Every human being has behavior which will be directed either to the good in service of others or to the bad in service of self or sin.  The Bible tells us there is no inbetween of the two. It is an either or proposition and as Jesus said, He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Luke 11:23. That is as plain as it can be said and gives the reason for Paul saying in Romans 6:16-18: 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? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Each and every human being will serve one master and one master only, sin or righteousness. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  One will either love sin and hate righteousness or love righteousness and hate sin.  Paul said that the Christians at Rome were servants of righteousness in the text chosen for the lesson. What did he mean and how did it come about?

A distinction has to be made between the law, serving self, and what constitutes doing good deeds for the benefit of others. The Jews thought that by keeping the law they were righteous. If that had been true, there wouldn’t have been a need for a yearly sacrifice. Sin was very much apart of their lives as it is of all humans for as Paul said in Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Once sin enters the sinner falls short of the righteousness that God demands for a relationship with him. There is no way for it to be undone. No amount of works done in penance or through some other act of contrition will erase the fact of committing sin. Once its there, it is a blot that keeps the sinner separated from God. The law couldn’t erase sin and any of the acts taken by the Jews to do so were futile. The acts were directed at self and they didn’t erase the sin.  They were serving self by keeping the law in an attempt to erase sin. The Pharisees thought they were righteous because they kept the law when actually the law pointed out their sin due to their unrighteousness.  

The Good Samaritan is perfect example of the ones who do good to help others and the Jews who were serving self under the law by avoiding undesirables. Jesus spoke of loving ones neighbor as self and was asked who was a neighbor. He told a story to answer in Luke 10:30-37: And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

The priest and the Levite hurried on and the Samaritan helped the man. He was servant of righteousness and in that he helped another and wasn’t worried about himself. Jesus told the ones who heard his story to go and do likewise. Jesus was teaching that our mission is to help others and not worry about self. That was and is a concept the Jews had a hard time accepting.

Those who are free from sin can serve righteousness by doing good works on behalf of others. The freedom of salvation allows that type of service instead of continually trying to save oneself. Paul said in Romans 6:20-22: For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Paul said that the gospel freed from sin the one obeying so that he or she need not be concerned with trying to be saved. Being freed from sin makes it possible to be a servant of righteousness which pleases God.  That comes through faith in Christ that he has made the sacrifice for sin that is required to please God.  Paul said in verse 22 that by being free from sin that the believer becomes a servant of God which is the same as serving righteousness. That service being a servant of righteousness is shown by helping others.

The book of Romans says that servants of righteousness have fruits unto holiness verse 22. Those fruits are the good works that are the opposite of unrighteousness, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  The wages of sin is death because the works of man in trying to be saved ends in being paid with death. In other words, the one that tries to be saved without Jesus Christ is a servant of unrighteousness; that servant being himself or herself since all are unrighteous without Jesus Christ. But God’s gift in Jesus Christ brings eternal life because he is the righteousness that God demands.

The only righteousness that God accepts is that which comes through faith in Jesus Christ believing that he has done what none of us can do and that is provide the sacrifice that God requires. He lived and showed the quality of a righteous life.  He being perfect was the sacrifice God required. He proves it by having risen from the grave and now he is seated at the right hand of God.  He has made all free from sin and now beckons for all to obey the gospel so that they can serve God. In that manner, the believer can say that he or she is for Jesus and not sin; that makes one a servant of righteousness having been set free from the clutches of sin to serve God.  As Paul said, the believer is now set free in Jesus Christ to live for God. 

© 11-24-2002 DEC

Revised 2-03-2008 DEC

                         

Next Lesson Who Is Jesus?