[16] "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey---whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? [17] But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. [18] You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
I was specifically focused on the word slave(s) in these verses. We normally understand the word slave to someone who is captive against their will, forced to serve someone or something completely against their will. However, the Greek word here is doulos and that term is more closely translated bond-servant. The key point is that it is not against the individuals will that they are in this position. One definition describes the bond-servant as "one who gives himself up to another's will". Reading verse 16 closely, it is apparent that Paul means exactly that as he describes the transaction as "you offer yourselves to someone as obedient bond-servants". In the remaining verses, we should understand that anytime the word slave is translated, it was actually the word Doulos, and should be understood as I just described, a willing bond-servant. For me this was important, as I could never see myself becoming a slave to righteousness, but can definitely see myself as a bond-servant of righteousness.
Secondly, Paul describes responsibility for sin as being our choice "you offer yourselves", and that is generally the correct understanding as far as I can tell. When we sin we are, of our own will, choosing to do something different than the will of God. We aren't forced to sin, and we bear responsibility for our sin. This is not a popular perspective these days of casting blame upon others. When something bad happens the first thing we tend to do, with our media leading the charge, is to ask who is to blame. From God's perspective the blame for our sin lies with us. There are the forces of the world, the flesh and the evil one, but we have free will, which is something that always brings back the responsibility for our actions onto our shoulders. We can be influenced by these other things, but at the heart of every sin is a choice we make. This is a huge theological topic and one that no one fully grasps, for it deals with the will of God, and His purposes which are things we can just vaguely understand, so I am just going to stop here, and say that I think Paul has it correct.
More important than any sin of mine is the salvation offered to me in Christ Jesus. Salvation and forgiveness, mercy and compassion are what I am choosing to embrace and think on. I am choosing now, of my free will, to make myself a bond-servant of God. I am choosing, and have been choosing daily for years, to give myself to His will, not mine. I am not perfect in this pursuit, but I am getting better every day, taking little steps in becoming more and more like Him. I choose to focus on the beauty of His grace and righteousness which wash over me. I choose to think on the wonders and majestic nature of God and His creation. I choose to try and represent Him to those I meet and those I have known for years. I choose to embrace my freedom from sin, purchased by Christ Jesus, and offer the rest of my life to Him, because I love Him. I have willing bound myself to Him, the King of Righteousness, for to know Him is eternal life (John 17:3).
Amen!
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