Tools for Righteousness

  

Have you ever considered your body a “tool” for righteousness?

That’s what the Apostle Paul teaches us to believe, and for good reason!

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:12-13 (I encourage you to read Romans 6 in its entirety.)

Most of us have never fully appreciated the awesome benefits of being “in Christ”. As Christians, we are to walk (live daily) in the newness of life provided for us because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As new-born believers, we, by our position in Christ, are “dead to sin” (Romans 6:2). What’s that mean? It means sin is no longer our master. We are not under its power any longer. We are free to live with the power of God giving us victory at each and every temptation. Verse 11 uses the word “reckon”. Most of us are country people–we know what that means don’t we? We “reckon” all the time! It means we count it as so; we agree. What is it that we “reckon”? That we are “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ”. Verse 12 says, “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body...” but rather we are to yield ourselves and our whole body “as instruments of righteousness unto God.” That is powerful my friend! My hands, my eyes, my feet, etc., are to be “tools” for God’s use in growing the Kingdom of God. My whole body is to be used for good, not evil.

The next time you are tempted with sin, remember; your eyes, your tongue, your hands, your whole body, is to be a tool for doing good. So use the “tools” you have at your disposal to do right. By doing so, you honor the God who saved you for His glory and His purpose.

The Pastor’s Pocket
Pastor Bruce Freeman