Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
(Romans 6:13 NLT)
A violin in the hand of a beginner violinist is a very different instrument when it is put in the hands of an experienced violinist. The sound that emanates from the violin in a beginner’s hand can be difficult to listen to compared to the melodies of those from a well trained violinist with years of playing. Same instrument but what flows from it depends on the one who is controlling the strings.
Our Lives As Instruments
Our lives can be considered instruments too as Romans 6:13 states above; and the one in control of our lives, affects what our output looks like. Before surrendering our lives to Christ, we automatically allowed our sinful nature to be in control and the outflow of our lives reflected that in all its unrighteous ways. But when we saw our need to be saved from our life of sin and we acknowledged Jesus as our Saviour, we chose to put to death the old life and instead walk in the new life Jesus has given us; a life that plays a tune that seeks to live for the glory of God (Ephesians 4:22-24).
So as we finish up the year 2024, let’s reflect on what type of instrument we have been this year using Ephesians 4-5 as our mirror. Have we been that instrument that emanates the beautiful sounds of the righteousness of Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in our life? Or have the noises coming from us sound less like Him and more of the sinful nature that has made us instruments of wickedness and unrighteousness? You be the judge using the chart below that lists characteristics of instruments of wickedness vs instruments of righteousness.
| Instrument of Wickedness | Instrument of Righteousness |
| Callous | Speaking truth |
| Speaking falsehood | Doing honest work |
| Stealing | Sharing with others |
| Corrupt Talk/crude joking/obscenity | Kindness/goodness |
| Bitterness | Forgiving |
| Slander/gossip | Tenderhearted/compassion |
| Sexual immorality/impurity | Thanksgiving |
| Envy | Walking as children of light |
| Unwise choices | Walking in wisdom |
| Debauchery/drunkenness | Submitting to others in reverence for Christ |
A Timely Resolution
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, let us walk among our families, friends, neighbours, colleagues, acquaintances and the stranger on the street, as instruments of righteousness. Let our tunes and melodies be ones that bring hope and joy to so many who feel otherwise. Let’s choose to leave behind any ways that have caused us to be instruments of wickedness in 2024.
Let’s make it our resolution “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)
Considerations 