RomansSample

Choices

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! – Rom 6:15

If you were on a walk and you came to a fork in the path, you would have to choose whether to go left or right to be able to move forward. You wouldn’t be able to walk both paths at the same time. Neither would you be able to walk for some time on one path and some time on the other, because the further you went down your chosen path the further away you would get from the other one. It is impossible to go in two directions at the same time.

Our encounter with Christ is like that fork in the path – the path of our life. We were going merrily on our way and then when we met Christ, we had to choose which path we would take - to follow him or to continue to live for ourselves. We had to choose one or the other. We couldn’t have both because that would be like trying to walk on two divergent paths at the same time.

Now the further we travel along our chosen path of following God, the further away we get from the path of living in sin. We don’t need to be bound by law to keep from sinning. We will not sin - even if we have no law governing us - because that is not the path we are on. Yes, we may make mistakes, but sin will no longer be a way of life for us. In fact, if we still habitually sin even after encountering Christ, then we have chosen the wrong path and rather than grace, we will face judgment. As Heb 10:16 & 17 says, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

As Jesus said in Matt 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters.” We can’t be sinning and following God at the same time. If we choose God as our master, we will live in obedience to him. If we are not obeying God and living a life displeasing to him, that means we have chosen sin as our master (Rom 6:16).

And when we make our choice, we should also remember that our choices have consequences. Diverging paths lead to very different destinations. While salvation is God’s gift to us and cannot be earned, it is a gift that is given to those that choose the path of following God (Rom 6:22-23). Choosing the path of sin, on the other hand, will result in death or eternal separation from God. Where we end up depends on the path that we choose to take. It is our choice.

Are you heading in the right direction or have you strayed from the path? If you have strayed, what do you need to do to get back on track?