We embark on a profound study of what it means to be liberated from the shackles of sin and embrace a life of righteousness. With insights from across the New Testament, including the teachings of Jesus and the letters of Paul, listeners are guided through the essential steps of spiritual freedom brought about by obedience and baptism. Learn how the concepts of grace and truth illuminate the path to eternal life in Christ.
Hello friends, think with me about being set free. Isn’t that an awesome thought? And let’s not only think about it, let’s talk about it. Today from the International Gospel Hour, I’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you always to our J-Web for his kind words. And greetings and hello, everyone. It is an honor to have you join us today for our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. Thank you for the interest that you have in the things that be of God. And let’s begin our study together with a question. Have you ever seen an animal set free? Oh, my. Friends, they cannot escape fast enough. And I want you to think about the phrase, set free. That’s a great, awesome phrase. And let’s listen to this text from Romans 6, 16-18, that is written to the Christian. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God bethink that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered, and having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. May the Lord always bless us with the hearing, the reading, the hearing, and the application of His Word. Set free. Set free from sin. Now, friends, how were they set free from sin? How did they begin serving God instead of the world? Well, let’s make that our study today. But first, you know, friends, concerning our study with you, we love to help individuals in their study of the Word of God. not only by our broadcast here from International Gospel Hour, but both by mail, our Bible correspondence courses that we send out, and also a number of online opportunities. We have a wonderful study from our friends at the World Video Bible School, and here are the details, and we will return thereafter for our study today.
SPEAKER 02 :
Where did we come from? Looking for a purpose in life? Your answer to these fundamental questions is greatly affected by whether you believe in God, believe the Bible is true, and believe Jesus to be divine. Our friend and evangelist Rob Whitaker conducts a great study called Believe the Bible. Please allow us to send you the link and check it out. Just call toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, email, and just say Believe the Bible. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, email, and type Believe the Bible in the message blank. We will send the link right away.
SPEAKER 01 :
To be set free. Let’s talk about the power of divine truth. Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8, 31 and 32. A number of times on our broadcast, we like to begin with that scripture. Because, friends, we can know the truth. God has revealed through his word the power of divine truth. And when one knows the truth and obeys the truth, one will be free from sin. Now, from our lesson text of Romans 6, 16-18, they were set free from sin. After all, he told them that they would present themselves of slaves to obey, whether it’s the one of sin leading to death, that is the devil, or obedience leading to righteousness, which is Christ. And then he says, But God be thanked that though you were the slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered, and they became the slaves of righteousness. Literally, the slave or the bondservant. In other words, the slave will listen to the master. And the master, of course, is Jesus Christ. Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. You have to hold to the one and love the other, or hate the one, or hold to one and despise the other, or love the one and hate the other. It’s a rough paraphrase there of Matthew 6, verses 19-21. But we understand that we can only serve one master. Now, what I want to do, friends, is just back up for a moment here in Romans 6. Let’s note some things as we back up through the Scripture, what brought them to this freedom. What brought them to verses 16-18? Well, when we look at verse 14, Paul says, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not, or in the old King James Version, God forbid. So in verses 14 and 15, because of God’s grace, they were free. That is the grace of God that brings salvation that has appeared to all men, Titus 2.11. And he goes into verse 12, as Paul told Titus, that this grace teaching us that. It’s a teaching grace. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we shall live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. In other words, you come away from being a slave of sin to a slave of righteousness. And oh, the beautiful words of Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, as he told those Christians, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. It’s not of works, lest any man should boast, but rather you are saved due to God’s grace. And because of that grace that teaches us, we are obedient. Now we see that even more when we back up now to verses, or to rather verse 13. Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. You see, in verse 13, they had yielded themselves or chose to present themselves unto God. When we think about Galatians 2 and verse 20, when Paul said, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Let’s back up to verse 12. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in its lust. So from verse 12, sin no longer reigns because now Christ reigns in their lives as their King of kings and Lord of lords, 1 Timothy 6.15. Let’s back up a little more. How about verse 11 of Romans 6? Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Just like the Ephesians, friends, in Ephesians 2 and verse 1. You he has made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. We back up to verses 8 through 10 of Romans 6. Now, if we die with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Amen. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. We are dead with Christ, but we’re raised with Christ and now live unto God. Let’s go back a little more. Verse 7, For he who has died has been freed from sin. In verse 7, one is freed from sin. One is dead to sin. And we ask, dead from what? Well, again, dead from sin. Sin no longer buries the soul. The soul has overcome sin through the death of Christ in obedience to His will. You’re saying, well, you know, we’re with you there, Jeff, but what else? Let’s just go back and begin with verse 1 of Romans 6. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death, therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Friends, how is all this possible? How did we get to Romans 6, 16-18 as a servant of righteousness? Well, look at baptism. Look at the beautiful parallel of the death barrel and the resurrection of Christ. Friends, we are set free from sin when the old man is buried in baptism and we are raised to walk in newness of life. Let’s apply all this. They are freed from sin. They’re dead to sin. They’re living for Christ. They’re alive in Christ. Christ reigns in their lives. They yield to Christ because they have chosen Christ. And due to the grace of God, their lives are now living the right way. And one serves Christ. There is obedience to the truth that sets one free from sin. That’s Romans 6, 1-18. And to God be the glory. Hey friends, I’m going to defer to our J-Web. We’re talking about being saved from sin. Here’s an awesome Bible study that’s available by mail and online. Here is our J-Web.
SPEAKER 02 :
An additional Bible study by mail is now available from International Gospel Hour. It’s titled, God and Man, How to be Saved from Sin. This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man. And friends, like all materials, it’s free. Call us toll free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address and just say God and man. Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type God and man in the message box. Another Bible study that is free from IGH. And our friends at godandman.com. That’s god-and-man.com. And, you know, since you can’t see it, let me just spell that out for you. We’d love to hear from you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes, friends, we want to send you that study. It’s absolutely free, and I really appreciate Jay going through the explanation. You can get it online or by mail. We have shared this study, and we are delighted. Last I talked to those good folks, over 400 individuals obeyed the gospel. They were baptized into Jesus Christ, just like we studied today from Romans 6. Old friends, to be set free from sin should be our number one priority. Let us do so, and we’ll be glad to help you, and we’ll continue our studies together at another time. Thank you for joining me today here on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
SPEAKER 03 :
God be with you till we meet again.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com God be with you till we meet again.
