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Romans 6:17
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be
slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the
form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
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November
19 Thanks for Obedience
As Paul writes to the Romans, he is thankful
first and foremost for their salvation.
The people had heard the gospel, accepted it,
and now followed Jesus Christ.
Paul is also thankful for the obedience of
the Romans however. Many Christians
struggle with obedience. We are not
magically given the ability to obey at the
moment of salvation even though we are given the
Holy Spirit.
What does change at salvation is our desire
to sin. While we used to be slaves to sin
as Paul says, we now want to obey and do what is
right in God's eyes.
Obedience comes with practice. We have
to desire to do right and we must practice doing
right. What we can be thankful for is that
God does not leave us alone in our struggle with
sin.
We are given the Holy Spirit who helps us in
our struggle with sin. He is a guide to
remind us of what we have learned from God's
Word and to prompt us when we do wrong.
When we gain victory over an area of sin, we
need to thank God because it is only with the
help of the Holy Spirit that we are able. |
