Instruments of Righteousness (Romans 6:12–14)

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness, for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace.
– Romans 6:12–15

Is this not good news? For you and me today. For all who have trusted in Jesus, we are no longer under the power of sin.

Romans 6:12–15 Reminds Us We Are Under the Power of Grace, Not Law

Before we placed our faith in Jesus, we were slaves to sin, under its dominion. We had no power over sin in our lives. Yet God, in his mercy, opens our eyes to his grace in Jesus. And by the power of his Spirit, brought us to faith in him. Declared us righteous before him. And filled us with his Spirit so that now you and I are victors over sin. Sin does not have power over us. Satan does not have power over us.

To use language from John in 1 John, Greater is the one who’s in us than the one who’s in the world. So Paul writes in Romans 6:13, don’t present your bodies then to sin as instruments of sin for unrighteousness. No. Present yourself to God every day, all day long, as one who has been brought from death to life, from powerlessness against sin to dominion and power over sin. And so offer yourself to God and the members of your body to God as an instrument of righteousness knowing sin is not your master. You are now mastered by grace from God that saves you from sin all day long, not just for eternity, but today.

Romans 6:12–15 Encourages Us to Live in Victory Over Sin

So God, we pray, help us today to live in victory over sin. God, amidst all the ways each of us is prone to sin and temptation, we pray that today you would help us all day long to offer ourselves to you as instruments of righteousness, to offer the members of our body to you, our minds to you, our hearts to you, our words, our mouths to you, our actions to you as instruments for righteousness.

Rule us by your grace today, oh God, and help us to remember that we are not ruled by sin anymore. So help us to live in victory over sin all day long. And God, we pray for people around us who are enslaved to sin. God, we pray that you’d help us to proclaim the gospel and you would bring freedom today to people in our lives, through our sharing the gospel with them.

Prayer for the Nikhad Gadaria People

And God, we pray for this around the world. God, for 1.6 million Nikhad Gadaria people of India. No known followers of Jesus among them, 1.6 million people living under the dominion of sin, in need of a savior. God, please cause the gospel, the good news of your grace, to go to them. Set them free from sin by the power of Jesus the Savior.

We pray, help us as your church to faithfully get the gospel to them. God, we pray, please show your power over sin, your power to save, among the Nikhad Gadaria people of India. They’re in Uttar Pradesh. God, please, please, please save them. Bless those who are working to get the gospel to them. Oh God, glorify yourself by showering your grace upon the Nikhad Gadaria people of India. Even as we pray in our own lives today, help us to live as those who have been mastered by your grace and who have power by your Spirit in us. The Spirit of Jesus, who died on the cross and rose from the grave and defeated sin and death and Satan by his power in us. Use our bodies, and our lives as instruments of righteousness today. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.