“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (23)
One of the most famous Christmas songs ever is “Joy To The World!” In 1719, Isaac Watts wrote this song as an expression of praise for the salvation that began when God came to earth as the baby Jesus. He begins by singing…
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Too often, Christmas celebrations are focused on the little baby Jesus who was humbly born in a manger. But the birth of Jesus wasn’t the important part of the story. It was only the beginning! What is important is - who that baby is and what he did for us. Paul says in Romans 6, that Jesus is our liberation! He is, “the gift of God!” (Romans 6:23b). To Isaac Watts, the coming of the King Jesus is so important that he writes, even Heaven and nature should sing!
So, why is Jesus “Joy to the world!?” and why, according to Isaac Watts, should we “Repeat the sounding joy”? I think to understand this, we need to understood what exactly Jesus liberated us from, what he liberated us to, and how that liberation came about. If we can really grasp this truth, then we’ll understand why Jesus is “Joy To The World!” So, what did Jesus liberate us from?
I. Slaves to Sin (20, 16a, 21a)
Paul’s Christmas story to us begins in verses 20-21. In these verses, he lays out our pre-Christ era, or what some people like to say, “Our B.C. – Before Christ”. These verses show what our spiritual condition was like and how much we were in need of a Savior. Verse 20 says, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.” Those who are not in God are slaves to sin. What does this exactly mean? Non-Christians would never admit that they are living under slavery. In fact, they usually brag about the freedom they have and make fun of Christians who seem to have no freedom whatsoever. And Paul admits that in a way they are right. He says that they do have a certain freedom, but it is a freedom with respect to only 1 thing: “the control of righteousness”. So they are free, but they’re only free to do things that aren’t pleasing to God. In other words, they’re free to sin without realizing they are sinning against God. Of course they might feel bad for the wrongs that they do. This is because God is telling them that what they are doing is wrong. But when they hear God’s righteous demands to do right, they are incapable of responding to them. So when the temptation to sin comes again, they are not able to overcome it. So they give into it, often times with regrettable effects.
Verse 16a says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death...” Non Christians who think they are free are actually under an illusion created and sustained by Satan. They don’t realize that they are being tricked to think that they are free; to live and to do whatever they please. But in reality, there are slaves to Satan. The best analogy I can think of is the movie, “The Matrix”. In this movie, human beings think they are living in reality. They believe that they are in control of their situations and lives. But actually, they are living in a simulated computer program created by robots who want to pacify and subdue them so they can harvest the human’s body heat and electrical activity for their energy use. Satan does the exact same thing to us. He makes us think that we are in control of own lives, that there is no God, that there is no other controlling power out there, that we are free to do whatever we please. But in reality, Satan’s the one who’s controlling us. So, these people are not really free, but slaves to sin.
Verse 21a says, ““What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” Here the word “benefit” can also be translated as “fruit”. So, re-phrasing the question: “What fruits do we reap when we’re enslaved to sin?” Let’s think about that for a moment. When you sin, what fruits are produced? How do you feel? How has your sin impacted others? Did it improve your life or make it worse? The fruits that non-Christians produce, when they enjoy their freedom, are most of the time negative and makes them ashamed. Instead of having a happy and meaningful life, they feel miserable and totally worthless inside. Paul says that such a life, leads to death (16b).
So, what are we to do? How can we be set free from this illusion that Satan has created?
II. Slaves to Righteousness (15-19)
Before going on, there’s something we must first realize. Paul isn’t writing this letter to non-Christians. But he’s writing it the Christians who were living in Rome. Throughout chapters 5 and 6, Paul kept on reminding the Romans of their pre-Christian state. He wanted them to remember who they once were. Remembering who we once were, makes the post-Christ era, or the “A.D. – after Christ” a million times more meaningful.
So, how can we be set free from slavery to sin? In order to be liberated, three things must happen:
1) Deliverance,
2) Transformation,
3) Sanctification.
DELIVERANCE!
