We will be what we will to be:
Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whither of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Will is our whole being active. Our minds are in it, our emotions are there, and our wills are the force within each person, which says, “I will do this.”
In this verse, “yield” is the action word.
Here, in Romans (Romans 6:13,16,19) it means: “to be at hand or ready to aid”.
It is a picture of a servant who is at the side of the master, ready to assist in any way.
(As David’s servants said to him,…
2 Samuel 15:15 “And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.”)
For as Christians, we have our blessed new nature which was placed within us at new birth. But we also have our old nature which would led us away from God. That makes the struggle (Galatians 5:16-17) we often feel within ourselves.
We forget, sometimes, that we are servants. (Some people think that they can rule their own destiny, but it is a false premise.)
We are all ruled by something, or Someone. For Christians, we should be ruled by Jesus Christ: His Will and His Word.
And this is what Paul is setting forth here:
We are servants of sin,….we choose some sort of sin,….and are under the power of that sin.
Or,
We are servants of righteousness,…..choosing to be obedient to the new life,……Christ’s life within.
And the way to choose His life, or righteousness; is to yield.
We yield to obedience to Him.
We must ask ourselves: Is Jesus Christ really necessary to me? Or could I get along without Him in my life?
Jesus Christ could change anything! But He desires most to change us into His likeness, and character.
He has given us our wills, and He has chosen that we must “yield” or be ready to give Him all the aid He requires to bring His Will to pass in, by and through me.
He would have us to be His servants and become the persons He will mold us into.
He wants heart-servants. Those that love Him.
Those that love to be with Him, in fellowship and in the work. (For He has a work of witness for all of us).
And to do this, we must exercise our wills, and yield.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 