Romans 6:13: “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Remember when you first got married and you thought you had marriage down pat and you knew everything there was to know about your spouse? Then seasons of life progressed and you discover more and more new things about each other you didn’t know before. Your love for each other deepens as the years go by. Sanctification – in the Christian life is much the same. It is a progressive process. The longer you are a Christian the more you learn new things about God’s love, faithfulness, power, mercy, and grace. He speaks directly to you out of His Word, giving you just what you need when you need it, and it will have special meaning just for you.
The NIV states Romans 6:13 as “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God . . .”
The KJV states this verse as “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves to God . . .”
Paul states five different times in Romans 6:13, 16, and 19, this phrase of “present your members” in the ESV, while the NIV states “do not offer” and the KJV says “do not yield” to sin. The power of sin was destroyed on the cross. It was deactivated – paralyzed and was nailed to that cross. Christ offers freedom in no longer being under sin’s control.
Then Paul appeals to his readers; he counsels them, in Rom. 12:1 that we are to present ourselves to God for His glory – “as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” – that is our purpose – to be yielded entirely to God as an instrument for righteousness. It is a fully, once and for all surrender of our own will, yielding, presenting, offering ourselves unto the Lord.
Remember that banner phrase, “Let go and let God!” That was totally false – while we remain idle is totally wrong. Paul is saying the Holy Spirit provides us with the energy and our will must kick in to stand firm in saying no to sin while having faithful obedience to God’s will and law. It is surrendering to righteousness. God is not going to do that for us. It is a life-long process – called sanctification. It has to be done daily and is not age specific.
The following are examples of how God used various “members” which is parts of the body for His purpose:
- The rod in Moses’ hand was used by God to conquer Egypt.
- The sling in David’s hand, God used to defeat the giant Goliath.
- God used the mouths and tongues of the prophets.
- Paul’s dedicated feet took him from city to city proclaiming the gospel.
- John’s eyes saw visions of the future, while his ears heard God’s message, and his fingers wrote it all down for us to read.
However, we are also given examples in the Bible of physical body parts being used in disobedience and sin: Eve’s eyes and hands picked the forbidden fruit; David’s eyes and mind led to a plot of killing. Ps. 51 deals with the sin of David’s mind, eyes, heart, ears, and lips and mouth. Then he repented and prayed for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing from his sin.
Our old sin nature has been paralyzed – deactivated, while other things are being made new for God’s glory. Living in the freedom of God – doing what satisfies Him — listening to our master and shepherd who has set us free to have eternal life, a new life with Him – this should be our battle plan each day.
“Learning to walk spiritually/supernaturally is similar to learning how to walk naturally because a walk merely consists of two simple steps, repeated over and over again. It is not a complicated thing. In the same way, the Christian life is a matter of taking two steps, one step after another. Then you are beginning to walk. Put off the old man and put on the new. Then repeat. That is all. Keep walking through every day like that. That is how Scripture exhorts us to live.” Ray Stedman.
What verse has given you ammunition to stand firm and persevere as God intended?
Which body part gives you the most trouble – your mouth, eyes, heart, mind, or hands?
Listen to the Newsboys brand new song This I Know (Audio). It is from their new album United, released in May 2019