Romans 6:12-14

Passage

Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body in order that you obey its evil desires.  Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.  Rather, present yourselves to God as while living out of the dead and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.  For your sin will not be your lord.  For you are not under the Law but under grace.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul continues his understanding of the life under grace and the struggle with sin.  He tells us not to let sin reign in our bodies.  I think this verb is quite significant.  Paul knows that sin will be present.  Until we have died and God resurrects us, we will always have sin as a thorn in our flesh.  But Paul also tells us that it is not to reign over us.  While it may be present, we are to wrestle against sin.  We are to struggle against it so that God can build our character.  But we are not to let sin reign over us.

Does sin reign over you?  If so, where is it in your life?  How can you struggle against sin without letting it reign over you?

Second Thought:

We are also not to present our members for unrighteous action.  By members, Paul is talking about the parts of our bodies.  Our hands.  Our legs.  Our tongues.  Our minds.  We are not to have those things participate in evil.  We are not to allow our body or our mind to knowingly participate in unrighteous behavior.

How easy is it to have our tongues, minds, hands, and feet participate in unrighteousness?  Why do we allow our members to participate in unrighteousness?

Third Thought:

Paul then tells us that we are God’s.  God is to reign in our life.  We are to present our bodies to Him for His use.  We are under His grace.  We are to serve His purposes so that we can be righteous.

What does it take for you to be righteous?  How does humbleness fit into our ability to present ourselves to God for His service?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 6:15-18