During the slave trade era, it was impossible for a slave to be set free without the intervention of someone of a higher or stronger power. Likewise, those who are enslaved to sin need someone who is of higher power and stronger than Satan to set them free. In verse 17, Paul states who this is… “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” Paul was giving thanks to God for setting the Romans free from the power of Sin. Clearly, God is the only one who can free us from the sin of slavery. No matter how hard we try, we can’t do it. Imagine being a slave on a slave ship back in the 1700’s. You’re chained to someone in the lower deck of the ship. You’re crammed into every available space. Those who you are next to you are sick and dying and the stench is appalling. You want to get free. But you can’t free yourself and escape. But let’s say you got free from your chains and somehow bypassed all the guards. But now where would you go? The only place would be into the ocean where you would drown. The only way to be set free would be for another ship to come whose captain could capture the ship and set you free. This is exactly what God did for us through his Son Jesus Christ (23b). The coming of Jesus as a baby can be compared to the coming of the rescue ship. We haven’t been rescued yet, but King Jesus is on his way. When we see our rescue ship coming, we’re filled with excitement and joy, for we know that our liberation is near! That’s why Christmas is so exciting to us. But Jesus’ coming is only the beginning. Now, he must capture the ship. So the sufferings of Christ can be compared to the two ships going into battle. Christ is now fighting to set us free. Finally the battle is over and the slave ship has been captured. This victory can resemble the death of our Lord Jesus who cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). It was through Jesus’ death that Christ won the victory over the slaver of sin. But that’s not the end. We still need to be set free from our chains. So finally, the resurrection of Jesus can resemble the breaking of our chains which leads to our final and ultimate freedom. That’s why the birth of Jesus wasn’t the most important part of the story, but only the beginning. It was through Jesus’ entire life that set us free. And again, it’s something we can’t do. It’s something that only God can do through his Son Jesus.
TRANSFORMATION!
Now Jesus has set us free from the slavery to sin. But what did he liberate us to? Verse 18 says, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” A lot of people think that once they’re set free from sin, that’s it. There’s nothing else to do – just sit around and wait for Jesus to come again. But verses 17 and 19 say that our deliverance brings about two things: obedience (17) and holiness (19). After being set free, we must now live an obedient and holy life, living and carrying out the commands that Christ Jesus has given to us (17b). And the words “you have come to obey from your heart” in verse 17 though, reveal that we are not just called to do right, but we have been transformed by God to want do right, due to a new and powerful relationship that has been established through Jesus Christ.
But how can we become obedient and holy? How can we be transformed? A lot of Christians think that there is something they need to do in order to become obedient and holy. But just like being slaves to sin, there is nothing we can do. Just as freedom has been given to us, so are obedience and holiness. Paul says twice in verses 17 and 18, “have become.” This reveals that this also is the doing of God, not of man.
Paul continues in verse 19, “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” Holiness is something we now prefer over sin. Just as we served idols, money, lust, pleasure, and power in our pre-Christian state with all our hearts, so now we choose, with the help of God, to serve righteousness (19). Of course, this doesn’t mean that Christians now live a sinless and perfect life. They are still tempted and fall into sin. But they don’t prefer to sin any more. Unlike the ungodly who don’t care when they sin, Christian’s care that they have gone against the will of God. And so, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they want to repent and want to turn back to God.
SANCTIFICATION!
Sanctification is a word that no one likes to hear. Paul says in verse 22, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” The words, “the benefit you reap leads to holiness” refers to the process of becoming holy. So the benefit that Paul is referring to is the fruit of sanctification. And this fruit is a gift, just like deliverance and holiness are gifts. Again we think there is something we need to do to be sanctified, such as read the Bible more, pray more, write testimonies, and even go to church. That’s why many people go to church only twice a year, on Christmas and Easter. They think by going, they are being sanctified. But, there is nothing we can do to be sanctified. It has to be given. But there’s something we must also realize. A gift doesn’t mean I don’t do anything with it. If I receive a gift and don’t do anything with it, what benefit do I get from it? So just like a gift, I must do something with sanctification. I must receive it and choose to be sanctified. Why? Because even though we’ll never reach perfection until Christ returns, our desire is still to be holy, as God is Holy.
