Enslaved to God --- Romans 6:19-23 September 16, 2018

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ our Lord.

Introduction

The theme of our study in Romans 6 has been sanctification. There was a well- known preacher who was visiting at a church and was asked to conduct a testimony meeting for the evening service. A woman stood up and began to tell of how precious her faith was to her and how it had brought her so much comfort in life.

The visiting preacher responded, “That is encouraging to hear. Tell me, how has your faith impacted your life? For example, in your marriage, does your faith make you strive to be a better wife and look after the needs of your husband . . . .” While the preacher was asking more of the woman, he felt a tug on his coat behind him by the pastor of that church, who whispered, “Yes, continue those questions; press them further, sir. That is my wife.”

The visiting preacher understood that salvation will necessarily bring with it a change in how a person lives. As we study Romans 6, our focus has been on the fact that we are alive to God and dead to sin; and that we are no longer slaves to sin but enslaved instead to God.

May I give you a brief description, but not exhaustive, of what enslavement to God entails? Being enslaved to Him means that you will enjoy certain promises that He has made to those who are His. Enslavement to God includes:  Salvation from the penalty of sin  Comfort in this life, even in the midst of turmoil and hardship  The kingdom of heaven  Mercy and grace for sanctification  Sonship  Blessings when you are persecuted  Necessities of life  Answers to prayer according to His will  Eternal life  Peace  Joy  Wisdom  Honor  An inheritance in the Father's house in heaven  Filling of the Holy Spirit  Newness of life  Eternal love  Citizenship in heaven  Crown of righteousness  Help in times of temptation  No more tears, death, sorrow, or pain  No more curse  Mercy and grace for sanctification

My friend, if that is enslavement to God, sign me up. Right?

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy- laden [that is enslavement to sin], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you [that is enslavement to Christ] and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The commands that Christ gives to you for the living of life are not designed to be burdensome, but are for your good and His glory. Christ died for you so that you may be rescued from hell and given heaven, but that is not all. His death on your behalf was also for the purpose of transforming your life here and now. That is that we continue to address in our study.

Review

Last week we considered verses 17-18, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

We considered three characteristics of conversion from Paul's statement in these two verses: 1) Conversion Involves Change; 2) Conversion Involves Biblical Doctrine; and 3) Conversion Involves Obedience.

We saw that by nature we are rebels and join with Adam in his rebellion against God. The process of becoming a Christian necessarily involves undergoing a change. All of the terminology referring to salvation speaks of change; for instance, “born gain,” “resurrected to a new life,” “old things are gone, new things have come,” and so on. The picture is not merely of some improvement made along the way. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.” Something has happened and you are now entirely different. “You were . . . and now you have become . . . .”

We saw that Paul clearly spelled out what is involved in this transformation. This change involves your total person; namely, your will to obey, your emotions, and your mind. This change involves your will: “You became obedient.” You now have a will to obey. This change also involves your emotions: “You became obedient from the heart.” Finally, this change involves your mind: “You became obedient . . . to that form of teaching,” which refers to doctrine that you embrace with your mind.

Furthermore, we discovered that a Christian has a change of masters. Romans 6:17,18 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin . . . . 18having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

We saw that the same work that has delivered from enslavement to sin has also made them slaves of God. This explains why the believer cannot continue in sin. By Christ's act of redemption on the cross, He has purchased men and women for Himself to serve Him. First Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Do you not know . . . that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

We learned too that Conversion Involves Biblical Doctrine. Romans 6:17 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed [you were entrusted].”

You obeyed that form of doctrine (teaching, instruction). We saw that this clearly indicates the type of evangelism in which Paul was engaged. What was the form of teaching that Paul referred to here? What was the Gospel according to Paul? What would Paul say at an evangelistic crusade? It is the same form of teaching that he had written about over the last five chapters in Romans. Paul began with a healthy explanation of sin and judgment that reached all the way back to Genesis and the creation.

