I’ve waited too long to post this. It’s a follow up to Are You a Slave? – a post that I wrote a couple of weeks ago. And it’s a much-needed follow-up.
You see, as a friend of mine – Martina, who blogs here – pointed out, the post was one-sided. And it was one-sided on purpose. The point of the post was that sin has no place in our lives, which is true.
However, as Martina pointed out in her comment, there are a number of God-relationship metaphors provided for us in Scripture – sons & daughters, lovers, servants, and so on. And, as she astutely pointed out, when we use the word “slave” it means something very specific to us.
A Person With No Choice
When we think of a slave, we think of a person who was taken against his or her will and enslaved. A person captured. A person controlled and completely lacking in rights. A person who is not even considered a person.
That, I think, very accurately describes how we lived when we were slaves to sin (or how we live if we are still slaves to sin). We don’t have a choice. It doesn’t really matter what we do – the end is the same. We die.
But that’s not the end of this story. Jesus gives us a choice.
Jesus Gives us a Choice
He says “Come to me, you who are weak and carry heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He gives us the choice to trade out our slavery to sin for the dignity of a new life as sons and daughters of God.
He takes the image of slave and converts it to “bond-servant.” You see, a bond-servant had a choice. A bond-servant chooses whom he or she will serve. We are given the choice to serve sin or righteousness.
We are made right with God – sons and daughters of God. That is true. But we still choose whether we will be slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. Whether we will do what sin requires of us, which leads to death (Romans 6:1-23). Or whether we will do what righteousness requires of us, which leads to victorious eternal life.
Here’s the Question
Are you a child of God? Have you been made right with him?
Are you living as a slave to sin or as a slave to righteousness?
