Yield Yourselves unto God

Romans 6:12-14 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield you 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. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. 

‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body’ – here sin is pictured as a king or a tyrant, who has the soul passions, spirit faculties, and physical members of man under control, dominating his life. Let him not work or reign in the mortal body; give him no place or grounds for working in your being. Sin does not rule or ruin; sin rules and ruins. Wherever sin is, it will have more or less dominion.

‘Obey it in the lusts thereof’ – obey sin in its lusts. This further proves sin to be a real spiritual person ruling life. Sin itself has lusts other than the lusts of man. The lusts of sin are in reality the lusts of satan (John 8:44; Eph. 2:2-3; 1Jn. 2:17; 3:8). The lusts of man are his own creative powers depraved and corrupt (Jas. 1:14; 4:1, 3; 2Tim. 4:3; 1Pet. 4:2). They make up the basic Adamic nature. The same faculties that yield to sin can likewise yield to God and commit holy acts (6:13, 16, 18-20, 22; 8:1-13; Col. 3:5-10).

‘Neither yield you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin’ it is not sin to be tempted; the sin is in yielding (Jas. 1:13-15). While sin exists as satanic solicitation, it is satan’s lust and sin, not ours. When we yield, we make the Devil’s sin our own. The one tempted should obey James 4:7; 1Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 4:27. When man refuses, regardless of how strong the temptation is, no sin is possible (1Jn. 3:4; Jas. 1:13-15).

‘But yield yourselves unto God’ yield your will to God. Satan cannot force your will, and God will not, so the safe and normal thing is to will to do God’s will. ‘Instruments’ [Greek: hoplon] meaning weapons.

‘Sin shall not have dominion over you’ God delivers from sin at the new birth (2Cor. 5:17-18; 1Jn. 3:9; 5:1-4, 18), so if you become subject to it again, it is because of your choice (6:13).

‘For you are not under the law, but under grace’ you are not under the law that demands obedience, without giving power to obey. You are under grace that demands the same strict obedience to God, but gives free pardon for sins committed, not free to continue therein; and power to obey God in all things.