Present Your Members as Instruments of Righteousness to God! (2)
[Romans 6:12-14]
This is Romans 6:12-14: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and 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. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Apostle Paul, based on his teachings in Romans 6:1-11, discusses how believers in Jesus Christ should live in today's passage from Romans 6:12-14. In other words, the Apostle Paul, addressing believers who have died to sin and are alive to God through faith in Jesus Christ (1-11 verses), provides guidance on how they should live in verses 12-14, outlining five aspects: (1) ‘Do not let sin control your mortal body’ (v. 12), (2) ‘Do not obey the sinful desires of your body’ (v. 12), (3) ‘Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness’ (v. 13), (4) ‘Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead’ (v. 13), (5) ‘Present your members as instruments of righteousness to God’ (v. 13).
Second, ‘Do not obey the lusts of your body’ (v. 12).
This is the latter part of Romans 6:12: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.” Here, "lusts" are also translated as "desires" or "passions." What are the lusts that we should not obey? In Mark 4:19, the Bible says: "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." From this passage, the lusts we should not obey are referred to as "desires" ("various other desires"). Why should we not obey these desires? The reason is that when these desires enter into us, they block the word of God and prevent it from bearing fruit. Jude 1:16 says: "These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage." From this passage, the lusts we should not obey are referred to as "lusts" ("walking according to their own lusts"). Those who will perish live according to evil desires, but as new people who have been saved, we must prevent these evil desires from dominating our bodies. We should not love the things in the world, for everything in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:15-16).
The term "lust" in the Bible is not always used in a negative sense but also in a positive sense. For example, look at Philippians 1:23: "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Apostle Paul was torn between "living" and "dying" (v. 21). He believed that being with Christ in death is far better, so he desired that. Paul's desire in this context is a good desire. We should also have such desires. Look at 1 Timothy 3:1 - "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." We should desire good works. Desiring good works is a good desire. We should not obey sinful desires but obey good desires.
Third, ‘Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness’ (Rom. 6:13).
This is the first part of Romans 6:13 - "and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness ...." We have many members in our bodies, and we should not present these members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin. For example, among the many members in our bodies, we should not present our mouths as instruments of unrighteousness by speaking lies, slander, or curses. James 3:6-10 says: "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." Job 27:4 says: "My lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit."
Fourth, ‘Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead’ (Rom. 6:13).
The second part of Romans 6:13 says: "... but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead ...." We were spiritually dead due to sin and disobedience, but God has made us alive (Eph. 2:1). In other words, we are those who have come alive again from the dead. Therefore, we should no longer live as spiritually dead individuals who commit sin and disobedience. Instead, we should live as those who have come alive again from the dead. In other words, we should live as new beings (new people) in Christ, presenting ourselves to God. We are born again from God (Jn. 5:1). As those who have been born again, newly born, we continuously live by faith. We, the born-again, those newly born from God, must live with two pieces of evidence: (1) Loving God, the one who gave birth (v. 1), and (2) loving brothers/sisters in Christ who are born again from God (v. 1). These two pieces of evidence are similar to Jesus' twofold commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt. 22:37, 39). In other words, the evidence of those born again, those born anew, those who are newly born Christians, living as new beings, is to love God and love neighbors according to Jesus' twofold commandment.
Fifth and last, ‘Present your members as instruments of righteousness to God’ (Rom. 6:13).
This is the second part of Romans 6:13: "... but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." The lyrics of the hymn "Take My Life, and Let It Be" express presenting our "hands and feet," "voice," "treasures," and "time" to the Lord, praising and surrendering to Him. This is the essence of living a life where we present our members as instruments of righteousness to God. We should offer our hands and feet to the Lord for His work, and we should present our voice to the Lord to proclaim His truth. Our mouths should convey the resurrected Jesus Christ, who came alive from the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12). Our minds should remember Jesus Christ, who rose again from the dead (cf. 2 Tim. 2:8).
Although it may be tempting to yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin in this sinful world, we must fight this spiritual battle with faith and emerge victorious. Hebrews 12:4 states, "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." We are called to fight against sin even to the point of shedding our blood. Therefore, we should not present our members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin. We must obey God and resist the devil, causing him to flee (Jam. 4:7). We need to present our members as instruments of righteousness to God, living a life that brings glory to Him. The reason is that God has created us anew in Christ Jesus for His glory (Isa. 43:7).