From Chains to Choice: The Grace That Makes Us New

Some passages in Scripture speak soft and sweet. Romans 6:15–23 is not one of them. Paul talks plain, the way folks do up here when the wind is sharp and the truth needs saying. There’s no sugarcoating, no beating around the bush. He looks us in the eye and says: You’re serving something. Make sure it’s the right Master.

Grace Isn’t a Free Pass—It’s a New Power

Paul asks, “Are we to sin because we’re not under law but under grace?” And he answers it the way Mainers answer foolishness: Absolutely not.

Grace was never meant to be an excuse. It was meant to be an engine—something that actually changes the way we live. Before Christ, sin ran the show. It told us who we were, what we wanted, and where we were headed. And whether we admitted it or not, we obeyed.

But under grace, we get a new Master. A better One. A kinder One. A righteous One.

God doesn’t loosen the chains only to watch us wander off into the same old mess. He breaks them so we can walk in a whole new direction. Obedience isn’t about earning His approval—He’s already given that in Christ. It’s about living like someone who’s been truly rescued.

The Wages Are Real, and So Is the Gift

Paul puts it plain:
“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sin pays a steady wage. Always has. Always will. Doesn’t matter how pretty the temptation looks or how small the compromise feels—death is the paycheck.

But God isn’t running a wage system; He’s giving gifts. And the gift is life—real, deep, everlasting life through Jesus. You can’t earn it, save up for it, or put in enough good days to deserve it. You receive it the way you breathe in fresh Atlantic air—freely and fully.

Grace doesn’t make holiness optional; it makes holiness possible.

Bound to the One Who Sets Us Free

Paul uses a hard word—“slaves of righteousness.” And sure, it’s a word that carries weight, especially in a world with a history of deep wounds. But Paul isn’t being careless. He’s trying to help us see the whole truth: everybody belongs to something.

Total independence is a myth.
Self-rule is a mirage.
We’re always living under some authority—sin’s or God’s.

But here’s the good news: belonging to God is not bondage. It’s belonging to the only One who won’t use you, lie to you, or break you. His kind of ownership restores dignity instead of stripping it; it rebuilds the heart instead of crushing it.

In Christ, being “bound” doesn’t feel like chains—it feels like finally being held steady.

To the One Who Doesn’t Believe Yet

Maybe you hear “obedience” and think religion is a tight box, and you’re the one getting squeezed. But if you’re honest, you’d admit something else is already running your life. Approval. Comfort. Control. Pleasure. Fear. Success.

You’re not free. You’re just serving a quieter master.

Christ isn’t here to put you in a cage. He’s here to break the bars you’ve been living behind without even noticing.

To the Believer Who’s Too Comfortable With Sin

Paul asks, “What fruit were you getting then?” In other words: How’d that old life actually work out for you? The shame, the regret, the loneliness—it’s not worth crawling back to.

If God has set you free, don’t lie down in your old chains. Grace gives you better things to reach for now—better habits, better desires, better obedience, better joy.

Walking the Straight, Narrow Road

Legalism barks: Do more.
Licentiousness sighs: Do whatever.
But the gospel says: It is done.

So we live—not out of fear, not out of laziness, but out of gratitude. Out of clarity. Out of love for the One who hauled us out of the cold, lifted our chin, and called us His own.

And that’s enough to keep us steady.

Prayer for This Week

Lord, thank You for breaking sin’s power over me.
Teach me to live like someone who is truly free—
not drifting back into old patterns,
not trying to earn what You’ve already given,
but trusting You, obeying You,
and finding joy in belonging to You.
Make righteousness my new reflex
and holiness my growing desire.
Amen.