“Instruments
Of Righteousness”
Romans 6:12-16
12)
Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof.
13)
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto
sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14)
For sin shall
not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15)
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace? God forbid.
16)
Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom
ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
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e,
as the people of God, must begin to understand and accept His expectation of
us. We already know what we expect of God and others. Often, we seem to be
conveniently confused about what He expects.
Perhaps
it will help for us to review our “position:” We belong to the Lord by virtue
of purchase. That is, He “brought” us with His very life. Now, we know how we
feel when we have purchased something. No matter what it is or how
insignificant, it belongs to us—period. Even a pack of gum,
or better yet, a roll of mints belongs to me.
Just
think of how God must feel about those He has ransomed from sin—sure death,
sure destruction. He knows that we “owe” Him and He wants us to know that we
do. Certainly, He cannot understand the blatant willfulness and disobedience of
those for whom He has done so much. Surely, He cannot understand why we have
such difficulty serving Him. He would like to make us “mind”—but is too much
the gentleman. He knows that we should do it because we love Him—because He
first loved us. Yet, too many lives remain directed by the desire to please the
flesh. This is despite that enormous price paid by Him at
We
find that, though the decision to accept salvation gives a definite direction
to our lives, too many of us, too often remain “willfully ignorant” of what we
should know. This happens because we decide that though we could never have
given ourselves what we now have, we still have “rights:” rights to decide what
we do with a life that really, does not belong to us.
Rebellion
and non-submission leads to stagnancy and it, in turn, means that we cannot be
used. What a waste and a shame! You see, the Lord’s whole point in bestowing
His spirit upon Man was so that he would be property equipped to carry out His
work here, on earth. When that point is missed, the individual becomes
comfortable and apathetic.
We
need to learn to “check” ourselves. That is, we easily have problems with
things which we do not agree and consequently, feel that we do not have to do
them.
If
salvation were simply a matter of hearing truth, many people would go to heaven
simply by virtue of the fact that much time is spent in church. However, the
importance of Jesus teaching was not just that He did and people heard, but
rather, that his principles were applied. This is what allowed His apostles and
followers to remain saved.
No
doubt, any of us who are “grown” profess to know “the facts of life.” Behavior
often suggests, however, that one of the most important is often overlooked: it
(life) changes. Because it does, the saint of God must have a means by which to
“adjust,” and that has been given us through the Holy Ghost.
This
is also the means by which we are afforded the opportunity to be “instruments
of righteousness,” for as things happen and we apply His principles, we remain
and retain our witness of Him. We, then are able to
exemplify holiness at its best.
People
are often kept from God and drawn back to the devil by believing his lie that
one can not commit a sin one time and then, free oneself from it. This is not
true, for sin is addictive and contagious by nature—for it appeals to the flesh
and flesh can do nothing “just once.” Where as sin “glorifies” the sinner
righteousness and holiness glorifies God and so, rather than be used of the
devil, it must be the Lord who others see working in us.
By
now, we should not need to be told that “Jesus did not die for us to live as we
please.” So, why are we still being told? Because, until we decide otherwise,
we remain selfish, despite all the Lord has done. We
resist fully committing to Him or anyone else—but ourselves. When
we begin to see each test as absolutely “necessary” rather than as an
“inconvenience” or “nuisance,” we will be making some progress toward
selflessness. For, after all, Jesus proclaimed His every situation a
“must” and He is the definition of “selflessness.”
Time
(as we know it) is swiftly coming to an end and redeemed man has largely not
met his responsibility to God. We have been called from sin, degradation,
and depravity to be “instruments of righteousness.” Those who could never
walk straight and hold their heads high can now do so—because of Him. Many
who would never have been respected by anybody for anything can be—because
of Him. Is it too much that He should ask to be able to depend on us to do
“the right thing” and be “instruments of righteousness”—no matter what?