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

The message of the Gospel is a message that starts with man in sin and under the wrath of a holy God. That is an essential part of the message. You don't skip around the message of sin and judgment. The doctrine of sin is a vital part of the “form of teaching” to which Paul refers. A Christian understands that he was under condemnation, bound for hell, hopeless and helpless in sin, and under the wrath of God. A Christian understands the terrible nature of the soul apart from God. Every human being starts out enslaved to sin and as a child of the devil. All of this is part of the message.

It is only after laying the foundation of man's plight that Paul then proclaimed the indescribable grace gift of Christ Jesus. :21-25 “But now [in the midst of the helpless and hopelessness of man] apart from the Law [apart from man's attempts at being good] the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.”

So we considered that Conversion Involves Change and Conversion Involves Biblical Doctrine. Lastly, we saw that Conversion Involves Obedience. Romans 6:17a “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient.”

We contemplated a vital biblical statement concerning the necessary obedience and sanctification in the life of the believer that is missed today. The statement is this: “The primary objective of God in establishing salvation for us in Christ is not simply that we might be forgiven, be saved from hell, and have eternal life. God intends that salvation also transform us here and now.”

Yogi pointed out to me a verse that I did not mention last week, 1 Peter 2:24, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”

Titus 2:14 [Jesus] gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

You cannot stop at forgiveness when telling the Gospel story. Everything in the Gospel leads to salvation from hell, eternal life in heaven, AND to good works, good deeds, a changed life.

Enslaved to God

As we move to the end of this amazing sixth chapter, we continue to come across Paul’s practical application concerning sanctification. I want to focus your attention on the coming verses by asking three questions: 1) What Is Involved in Sanctification? 2) What Are the Benefits of Sanctification? and 3) What Is the End Result of Sanctification?

John Stott wrote a small, helpful book on Romans 6--8 entitled Men Made New. He says this about chapter 6: “Here then are two completely different lives, lives totally opposed to one another . . . the life of the old self and the life of the new self. They are what Jesus termed 'the broad road that leads to destruction, and the narrow road that leads to life.' Paul calls them two slaveries. By birth we are slaves of sin; by grace and faith we have become slaves of God. The slavery of sin yields no return, except a steady, moral deterioration, and finally death. The slavery of God yields the precious return of sanctification and finally eternal life. The argument of this section, then, is that our conversion leads to a status of slavery to God, and slavery involves obedience.”

What Is Involved in Sanctification? I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. Romans 6:19

“I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.” What Paul said here is that he is using an analogy from common life (human terms) in order to make clear a spiritual truth to those who might have trouble understanding what he is attempting to explain. Paul has been using the analogy of slavery to help explain spiritual truths. He has made the point clear; namely, in this life you will serve one of two masters. Either you must serve sin or you must serve Christ. There is no neutral ground and there are no other options. What matters is whom you will serve.

In the midst of a pluralistic culture where we are told that there are many ways to God, I cannot repeat too many times that there are only two paths in life. That truth is taught in a number of passages throughout Scripture. One of the most well-known passages is Jesus' teaching recorded in the Sermon on the Mount. The last section of that sermon lists a series of contrasts involving a choice that men must make: Two gates and two roads; two trees and two types of fruit; and two houses and two foundations.

Matthew 7:13-18, 20 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. 17Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. . . . 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

Two choices, two end results. One choice ends in life, the other choice ends in death. The end of slavery to sin is death. Paul mentioned that truth three times in chapter 6:

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

Romans 6:21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So one path begins with slavery to sin and ends in death. The death to which Paul referred is not physical death. He referred to the full penalty of sin which is eternal punishment, the second death in hell. The other path starts with slavery to God and is actually freedom. This path leads to righteousness and to eternal life.

The overall point in the first section of chapter 6 (1-13) is that it is impossible for the believer to continue to live in sin because he is immersed into Christ and, as a result, the old self is dead. The new self is risen to walk in newness of life. The overall point of the second section of chapter 6 (14-23) is that the believer cannot continue to live in sin because he is enslaved to God. No person can serve sin and Christ at the same time.

