WEEK 5

FROM SLAVERY TO SERVICE

Addressing the objection: "Should we sin so grace may increase?" If you are "in Christ," you aren't just a forgiven sinner; you are a pioneer of the new creation.

Section 1: United in death and life (6:1-10)

• The "Exodus" imagery: Baptism is not just as a religious rite, but a new Exodus. Just as Israel passed through the Red Sea to leave slavery in Egypt, the believer passes through the water to leave the "Egypt" of Sin and Death. "Baptism is like a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hung on the door of your life. It tells the old master, Sin, that the previous tenant has moved out, and the new Owner has moved in." - N. T. Wright
• Death cancels the debt: Paul's logic is grounded in legal reality. If a person is sentenced to death and the sentence is carried out, the law has no more claim on them. Because we died with Christ, Sin’s warrant for our arrest is now void.
• Baptism isn't just a symbol; it’s real participation: We aren't just watching Jesus die and rise; we are joined to Him. His history is our history.

Section 2: Count it true (6:11-14)

• The mental revolution: The word "count" (logizesthe) is a bookkeeping term. We must clear our old ledger. We don't try to feel dead to sin; we calculate it as a finished fact.
• A new identity: While we still struggle with sin, Paul's language shifts our identity. We are "Alive to God." If you keep calling yourself a "slave," you will keep acting like one. We must start seeing ourselves as people living in God’s righteousness.
• Grace is sovereign power: Wright clarifies that Grace is not a "cushion" for when we fall; it is a sovereign power that enables us to stand. Grace is the new "regime" or government under which we now live.

Section 3: Choosing your Master. You are a slave to whoever you obey - sin or righteousness (6:15-23)

• The myth of absolute freedom: Humans are never truly independent. We are always slaves to something, either a master that leads to death or a Master that leads to life. True freedom is not doing whatever you want; it is becoming what you were made to be.
• Wages vs gifts: Verse. 23 contrast these two. Sin pays wages (opsōnia), the meagre rations a soldier gets for his dirty work. But God gives a free gift (charisma). Sin pays you what you earned (Death), but God gives you what you could never earn (Life).
• Weapons: The word for "instruments" in v. 13 often refers to "weapons" in a military sense. Our eyes, hands, and minds are to be handed over to God as weapons to be used in His battle to put the world right.

CONCLUSION

We find freedom in serving a new Master.

CALL TO ACTION

Identify a "master" you’ve been serving (comparison, greed, lust, etc.) Every time that master "calls" you this week, say out loud: "I don't work for you anymore; I have a new Owner."