The Outcome of Our New Slavery

About this sermon

Introduction: The apostle has been teaching us about our salvation in human terms, because of our natural limitations. He has told us of the awesome reality of our salvation using the illustration of slavery. He has done this to remind us that the gospel of grace doesn’t lead to a sinful lifestyle. Such a lifestyle not only represents the unthinkable for someone who has been saved, it represents the impossible. *We did not come into this world as free people. We were born slaves of sin. *But we are not free from slavery right now either. We have become slaves of righteousness. We are the Lord’s freedmen, but that doesn’t mean we are without a Master; the Lord is our Master. -God has taken hold of us and He won’t let us go -Righteousness is what we have been yoked to, and the result will be our sanctification That is what we consider this morning in this 19th verse. What is the outcome of our new position? *We have seen the Christian’s position *We have seen how the Christian came to be in this position -By God -By Grace -By the Gospel And now this morning we see the results of this new position. OUR COURSE HAS BEEN SET This is the overarching lesson that Paul is teaching. This has been the point of the entire section. Do we really know, do we really understand, that we WILL BE conformed to the image of God’s Son? Do we really know and understand that everyone who is justified WILL BE sanctified, and WILL BE glorified? In the language of Ephesians 2:10, we are God’s workmanship, and we were created for good works which God prepared in advance that we would walk in. We were elected, chosen for good works. God “prepared beforehand” προετοιμάζω proetoimazo (προετοιμάζω, 4282), “to prepare beforehand” (pro, “before,” and No. 1), is used of good works which God “afore prepared,” for fulfillment by believers, Eph. 2:10, rv (kjv, “hath before ordained,” marg., “prepared”); of “vessels of mercy,” as “afore prepared” by God “unto glory,” Rom. 9:23. See ordain.¶ The good works that believers walk in are inevitable. God pre-planned it. The inevitability of the new course of life for a believer is the reason why the imagery of slavery is appropriate.