Ephesians 2:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 2:8

“For by grace, you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8 

The Jews in Jesus’ time truly believed that by following the law completely, they would be saved.  They believed that as long as they did exactly what the law required, including the blood sacrifice for any sin they should commit, they would be good enough to be saved.  However, it is clear from our focus verse plus the next that this is not the case.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9.  We can do nothing to make right our rebellion.  Salvation is through grace alone.  Our works have nothing to do with it.

Unfortunately, too many live their lives as though this is still true.  They go to church simply because they believe they must.  They read the bible because they believe this is what a Christian is expected to do.  They say a prayer before every meal and bedtime because that is a tradition they have grown up with.  Also, when they think about whether they are saved, they think about what they did and do, not who they serve.

I remember a Pastor friend who was preaching one Sunday morning and he said the following which has stuck with me since I heard it.  “We do not go to church because we have to, we go because we get to.  We read the bible not because we have to, but because we get to.  And we pray not because we have to, but because we get to.”  These are things we do to fellowship with the one who saved us through His death burial and resurrection.  It is not by what we do, but what He did, and because we accepted this, we GET to fellowship with Him.

Again, let’s look at what James said.  “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? “James 2:14. Our works are the sign of the faith we have.  If we truly have given our lives over to Him, then we will desire to do the things He wants us to.  We do them not to be saved, but because we are saved.  Because we truly love Him.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  John 14:15. Also, remember James’s wording. “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17. So, summing this all up, Faith by itself, without the works to show the reality of our faith, is not true faith.  But also, works by themselves, without the faith in the works Christ did on the cross, are simply deeds alone with no reconciliation with God.

In closing, Paul lays out how salvation is attained.  “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10.  Works has nothing to do with it, they are simply the proof of our salvation through faith in Christ and His works.  Let us change our thoughts if we place works as a means rather than a sign of our acceptance of the grace God has for us.  Moreover, let us help those who believe works are relevant to our salvation understand what the bible actually says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9.  There is much freedom that comes from realizing that salvation is a gift of God we accept through faith alone.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Colossians 4:6

Verse of the Day Devotion Colossians 4:6

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.” –  Colossians 4:6

Paul here is giving instructions to the Church in Colossae about being a witness of what this Christian life is all about.  In verse 5 he speaks of how we should be around non-believers.  “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.” Colossians 4:5.  He starts by saying we are to be wise around those who are unbelievers.  We must understand that the Christian life isn’t only lived in Church or the prayer closet, but it also must be practical, lived-out Christianity, which lives wisely toward those who do not believe.  Back in the apostles time, distorted accounts of Christian conduct and belief were in circulation because of what so many who were against Christianity or had never come into contact with true believers thought.  And we are experiencing the same thing today. So many people have been fed lies and distortions regarding what true Christianity is.  Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we be wise as to how we speak and act around everyone.

Now, lets look at our focus verse.  “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.” Colossians 4:6.  Paul here is stating that everything we say to, and even that which unbelievers may overhear, should be spoken graciously.  This communication continues to have the dual purpose of defending one’s behavior as a believer and inviting others to accept Christ as their Savior. Continuing the instructions about how to relate to unbelievers, this admonition encourages believers to engage them with courtesy and kindness. Engagement with even hostile outsiders must reflect the new life that believers possess in Christ. Such exchanges must manifest the “new self” that we are.

Also, Paul states that our speech should always be “seasoned with salt”. The phrase seasoned with salt confirms the translation “gracious”, because this well-known idiom means “pleasing”.  “Seasoned with” among the Greeks, was the emblem of wit. Here the meaning seems to be, that our conversation should be seasoned with piety or grace in a way similar to that in which we employ salt in our food, which makes it wholesome and palatable. So with our conversation.  We see this idea in 1 Peter where it says, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:13-16.

We must be careful how we present ourselves to those in the world who are not believers.  The final phrase of verse 6 could be read as a directive that concerns only friendly inquiry into the substance of the faith. But given the immediately preceding reference to Paul’s imprisonment for the gospel and the whole letter’s recognition that the powers that control the cosmos also oppose Christ; this reading is unlikely. The readers’ gracious speech must be able to explain to outsiders, even the suspicious and hostile, why people in the church believe and act as they do. The form of the phrase imposes an obligation: we must know how necessary it is to give an answer. This exhortation applies to all members of the community; all must prepare to tell about their faith. And they must prepare to answer everyone. In light of the preceding household code, everyone includes unbelieving husbands, parents, and employers, as well as unbelieving wives, children, and employees. It may even extend to the visionaries, particularly those in places of authority over others who may be expected to pose sharp questions about what the church teaches and why.  We must follow with all we are the words of Paul to Timothy where he said, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:14-15.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

John 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion John 1:16   

“For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” – John 1:16 

John chapter one speaks of the promised Messiah coming into the world.  First, He is the Word who was from the beginning with God and in fact was God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.  And he eventually came into this world as the promised Messiah. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. Therefore, this one who has come to us is God in the form of man. John the Baptist spoke of Him saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” John 1:15. Now remember that John was born before Jesus was, therefore, his reference to Him having existed prior to himself must refer to ‘from the beginning’.

