What is the outcome of obeying God's gracious invitation?
Obeying God's gracious invitation results in righteousness and right standing with God, both now and for all eternity. The contrast is serving old Adam, which brings spiritual death. The choice is either obedience to grace, enjoying eternal right standing, or bondage to old Adam.
Les explains that being obedient to the invitation of God and His grace means enjoying righteousness—right standing with God—now and for all eternity. This stands opposite to serving old Adam and being under his control, which brings about spiritual death. Les presents it as an either/or choice: obedience to God's grace yields righteousness and eternal standing, while serving old Adam yields spiritual death. He also stresses that this truth is foreign to the common idea that people must do something, because no human works, baptisms, sacraments, or church memberships can accomplish what justification by faith and putting old Adam to death accomplish. It must be the work of the Creator God Himself.