Greg Oliver

Romans 6:17-18 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.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

What a difference in us when we appropriately apply the word of God in baptism! The text leading up to verses 16 and 17 secures the faith of the Roman brethren not in the miracles of the apostleship or the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit but rather in the dedication of a faithful spirit to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus in baptism for the remission of sins.

Obeyed here means “to hear under (as a subordinate), i.e. to listen attentively; by implication, to heed or conform to a command or authority...” according to Strong’s. We can see the direct connection to baptism, in the evidence of God’s Word, at work in the lives of those Christians by the inspired writing of Paul. But shouldn’t we also see our own lives associated directly with these words as clearly as we can see the connection to theirs?

Of course we should! All too frequently though we shrug off our ability to conform to that same standard. We cast aside our ability to be just as remarkably different when we take an unresponsive attitude toward God’s Word, by claiming that we are not compelled or commanded to persevere in righteousness, in response to the instruction of the apostles and the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

Paul clearly establishes in the very first chapter of Romans that there is no shame in such a character sustaining righteousness as a result of an obedient heart. Paul is not referring to that large physical muscle that beats about every second, and forces blood through your body, as the focus of the response of your obedience. It is your intellect that is your real heart, as revealed in Proverbs 23:6-8: Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

When we contrast that disgusting picture with the one Paul has painted for us in the Roman letter, of the one who has heeded or conformed to the command and authority of the Lord and Savior, we can clearly see the Gospel has the power to make us not only “new creatures” and “alive from the dead” but also that the righteousness of Christ bears fruit in our lives, as we forsake the dominion of death and begin to live “unto God”.

Paul’s reasoning stands unswervingly in the face of unrighteousness declaring:

1) We must yield ourselves to God in obeying His doctrine or we cannot participate in His righteousness.

2) We must put off the old man of sin through repentance and baptism.

3) We must rise from the waters of baptism and begin a new, spiritually pure walk of righteousness.

4) We must obediently serve His will in the new life we have accepted and been given.

5) We must bear fruit unto holiness and remain faithful, enduring to the end.

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