Then we see our focus verse. “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16. What does this mean? There are many interpretations as to what this means.  But after much time looking into this, I want to present this viewpoint. But we must first go into the Old Testament for some background.  First, God created the heavens and the earth.  Then He created all the animals and plant life, and ultimately man in His own image. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27. But man, disobeyed God and was then removed from the Garden of Eden and not allowed to return. Note, He did not kill them, but promised a way of reconciliation. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15.

Then God, as recorded in Genesis twenty, gave the Law to His people.  However, again they broke His Law. However, they were given the means of repentance by way of sacrifices.  There were two mandatory sacrifices regarding sin. The first was the sin offering. The purpose of the sin offering was to atone for sin and cleanse from defilement. And the other mandatory sacrifice was the trespass offering, and this sacrifice was exclusively a ram. The trespass offering was given as atonement for unintentional sins that required reimbursement to an offended party, and as a cleansing from defiling sins or physical maladies.

In all these instances, both regarding Adam and Eve and the Jewish people, God provided grace to His people. Adam and Eve were not killed, but they were removed from the garden. And with the sacrifices, He provided a means by which they could be forgiven. But only past sins, not future also.

And now back to our focus verse, “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16. In verse fourteen we read, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. We see here the Jesus, the Word who became flesh, was full of grace and truth. And it is through this truth that we understand God’s grace as exhibited by Jesus. Grace used to come via the works of the law and the sacrifices they made for sin, however, Jesus took on the work of salvation for us, and we do not need to do anything but believe and become Jesus’ follower.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

The primary focus is on this grace, as is evident in what follows the parenthetical reference in verse 15 to the Baptist’s witness. The Son is not simply full of grace; he has a fullness from which he shares with others. The verse reads literally, “For from his fullness we all (have) received even grace upon grace.” In part the image may be of an unending supply of grace like the water he will offer the Samaritan woman. The grace within the law was a grace that came through works. However, Jesus brings a grace that is a gift from God, which is infinitely greater than the former grace. This is a grace that we accept from Him which, in essence, replaces or ‘covers’ the grace that was offered before. This grace was technically offered from before creation for He knew we would fall. And remember what God spoke to Adam and Eve. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15. The Christ will address the enemy and defeat him, and because of this, He will provide the grace we need through His death.  This is grace upon grace we now have access to grace that goes beyond what we do, and through His death and resurrection, we can receive grace unimaginable; the grace which covers all sins, past and future, through His work which completes the overall work of grace.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

1 Peter 4:10

Verse of the Day Devotion:  1 Peter 4:10   

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” – 1 Peter 4:10

In this verse, Peter is telling Christians that God has given each of us at least one special gift for us to use in His service.  He does not list the types of gifts so we cannot tell if he is speaking of a specific gift or simply the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we know all Christians receive.  But whatever that gift is, it is given to us in order to serve the Church, meaning those who are Christians. 

And it is important though to remember we cannot control how God has distributed them out.  We can pray that God will give us certain gifts, but ultimately He is the one who decides how they will be disseminated.  And there are various spiritual gifts.  Paul said, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-5.  God chooses which gifts we will receive and what we will do in ministry.  What is important is that we all are given gifts for the purpose of serving God and the church.

And there are two different type of gifts.  The first, as seen in 1 Corinthians are the spiritual gifts.  These are stated as manifestations of the Spirit.  These being the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and the word of knowledge through the Spirit.  To some the working of miracles. To others the gift of faith, which is the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God’s promises.  An example of this may be those in places of persecution in countries which are adamantly against the Christian faith. And to some prophesy and  distinguishing of spirits, to some speaking in tongues, and to some the interpretation of tongues.  And these are needed gifts, or God would not give them today.  Some believe that tongues has ended, however the scriptures do not say anything like this, therefore we must be careful here.  God will provide any gift He deems necessary within the Church.

And second, some gifts He gives us are not any of the above but are important in His service.  For instance, the gift of public speaking or of  organization.  Maybe the gift of consolation or being able to understand what people are going through more than others.  These can be gifts that He gives us through interactions with people He has put in our path.  Sometimes He will give us natural gifts in order to serve His people, such as the gift and desire to cook, or clean, or caring for those who need care from another. Or possibly physical things such as Bibles to spread throughout the world, or food to give to Christians who are starving. Sometimes the gift can be a desire given to us for filling God’s peoples need. And in Ephesians, we see He gifts the Church with what is needed for the Body of Christ to grow in the Lord.  These gifts include but are not limited to prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. 

