Freedom from the clutches of sin
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
The apostle has made the striking statement that sin is not to be the master of his Roman readers. And the reason he gave is that they are not under law but under grace. Admittedly, that approach defies conventional wisdom. Usually people think that rules and regulations are a necessity to keep people in line; otherwise there will be total chaos and anarchy.
In dealing with unregenerate worldlings, that is undoubtedly true. But Paul is speaking to Christians, to those who have come to know their Savior and have received new spiritual life through faith in him. Their new life and activity will be motivated by appreciation for what God’s grace has done for them, not by fear of punishment for broken laws.
Paul anticipates, however, that his explanation will not satisfy everybody. He expects an objection from the same kind of thinking that was expressed earlier. Recall Paul’s statement that where sin increased, God’s grace increased even more (5:20). That drew the question, Then why not continue in sin?
Similar logic is at work here. Some will reason, If we’re not under law, if there are no restrictions, then why not continue in sin? Again Paul retorts, “By no means!” Doing so would be sheer folly; that would make you slaves to sin.
It will be helpful to recall Christ’s basic teaching on the subject of attachment to a master. Recall first of all that Christ says everyone has a master; neutrality is impossible. “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). Note also that nobody can serve two masters: “Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).
Paul is operating here with that same principle of attachment to a master. “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
No one is without a master, and no one can serve two masters. But one can change masters. Paul says, “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”
By nature the Romans, like everyone else, were born with the taint of Adam’s sin on them. And they added to that guilt by willingly and eagerly committing countless other sins. They were slaves of sin. But what changed that? It was their wholehearted obedience (faith) to the teaching that had been brought to them by faithful gospel preachers. In other words, the change in masters was brought about by nothing other than the message of Christ’s substitutionary death for sinners and triumphant resurrection. Trusting Christ put them under a different master—or as Paul says, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.