Romans 6:12-14

This passage begins with therefore.  The series of commands here are based in the previous truths of the believer’s accounting of himself as dead indeed to sin but alive to god in Christ Jesus our Lord (v11).  Since the believer is no longer in the kingdom of sin and death but is in the kingdom of grace and life, these commands related to his physical body naturally follow.

There are four commands: the first two warn (do not); the last two encourage (do).

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      Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.  Since we know we are in the kingdom of grace we must now subject our bodies to this reality.  Sin produces certain lusts (sinful desires in our bodies).  These desires are full of pride and selfishness and lead to sin.  Notice that the body itself is not said to be sinful.  It is mortal in that it is the temporary home of the soul.  It is a home subject to pain and trial.  These pains may even provide us opportunities to sin.  But the body itself is morally neutral.  The question is, “Who is king of this body?”  The first command says: don’t let sin be king!

·   

     Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin.  While the body is neutral it is an instrument that can be used to commit sin.  The mouth can blaspheme God or men.  Hands can steal or hit in anger.  Feet can take us places that serve as the arena of sinful activity.  The sexual and hunger urges can become an occasion for immorality and gluttony.  All these and more are our members.  We must not present or yield these body parts to King Sin to do his bidding.  Rather …

·     

   Present yourselves to God as those that are alive from the dead.  Again, this is based in who we are.  We have been raised with Christ.  So instead of letting sin be king we present ourselves to God so He is king.  This is now an act of the will, a definite choice by the believer.

·     

   Present your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  With God in His rightful place in our hearts we now take that mortal body and its parts or members and give them to God, our King.  God has declared us righteous in Christ.  When we present our bodies to God it is for righteousness, that what He has declared us to be will become day-to-day reality in our bodies.  Those situations that are painful and difficult become opportunities for righteousness when we have yielded ourselves and our bodies to God.

What has happened is that the reality of the believer’s justification by faith has become known in the mind (v1-10), reckoned in the heart (v11), and not realized in the body.

The effect of presenting ourselves is that we are no longer under law but under grace (v14).  Paul mentioned the law in 5:20.  If we live under law and its obligatory approach, sin abounds and reigns (5:20-21; this is considered in depth in Rom. 7).  But if we present ourselves to God then grace is at work.

Remember the question in 6:1-2: shall we continue in sin?  We can and will live differently when we present our bodies to God.  Who is controlling your body?  To whom are you yielded?