I told you that these two sections parallel each other. We saw one parallel statement earlier in our study. Now we come upon another example of parallel thought in chapter 6 involving verse 13 of the first section and verse 19 of the second section:

Romans 6:13 Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Romans 6:19 For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Paul repeats himself in order to drive home the point that, because we are united with Christ and because we are slaves of Christ, we cannot go on presenting the members of our bodies to sin but to God for righteousness.

There is a tendency to think that a person can have one foot in the church and one foot in the world. Paul made it clear that is impossible. If you are continually offering the members of your body to sin, then you need to question whether the old man is dead and whether you are still enslaved to sin. On the other hand, if you are striving to present your members as slaves to righteousness, then you can know that Christ is your master. Paul was describing the process of sanctification. It is a daily task to present the members of our bodies as slaves to righteousness. It is important to understand that sanctification is a daily and continual process because it is easy for us in our instant, drive-through culture to look for a quick fix—a simple, effortless way towards achieving sanctification. The multimedia world that we are exposed to teaches the populace at large to look for speedy solutions for physical and emotional problems. If a person is depressed, he takes in a movie, goes shopping, or pops a pill. If he is having trouble with a personal relationship, he goes to a weekend seminar or to some bar to find somebody new.

Believers must be careful or else we could find it easy to carry this outlook of quick solutions into our spiritual lives. Many look for that one big emotional experience that will supposedly “flip the switch.” Some look for miracles. Some go to psychology. But these are not God's answers. He has already done everything necessary for our salvation and given us everything we need to live consistent Christian lives.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this, “You have already received 'all things that pertain to life and godliness' (2 Peter 1). You do not need another experience. You do not need some new gift. You have been given everything in Christ. You are 'in Christ' from the beginning of your Christian life.”

As we look at verse 19 concerning the process of sanctification, I want to make a couple of observations. “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”

The first observation is that this verse is a command, an imperative, an exhortation. It is not a suggestion. Because we are slaves of righteousness, we are not at liberty to continue in a lifestyle of worldliness. Furthermore, because it is a command, it implies that we are able to obey it. I believe we come up short in our Christian lives many times because we do not follow the directions that the Lord has given to us.

When Paul directs us not to present our members to unrighteousness, we need to understand that the process may include radical choices. Jesus said in Matthew 18:8-9, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”

So, for example, if you have a problem with alcohol, then you should not continue to go into liquor stores or places where you will be tempted. If you need to take a different route home or let someone else know of your struggle for accountability’s sake, then that is what you must do.

I learned of a situation while attempting to help a person with a life-dominating sin concerning alcohol. The suggestion was made that the person give up his credit cards and cash until there was stability in the situation. Right away he refused, claiming he was being treated like a child. That is not the attitude Christ is teaching here.

If you have a problem with pornography, then you take whatever steps necessary to eliminate the access that you have to the internet or whatever media forms you are visiting. This may mean getting a flip phone or getting rid of internet in your house. These are not the sole steps in dealing with the issue, but they are part of the process of accountability. It is sad when people will not take the extreme measure in confronting sin in their lives.

If you have a problem with gossip, then take care not to enter into certain discussions with people you know who spread information. There are many practical ways by which you can avoid presenting your members to sin. There are a number of practical ways to renew your mind according to and replace the old habits with new ones.

Here’s another observation concerning 6:19: It is not a “let go and let God” proposition. In fact, Paul draws a parallel between the vigor with which you sought out opportunities for sin before you were converted, and the pursuit of righteousness now that you are saved. “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, . . . so now present your members as slaves to righteousness.”

You must use at least the same energy but, in reality, much more effort, as you pursue righteousness. You did not sin passively as an unbeliever; you were actively involved. You liked sinning and wanted to do it. In similar fashion, pursue righteousness.

