Romans 6:12-14-NIV
Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Do you ever find yourself using this statement? Everyone sins. You are correct! We are all sinners. If we were not sinners, then we would not need a Savior. Therefore, Jesus dying on the cross would be pointless. There are two groups of sinners. One group lives their life with no boundaries or regard for God's authority.
Those individuals might have heard of God or even do the church attending as part of their routine and yet they don't know the Lord. The second group of sinners are those who recognize they have been given grace by God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and, by the gratitude of their heart, they decided to no longer live for themselves. Hence, they have decided that their mind/ thoughts and physical being belongs to God. Apostle Paul's message in our weekly theme scripture is addressing the second group of sinners who have surrendered their lives under God's authority. As I studied why Paul often reminds Christians, we are not under the law but under grace, I have learned we can easily become slaves by a set of rules. As a result, those rules become our God instead of worshipping the true God who sets the rules. On the contrary, being under the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our goal is not obligation to the laws or scriptures. Jesus during his ministry often challenged the religious leaders because they missed the heart of God. "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40). Our theme scripture above is calling us to examine our lives. Then, out of gratitude for what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, to no longer use our physical body as instrument of wickedness. If you are not sure what Apostle Paul meant and how you can apply them to your life, begin with Galatians 5:16-26 as a starting point. I know for me the simple change I made in my life when I surrendered to Jesus, was that I changed my wardrobe. I asked myself when I walked into the world, was the way I dressed conveying purity and transformation that I am an 'instrument of righteousness'? You alone know who or what you are offering your body to. Is your daily decision an act of offering your body to God according to his standard or is your body under Satan's authority? When people see you, do they see your body and mind as a reborn person in Jesus?
