Personal Reflections on If I Have to Submit Everything to Christ?

January 31st, 2026
by Aaron Guyett

"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."

Romans 6:16-18

It seems all too common to have encounters and conversations with Christians more than willing to worship fully, pray deeply, and exhort boldly in Christ on Sunday morning at church and Wednesday evening at Bible study, only to go about their daily lives in accordance to the world, seemingly slave to sin.

I have confessed this very thing in our family time, as we prayed together. Our prayers consist of adoration, and then confessing our sins, and then giving God thanks for His many blessings in our life, and lastly asking for His supplication in our life. My confession was, "Why am I walking out even just a part of my life in accordance with the deception of the deceiver, the metrics of the world, and enslavement to sin?" This fleshly part of my life rears its ugly head, when I am not submitting all of me and all of my life to Christ. My fallen nature so easily meanders off of the Lord's narrow path.

"Do I have to submit everything to Christ?"

Short answer, "yes."

This is the problem of total depravity in sin, and a life of sin prior to Christ's salvation. We often convince ourselves that we are submitting everything to Christ, only to find our minds and hearts coveting a neighbors (fill-in-the-blank), or being tempted by the images of a corrupted and hyper-sexualized and hyper-materialistic world.

Christ transforms your covetousness to consecrated celebration and joy-filled love of our neighbors, bringing them to the glory of God and the joy that is experience in the glory.

Christ transforms your temptation into strength to stand against the sex-traffickers and evil people behind the hyper-sexualization of our world and children.

Christ transforms your mental manipulation giving only when you have an income increase, into offering what you have now in total trust of what only God can know and do in His provision.

None of these transformations occur if we are still in slavery to our sin. Our peace and contentment and joy is wholly contingent upon Christ and Him ruling over our entire life--body, mind, spirit, strength, desires, hopes, and dreams. If the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has authority over heaven and earth, it would seem to be a simple task, and yet, we find ourselves continually tripping on our selfish desires and old fleshly rebellious ways.

Let those selfish thoughts and old fleshly rebellious ways, be the reminder that you are Christ's bondservant, and then kneel and submit in obedience to Christ Jesus our Lord in confession and repentance.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

Romans 6:15-19 (NKJV)

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.