Peter said in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “Applying all diligence [giving maximum effort], in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

Consider how much time and effort unbelievers put towards being worldly. Look at their calendars, how they spend their weekends, their money, the time spent in viewing all sorts of media that feed their slavery to sin. Then ask the question, “Do we as Christians invest the same amount of time and effort presenting our members to God as slaves of righteousness?”

How much edifying material do we expose our minds to? How do we spend our free time? Do we put as much effort into our sanctification as we do our hobbies, sports, and other interests? So first, 6:19 is a command, an imperative, not a suggestion. It is not a “let go and let God” proposition.

One more observation concerning verse 19 is that these commands to stop presenting yourself to sin and start presenting yourself to righteousness are directives concerning a reality that is already true about you as a believer. Here is what I mean. Go through Romans 6 concerning what has happened to us as believers and notice the tenses of those verbs.

2 How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through into death. 5 We have become united with Him in the likeness of His death. 6 Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. 7 For he who has died is freed from sin. 8 We have died with Christ. 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed. 18 Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God.

These verbs are all in the past tense and describe the reality of all who are truly Christians. Because of what has happened at conversion, this striving for holiness through the power of God is possible for believers.

Paul ended verse 19 by saying, “resulting in sanctification.” As I have said before, the New Testament approach to sanctification is to get us to realize and understand what is true about us and then to act accordingly. God’s Word doesn’t tell us to be what we will become. Instead, it tells us to be what we already are. Sanctification involves knowing the truth of God's Word as it applies to our spiritual condition and then acting as if we believed it. We must start by knowing the truth. John records Jesus's words in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

So Paul provided some practical elements concerning what is involved in sanctification. There are two paths that are utterly at odds with one another, completely opposed to each other. Paul exhorted us as believers to present our members as slaves to righteousness, not as slaves to impurity and lawlessness. His exhortations are not suggestions or the sharing of a good idea. They are imperatives--commands. They are directed to the persons we already are in Christ.

Next, Paul interjected that there is no good reason for believers to continue to sin.

What Are the Benefits of Sanctification? For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Romans 6:20

This is an important brief statement that is easy to skip over because the meaning is not immediately understood. But to brush by this thought would be a mistake. In order to illuminate what Paul said here, I remind you that the Gospel puts on display the righteousness of God. Righteousness before God is THE issue in the Gospel. The eternal realities of heaven and hell . . . how we live our lives here and now . . . are all focused on the doctrine of righteousness before God.

Paul has used the term “righteousness” over 30 times in these first six chapters of Romans. Here in verse 20, he reiterated a truth about unconverted mankind that is essential to keep in mind; namely, that all who are slaves to sin have absolutely no connection to righteousness. In other words, unregenerate people are utterly unrighteous. They are free in regards to righteousness. “When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”

When we first began our study of Romans, I told you that for many years, in describing the inability of man to obtain the righteousness of God and how far short he falls, I have heard and have used what I thought was a helpful example. I have learned, though, that it is not true according to the Word of God.

The illustration goes like this. Imagine all of mankind lining up on the beach in Southern California and attempting to jump out to Catalina Island which is about a mile offshore. Some of us would jump five feet; some, ten feet; and some, a bit further than that. But no one would make it out to the island. That (I thought) was an example of how far short our righteousness falls in comparison to God's righteousness and His standard.

But as I learn more about what the teaches regarding God's righteousness, I have to say that that example is wrong. According to the Bible, God's righteousness is categorically different than and separate from man's righteousness. There is no comparison. If we are consistent with this analogy, we would have to say that no one even gets down to the water. God's righteousness is so utterly different, that we do not even get onto the beach.

One seasoned pastor says this about God's righteousness, “It must be understood at every point in our discussions that God's righteousness and man's righteousness are two utterly different kinds of righteousness. Anyone who thinks that human righteousness is just a lesser form of divine righteousness, inferior but moving in the same direction, has failed to comprehend the very heart teaching of the whole Word of God.”

Romans 3 would agree with this evaluation of man's righteousness in comparison to God's. In contrast to God's righteousness, verse 10 says, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE.” I could clarify and say, “Not even a little bit.”