 In closing, God disperses His gifts as He chooses, for the benefit of the Body of Christ, and to help them be a witness to those who are not Christians, helping them become followers of Christ.  And the purpose of these gifts is to serve God and the Church  according to His calling to us.  Use the gifts you know God has given you.  If you are not sure what your gifts  are, pray that God will show you and follow His guidance.  As we get closer to the return of Christ, these gifts will become even more important in order to reach the lost and strengthen Christians in their walk. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 6:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 6:1 

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” – Romans 6:1

This is a question Paul asks no doubt in response to what he had said earlier in chapter 5.  “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21.  He starts by stating that the law came so sin may increase.  What he means by this is that we will be more aware of our sins.  “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”  Romans 7:12-13.  The law points out what is sin, not to deal with the sin.  That Christ did on the cross.

Going back to Romans 5:20, he says that where sin increases, grace also increases.  This is not addressing the unsaved.  For going on to verse 21 he says, “so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21.  First, note the wording in the beginning of this.  “so that. As sin reigned in death”.  This is a past tense statement.  Before we were saved, sin reigned in death.  But afterwards, grace reigns in righteousness.

Now, back to our focus verse.  The idea of this question is that if grace is a good thing, should  we continue in sin in order to increase grace?  His answer is “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:2.  Paul is extremely emphatic here.  If we are saved, than we have died to sin.  It should no longer have a hold on us.  It should not control us.  Sin should no longer be what we desire, but righteousness should be our goal.

It is important that we strive to rid sin from our lives.  We probably will stumble, but is should not be because we choose to perform a sinful act.  We must never choose to sin because we know God is merciful and gracious toward us.  John says that if we choose this route, than we are fooling ourselves.  “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” 1 John 1:6-7.  In essence, he is saying that if we think we are in fellowship with Him, and yet walk apart from Him in sin, we are lying and deceiving ourselves.  We cannot say that we are saved, love God, and follow His ways if we choose to sin thinking that His grace will take care of it. 

Jesus said the following that wipes out any possibility of it being true.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.  Choosing to sin because it is what we want to do is showing we truly do not love Him.  And if we do not love Him, then can we truly be saved?   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Ephesians 4:29

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 4:29 

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” – Ephesians 4:29     

In this verse, we see another area that Paul is telling the Church to avoid.  He calls them ‘unwholesome words.’  The word ‘unwholesome’ is the translation from the Greek word sapros which has the idea of words that are rotten, worthless (either literally or morally), bad, corrupt.  (From Strong’s Greek Concordance.) 

Some words that were acceptable in the past are not so now.  We need to be careful how we use older words where the meaning has either changed or has another meaning added to it.  As an example, think of the word “Tablet”.  It used to mean a flat piece of stone, clay or wood that has writing on it.  This definition still applies; however, a new meaning has been added to it, that being a general-purpose computer designed to be taken from place to place.  Another classic example of a word where its meaning has changed is found in a classic Christmas song, “Don we now our gay apparel”.  This word with its new definition will not have the same meaning to someone who is older.

We also must be careful that we do not speak in a way that can cause injury to a person’s name, fame, or the interest of another.  This includes gossiping or running down other people.  For instance, you see someone walking down the road and say things like, “Wow, he has no taste in clothing”, or “She is so ugly, no one would want her”. 

Now, these are just a couple of examples.  However, the general idea is we should not speak in any way that is obscene or anything that injures virtues, uplifts vices, or speaks negatively of anyone, including God.  Our speech should be full of grace and positivity.  “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” Colossians 4:6. 

Everything we say should always be said in a way the brings glory to God.  Any negative or profane words that come out from us, who are Christians and seen as such by others, will be looked at as hypocritical.  If we speak in an uplifting manner, never using words or phrases that can be interpreted as negative or profane, we can minister grace to those who hear us.  They will be encouraged and open to hearing the truth we speak about. 

If there is anything we are in the habit of saying that does not meet this criteria, then we need to pray that God will help us change the way we communicate with others.  The main thing is, as stated above, that everything we say should glorify God the Father, Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This will go far in helping our brothers and sister in Christ grow in the faith, and lead those who are not to see the reality of our faith and be open to accepting it.  Is this not our purpose here?  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 11:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 11:6 

“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” – Romans 11:6     

This is an important idea to keep our minds focused on.  I felt compelled today to discuss the idea of grace verses works.  Is works important?  Yes, but not to provide us with salvation.  There are many verses in scripture that speak of this truth.  First, we see it in our focus verse.  “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”  Romans 11:6.  Salvation is by grace, through the work of Christ, for we can do nothing, on our own, to address our sins.  It is a gift from God to sinful man.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. 

