin. Why? Because, ‘No one who is born of God will continue to sin ... he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the Devil are.’ (1 John 3:9-10). The break from sin is permanent because of what God has done for us in Christ. Paul in verse 15 repeats the ques­tion raised in verse 1 (It’s broadly similar except that here it refers to occasional sin). ‘Can I sin now and again?’ Does it really matter if I sin just occasionally? Is sin such a big deal? Paul’s answer is the same ve­hement protest. ‘By no means! Ab­solutely not!’ (v. 15). He approaches the question now from a human point of view. He uses a human illustration — one that is a bit lost on us today. He takes us to the slave market (v. 16). Not a pleasant place to go, but a very common and familiar sight in Rome when 50% of the citizens were slaves. We need to understand that not all slaves were coerced. Some requested to be slaves. These were the days when there were no welfare or state benefits and people in dire poverty would offer themselves as slaves simply in order to be fed and housed. Once they were slaves to a master they were in his service to do his bidding. There were two kinds of masters — good and bad. This is the point of the illustration. Just as in the Roman slave market there were two kinds of masters — so spiritually there are two kinds of masters.

1. There are Two Masters – and Only Two (16-18)⤒🔗

The first master is described as SIN (see vs.16-18, 22-23). Sin is per­sonified as a sinister, ruthless, heartless, mean and deceitful slave owner.

The other master is described as RIGHTEOUSNESS (vs.16, 18, and 20) and as GOD (vs.22-23). He is caring, holy, good and extremely generous.

How can we tell who one’s master is? Let’s go to the slave market and ask the nearest slave who his master is. He gives his answer — but we don’t know if he is telling the truth. We must watch him and see whom he obeys. Along comes a man and asks the slave to do some­thing. Immediately the slave obeys. We conclude therefore that that man must therefore be his master. That’s the point of verse 16. The proof of ownership is not what we say, but who we obey. Jesus said, ‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.’ (Matt. 7:21).

What happened at conversion? (See vs. 17-18). It involved an ex­change of masters. We used to be slaves of sin — but then we obeyed from the heart Christ’s pattern of teaching that was delivered to us. As a result we have been set free from sin — and have become slaves of righteousness. This is what a Christian is. One who is committed to obey the teaching of Christ; one who is a slave of Christ; one who is committed to do the will of Christ. ‘Shall we then sin — even occasion­ally?’ By no means! Who is your master? Who do you obey? As Bob Dylan sang, ‘You gotta serve somebody. May be the Devil or may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody’. If we obey the Lord, we are ‘enslaved to righteousness.’ This entails living a life according to the pattern of teaching handed down to us. Just as there are rules in every area of life — whether it be driving a car, writing an article for the Presby­terian Banner, or operating a com­puter — we are not free to do as we choose. There are rules and instruc­tions to follow.

2. These Two Masters Demand Different Kinds of Work (vs.19-23)←⤒🔗

These two masters demand two kinds of service — we will either be slaves to uncleanness or slaves to righteousness (v.19). If sin is your master he will tell you to offer your body to impurity, deceit, and lawless­ness — and when you have done that, he will demand more. Having SIN as your Master is like being on a conveyor belt which carries you fur­ther and deeper into disobedience. If GOD is your Master He will re­quire a life of righteousness and holi­ness from you (vs.19b, 22)... The two kinds of service could not be more different.

An illustrationn might help. I’ve ar­rived in Sydney and I’m looking for a job. There are a couple of positions possible. The first is a job with the Ibrahim’s. (They’ve been in the news lately. There are three brothers — Fadi, Michael and John, the Kings Cross nightclub boss. They all seem to be mixed up with bikie gangs, drug dealing and the criminal underworld). If I was employed by them I can guarantee it would not be long before I would be told to do something ille­gal, immoral or illegitimate. A job with them would be the beginning of a downward spiral. The other job option is working for the Archbishop of Sydney — Peter Jensen. I would expect him to be a good employer. I would be confident that he would never ask me to do anything illegal or immoral. I would expect that he would require of me a consistently high standard of ethics and behav­iour.

If God is my Master He requires of me a life of ongoing obedience. I should not think that I can sin — even occasionally — any more than I can steal or cheat on my wife just occasionally. William Tyndale (1526) wrote in his Prologue on Romans:

Remember that Christ made not this atonement, that thou shouldest an­ger God again; neither died He for thy sins, that thou shouldest live still in them; neither cleansed he thee, that thou shouldest return (as a swine) unto thine old puddle again; but that thou shouldest be a new creature and live a new life after the will of God and not of the flesh.

We have a name to live up to. We are to remember who we are — we have died to sin (v. 11) and we are slaves to God (v. 22).

The late Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry Mrs Simpson) was interviewed about his life. Recalling his boyhood he said, ‘My father (King George V) was a strict disciplinarian. Sometimes when I had done something wrong, he would admonish me saying, “My dear boy, you must always remem­ber who you are.”’ We too must re­member who we are. Our identity is in Christ. We have a name to live up to. Alexander the Great had reason to reprimand a soldier — whose name was also Alexander — for cowardice. The Emperor told him, ‘either change your name or change your behav­iour’!

It’s true that we usually respond bet­ter to encouragement than rebuke. What we need is not so much the whip of rebuke as the pat of encour­agement. We need the encourage­ment of reminding ourselves con­stantly who we are and what God has done for us. We need to ac­quaint ourselves with our privileges in Christ. John Owen reminds us that, ‘a due sense of deliverance from the dominion of sin is the most effectual motive unto ... holiness.’ To know that we are a new creation is the best starting point for living as new people.

The story is told of Augustine who, after his conversion, met a woman with whom he had an immoral rela­tionship. Coming up to him she taunted him saying, ‘It is I Augustine.’ ‘Yes’, he said, ‘but it is not I, Augustine.’ The best encourage­ment to live holy lives is to remember who we are in Christ.

3. These Two Masters Hand Out Two Kinds of Returns (v. 23)←⤒🔗

These two masters hand out very different rewards. Master SIN gives a wage which is deserved. Master GOD gives a gift which is undeserved.

If SIN is your Master all his de­mands seem to be pleasant. He promises freedom and pleasure. But SIN is a rotten employer. He’s a deceiver, a liar and a murderer. He promises to give, but takes. He promises to help, but only hurts. He promises to make rich, but leaves his victims in poverty. He drains the life out of you. He is like a vampire who sucks the life blood from his victims. He promises free­dom, pleasure and life but delivers shame, bitterness, regret, embar­rassment and DEATH (vs. 21c and 23). Death is not just death of the body. It means being cut off from God and suffering His furious an­ger forever.

God is a good, generous, and kind employer, who gives good gifts. He gives holiness and the gift of eternal life. Not only life that shall never end (everyone has that) but eternal life, which is life with God where it will take an eternity to dis­cover and enjoy the riches of heaven. Eternal life is life which is inexhaustible and eternally satisfy­ing. ‘Eternal life will be the never ending giving of God to make us ever increasingly happy in all that He is for us in Jesus’.

This gift comes to us ‘in Christ Je­sus our Lord’. When we receive and rely on Jesus Christ, we receive all of God’s gifts with him. In our day when so many are in­vestment savvy and money smart, they can recognise a good offer when they see one. One doesn’t have to be very smart or savvy to see which master or which em­ployer gives the best return.

There are two ways to live. Two masters to serve. Two rewards to receive. Which way are you going? Who do you serve? Who is your boss? What is your re­ward?

Jesus said,

No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate one or love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.Matthew 6: 24