The general idea accepted by the world and even in many churches about God's righteousness and man's righteousness holds that they are simply two different phases of the same righteousness. For example, most people think that a convict's deeds are unrighteous, but that he has a little good in him that may be counted as righteousness. But better men than him have a bit more righteousness than the convict. And the best of men have a bit more righteousness than everyone else. Finally, far on top of all of that, God has the most supreme righteousness.

Mankind wrongly thinks that there is a degree of righteousness in humans that is acceptable to God. In reality, there is absolutely no righteousness in man's realm that can be compared to the righteousness of God.

Man actually believes that his righteousness counts for something and that by it he can actually avail himself to God. All morality-based thinking holds that if a man reaches a point in his righteousness that is acceptable to God, then he will attain heaven by that righteousness. The Bible denies this type of thinking in multiple portions in the Old and New Testaments. Titus 3:5-7 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

I want to paraphrase a quote from Donald Barnhouse concerning this point. Barnhouse stated that we will never understand the Word of God until we realize that God requires the impossible of us to be holy as God is holy. When it has been thoroughly demonstrated that no man can even begin to fulfill the requirements of God, then God Himself shall intervene and give us a free gift which He demands of us.

Again, in 6:20, Paul declared that all those who are slaves to sin--all unconverted mankind--have no connection to righteousness. They are “free” in regard to God's perfect righteousness, meaning they do not even get close to His perfect righteousness. Paul went on to articulate the implication of the worthlessness of a life of sin and then apply it to believers.

Romans 6:21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

What benefit is there in presenting yourself to be enslaved to sin? If you were in no way connected to or involved in righteousness toward God when you were enslaved to sin, why would you ever desire to go back to enslavement again?

No matter whether you were utterly pagan before you were converted (Pagan Man), or whether you were a relatively moral person in the sight of the world (Moral Man), or whether you were supremely religious like the Jews and had the Law and could teach it (Religious Man), none of these approaches had any benefit for you toward God. There was no profit in your previous way of living, so why would you attempt to continue living that way?

There is a book in the Old Testament where the author gave himself over in the attempt to find satisfaction in the things of the world. King Solomon had the unhindered ability to test every avenue in this world to discover meaning apart from God. He tried wealth, women, accomplishment in building lasting architectural wonders. What does he say at the end? Ecclesiastes 1:2,14 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. . . .14I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.”

We will see next week as we study verses 22 and 23 for the answer to What Is the End Result of Sanctification? that there are temporal and eternal benefits of sanctification. “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are two benefits derived from being enslaved to God that Paul mentioned. They just so happen to correspond with the stated purposes for Christ's death on the cross; namely, eternal life and sanctification here and now. This makes it clear that is not a “pie in the sky by and by” truism. Christianity does not only address the state of your soul after you die (which by itself is of eternal importance). There is an immense benefit of Christ's death for you in this life. Sanctification is its own reward, meaning that growing in righteousness lavishes benefits in this life here and now plus for eternity, and we will see that next week.

Conclusion

I was reading about John Newton this past week. He was the English slave trader who was converted while bailing water out of a sinking ship. He had lived a reckless and immoral lifestyle. After being born again, he wrote one of the most popular hymns of all time, “Amazing Grace.” Two years before his death, his sight had become so dim that he was no longer able to read. He was read a portion of Scripture each morning at breakfast. It was his custom to give a short response to each passage.

One morning the passage was :10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

His response that morning was as follows, “I am not what I ought to be, how imperfect and deficient I am. I am not what I want to be. Soon, I will put off mortality and with it all sin and imperfection. Even though I am not what I ought to be, nor am I what I want to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was--a slave to sin and Satan. And I joyfully concur with the apostle Paul that, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’ ” “I am not what I once was” should be the joyful statement of every believer. Yes, we are still in process. Because I am alive to God and I am enslaved to Christ, I am continuing in the process of sanctification, for it is part of the reason that Christ died for me.

9/16/18