It is essential that we understand we cannot be justified by works.  “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”  Romans 3:20.  The problem with relying on the keeping of the law for justification is that it requires absolute perfection.  “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10.

So then, why should we be concerned about works?  It is not for justification, but for proof of your commitment to Him.  James puts it this way.  “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:14-17.  What he is essentially saying is this.  If you claim faith in God and the work of Christ on the cross, yet your actions and works do not show evidence of it, then we must question our faith.  Doing the work of God shows the proof of our faith.  It should show a life that desires to please God in all ways.

Is works important?  Absolutely.  It shows the world the reality of our faith.  This is vital in evangelism for if they see we live it out, they may be more willing to take a closer look rather than brush it off.  Let us be His hands and feet here on the earth in spreading the truth to a lost world and living it as proof of its reality and our faith in Christ.  Our works is not for our salvation, but to help others hear the truth and accept Christ.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Ephesians 1:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 1:7 

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” – Ephesians 1:7

This section of scripture starts with Paul declaring God our Father as blessed.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” “Ephesians 1:3-6. 

Let us look at these verses for a moment.  In verses 4 and 5, many take this to be evidence of Calvinism.  Calvinism is the idea that God chooses whom He will save, and ultimately whom He will not.  However, we were chosen because of God’s foreknowledge and not because He chose us for no reason.  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30.  The word here translated foreknew means exactly what it sounds like, knowing beforehand.  Now, the idea of ‘knowing’ is an intimate knowing, not just knowing of Him.  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” Matthew 7:21-23.

And this salvation, granted to all of us but accepted by but a few, is a free gift from the Father.  It is not  something we earn by working for it.  If that were the case, it would not be a gift but a payment for work performed.  And since no one can live a perfect life, except of course Jesus the Christ, we are unable to earn our salvation.  In this we have a reason to rejoice for He gave us what we needed, not what we earned.  But again, not all have accepted.

Now to our focus verse.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”  Ephesians 1:7.  What a beautiful verse.  This is a great cause for celebration for us who have accepted His work on our behalf.  First, we are redeemed through the blood of Christ.  He loved us so much, He was willing to send His only begotten son to die a torturous death to give us the salvation we had no access to except through His sacrifice.  The Son of God was willing to die on our behalf.  And through His death, we have received forgiveness of all our sins.  The penalty has been paid on our behalf.  It is as if we never committed them.  He did not have to do this, however, there is no greater love.  “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.  He gave Himself for us.  He is due all the glory, honor and praise we can give.  And I will add obedience.  “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:14. 

Christ gave His all for us, the least we can do is give our all to Him. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Romans 6:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 6:14 

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” – Romans 6:14   

Paul here is showing the Roman church they have a choice regarding what shall they follow.  They could be either a slave to sin or to God.  And the decision is based on whom they present themselves to.  Let us say that we have lost everything we have, and we are given a decision between two people as to whom we will serve.  One is a farmer, and the other is a building contractor.  Which ever one we choose, we must obey completely, for he becomes our master.  If we choose the farmer, then we submit to work in the field.  If the building contractor, then in the city.  We come under the rule of which ever one we choose.  Paul uses the same basic analogy.  “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” Romans 6:16. 

When we become a Christian, we have made Jesus our Lord.  Jesus said as much to the disciples in addressing a question asked by Peter.  When Jesus came to wash his feet, and Peter said no, Jesus responded by saying if He did not wash his feet, Peter would have no part with Him.  Peter responded by saying, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” John 13:9.  Then Jesus responds later by saying, “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.” John 13:13. Based on Jesus’ own words, He is our Lord, which also means our master. 

Also, our salvation is based not on the law, by obedience to it.  It is based on the grace of God.  We have sinned, and because of this the law is of no affect because the law requires a perfect adherence.  Grace is based on the favor and mercy of God.  The law is based on works.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.  Our salvation is a gift, not something we earn.  It is a gift from Him who paid the penalty for our sin. 

Now, if we give ourselves to God to be His servant and obey Him in every way submitting to His commands, we are no longer a slave to sin.  “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” Romans 6:22.  This is why Paul could say in our focus verse that sin no longer is master over us.  For at the time we truly commit ourselves to Christ, we renounce the mastery of sin.  And if sin is no longer our master, we must not obey it, but obey Christ.  This means we fight off the sin that tempts us, turning away from it and living a life pleasing to our new master, Jesus.  In essence obeying Him and rejecting and fleeing our old master, sin. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.