Slaves to righteousness…..

[Not me]

Romans 6:17-18 (NASB20)
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.

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What truth is being put forth in these two above verses? 

That the believer has been entrusted with a form of teaching, that if believed on from the heart, will set that believer free from sin and turn that believer into a slave to righteousness…

If this is the correct interpretation of these two verses, the understanding and believing this form of teaching would be most critical to one’s understanding and growth… 

Though this truth is explained further in the surrounding verses it is simplified in verse 11

Romans 6:11 (NASB20)
So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the form of teaching that if believed on from the heart, will set one free from sin…. Therefore if one is a scripture believing believer that one must believe this form of teaching if that one would be made free from sin, this being all according to scripture itself….

So it would come down to whether the believer is willing to believe this form of teaching from the heart?….

Seeing how scripture is correct and true, and there is no lie in scripture,  this freedom from sin and turning one into a slave to righteousness would all lay in the understanding and believing from the heart this form of teaching that scripture itself teaches, that being, one is dead to sin and alive unto God…

For he that has died is most assuredly set free from sin, this truth, believed on from the heart will absolutely do what scripture says it will do, and that is, set the believer free from sin and turn that believer into a slave to righteousness….

Be blessed in believing from the heart that form of teaching that will turn all sinner's into slaves to righteousness…
 

A fellow believer, Not me 

[Alive]

I woke up this morning at 3:30 :-) with Colossians 1:13 in mind. Later, when I got up, I grabbed my old leather bible and read the first three chapters. There is much there than informs this discussion.

Our existence, since 1:13 shows or has produced a tension. That tension can be partially explained by God’s perspective and our more limited, but expanding perspective….In Christ.

[Not me]

@Josheb

Hi, Scripture is quite clear that sinless perfection is not something that is to be had in the time one still lives in the body… But one can, as Paul says, arrive at a place where one knows nothing against themselves…

These opening verses are putting forth the teaching that the believer has been entrusted with a teaching that if believed (obeyed), from the heart this teaching will produce a freedom from sin and therefore turn them into a slave of righteousness…

Which truth is, the knowing of one’s death in Christ and their subsequent resurrection with Him…  It is to the degree one believes this truth, this teaching from the heart, to that degree, will that believer be made free from sin and therefore become a slave to righteousness…. So therefore, the deeper a believer grabs unto this truth, the deeper that believer will walk in sinlessness… Be blessed in walking in the experiencing of these truths….

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But if your heart does not bear witness with these words, continue to be obedient to your Heavenly witness, for that is the obedience God is requiring out of one…

Be blessed in listening to the peace of Christ in your heart….

 

A fellow believer, Not me 

 

@Alive

Greetings, this truth of our personal death and resurrection with Christ is the foundation of our salvation…. As God ministers life to the heart, these truths will be found all through scripture…

To the heart that would be His be most blessed…..

A fellow follower, Not me 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Not me

[Not me]

2 minutes ago, Josheb said:

Great. Just wanting to be clear on the matter: this op is not intended to promote perfection or sinless perfectionism, and readers can and should no that from the outset. Correct?

 

 

.

Be blessed in your understanding and in your experiencing of the truths put forth in scripture…. Which, as I’m sure you know, all come through one’s personal relationship with Christ…

Be so blessed as our relationship with Him grows deeper and more rich each and every day..

A fellow follower of His, Not me 

[Alive]

28 minutes ago, Josheb said:

It's not our belief in having been freed from sin that makes us servants of righteousness; it is Christ crucified and resurrected that does this.
Perhaps we could say psychologically speaking the depth of our belief the more sinless our walk, but I don't read Paul to be asserting belief is a matter of degrees. He is teaching an all or nothing dichotomy when it comes to belief and a process when it comes to our relationship in regard to sin and righteousness. The all-or-nothing component and the process component should not be confused or conflated.

Yup--these are vital distinctions.

[Not me]

@Josheb & @Alive

As the teaching that has been entrusted is experienced, will its fruit be produced…

Be blessed in that fruit….

 

A follower of His, Not me 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Not me

[Not me]

28 minutes ago, Josheb said:

The fruit that is produced is the fruit of Christ and the Holy Spirit, not fruit of a teaching. 

I prefer the fruit of the Spirt, not the fruit of teaching and any view that separates the Person and work of Christ and his Spirit from teaching is a false dichotomy. These too are very important distinctions. There are millions of people who follow teaching and they do so right on a path directly to their own destruction. There are many Christians who do this. The entirety of the Jews us Seminar espouses to the teachings of Christ but I think I'll be surprise if I see Robert Funk, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crosson, or John Shelby Spong or anyone who denies either the diety of Christ or his physical resurrection (or both in heaven. They follow the teachings.... and they do so to the degree of their belief. 

But I assume they are not the people you are talking about in this op. 

They would say they agree with Paul and they would say they are among those to whom Paul was writing, the saints. They would say the follow Christ's teaching. 

Yet I suspect Jesus will say something akin to Matthew 7:23. 

 

The teaching is not what bears fruit; Jesus and the Spirit bear the fruit. 

Be blessed in His love…

 

In the Beloved, Not me 

[Sower]

2 hours ago, Josheb said:

 

The teaching is not what bears fruit; Jesus and the Spirit bear the fruit

Strange, I always thought that we as branches who abide in the vine the True Vine the Lord Jesus Christ are the ones that bear fruit it is Jesus that produces the fruit as we abide that fruit is Born By Us Believers Abiding, and the fruit is for others. Jesus produced the fruit. As branches, we bear the fruit. Have I misunderstood all these many years.

[Alive]

38 minutes ago, Sower said:

Strange, I always thought that we as branches who abide in the vine the True Vine the Lord Jesus Christ are the ones that bear fruit it is Jesus that produces the fruit as we abide that fruit is Born By Us Believers Abiding, and the fruit is for others. Jesus produced the fruit. As branches, we bear the fruit. Have I misunderstood all these many years.

Yes…I dont think this is what Josh was speaking to. In fact, you have nailed it.

The point was life rather than a teaching being the mechanism for reality. Our understanding cannot produce fruit.

[Not me]

14 minutes ago, Alive said:

 

The point was life rather than a teaching being the mechanism for reality. Our understanding cannot produce fruit.

So, let me see if I understand you correctly…

The understanding of the teaching that life is the mechanism for reality, this produces fruit, and this, is a good and proper teaching?….

But the understanding of the teaching that was entrusted to produce freedom from sin and subsequently a slave to righteousness, this, can not produce the fruit that scripture says it can, because this, is not a good and proper teaching…

Most perplexing…

May the Spirit of Christ bear witness to the truth of the issue…

In Him, Not me