Even with this in mind, there are still some Christians who wonder if it’s okay to keep on sinning sin since we’re saved by grace, not by what we do. Paul says very sternly in verse 15, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” God’s grace is not only liberating power, but a constraining one as well. Christians, who have been set free from sin, must recognize that, were they constantly to yield to the voice of temptation, they would effectively become slaves of sin again. Jesus said the same thing in John 8:34, “Every person who is committing sin is a slave to sin.” Paul continues in verse 16, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” So as Christians, we only have 2 choices - either to be a slave to sin or a slave to obedience. There is no middle ground. If we sin, clearly we are slaves to sin, not slaves to God. So Christian freedom is not freedom to do whatever we want, but it’s freedom to obey God - willingly, joyfully, and naturally. Finally, Paul reaches the climax of his Christmas story. He compares sin and God together to show us that the master we choose to serve determines our final outcome - either death (16b, 21b, 23a) or eternal life (22, 23a). One is a wage, and the other is unmerited grace.
III. THE GIFT OF GOD (23)
Verse 23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul says “the wages of sin is death”. I use to think this meant that sinners got what they deserve. That guy sinned, so he deserves to die. But it’s not that the sinner gets what they deserve, because in reality we all deserve to die and will die. But rather, death is the wage of those who are slaves to sin. And this death doesn’t mean physical death, because Paul contrasts “death” with “eternal life” in verses 22 and 23. So this death means eternal death. Eternal death is eternal separation from God in hell that begins right after physical death. So those who are enslaved to sin, their wage is eternal death. But those who are enslaved to God, do not receive a wage. Rather, according to verse 23b, they are given a gift. This gift is the free gift of eternal life. And this gift was made possible because God, who is the giver, paid the wages of our sins through the giving of us Son Jesus Christ.
The difference between what the two slave masters offer us is extraordinary. The slave master of sin pays wages, where the slave master of righteousness gives a gift. So what’s the difference between wages and gifts? Wages are what we earn. They’re a matter of debt. It’s something that is owed to us because our time was depleted for it. A gift however is given to us by grace. It’s undeserved. Let’s say we take someone to court who hasn’t given us a gift, the judge will just laugh in our face and tell us to leave. But, if we take someone to court who hasn’t paid our wages, the judge would favor on our side saying we earned those wages.
In reality though, the slave master of sin is not even a slave master. God is the only one who has total control for the wages of sin and for His gift. The slave master of sin is just a pretender and a deceiver. He can’t even pay the wages! We can compare this slave master to a drug dealer. His slaves get high and wind up in prison. Even though he’s the one who supplied the drugs, he’s not the one paying the wage, they are. He left! He left you to suffer and die. We should really flee from this false slave master and hate sin with all our hearts - for, the wages we receive for being his slave is eternal death.
God’s gift however is completely opposite. It’s eternal life! Where the slave master of sin left us to die in our sins, the slave master of righteousness came to die in the place of our sins so that we could live eternally with God. Eternal life is all that God can give of himself to us for all eternity - joy, peace, happiness, forever and ever! (Eph 2:7). God gives it to us again, and again, and again, without it ever decreasing. During this time, we will never receive wages but only gifts. Why? Because God is the giver and we are the receivers. How do we get this gift? Paul says in verse 23b, “....in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God’s gift comes only in Christ Jesus our Lord. The only thing we have to do is accept this gift, believe in Jesus, and have faith in him.
That’s why Jesus is JOY TO THE WORLD! The gift of God frees us from slavery to sin, which leads to eternal death, and makes us slaves of righteousness, which leads to eternal life.
References:
Biblegateway.com, New International Version 1984
http://1truebeliever.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/christmas-songs-joy-to-the-world Douglas J. Moo, “The Epistle to the Romans”
Desiringgod.org, John Piper, Romans 6:22-23, “The Free Gift of God is Eternal Life, Part 1” and “Part 2”
