True Freedom | Romans 6:15-19

Paul began his letter to the Romans in a rare way, calling himself a slave (doulos) of Christ. He does this only two other times in his letters (Phil 1:1 and Titus 1:1). Doulos (slave) means someone who belongs to another, without any ownership rights of their own. We American Christians love our freedom, and may bristle at the idea that we are slaves. Yet, doulos is used with the highest dignity in the NT – namely, of believers who willingly live under Christ's authority as His devoted followers. In Romans 6:15-19, Paul urges us to embrace our slavery to God through the righteousness found in Christ. Freedom isn’t about having no constraints, it’s about having the right constraints, the ones that actually free us. Slavery to sin is a cruel master, but slavery to God leads to true freedom. For Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:34-36).

Take-Home Message: True freedom is found in presenting yourself to God.
The freedom of presenting yourself to God (15-16).
We are all slaves.
We are slaves of the one whom we obey.
Slavery to sin leads to death.
Slavery to God leads to life.
The freedom of presenting your heart to God (17-18).
The freedom of presenting your members to God (19).
Finding Freedom:
Gather
Study
Pray
Praise