“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a slave? Imagine being forced to stand in front of a bunch of rich people who want to buy a slave. You are waiting for someone to buy you so that you can work for them. You are probably watching their faces closely, trying to guess whether they are kind people or mean people. If they look kind, you will probably stand up straight, smile, and try to look your best, hoping to get them to choose you. If only you can look good enough, maybe you will be picked by a nice master instead of a nasty one.
But imagine that before you became a slave, you had been a thief and a liar. In fact, the reason you are now a slave is that the city guards had chased you through the villages because you had stolen something and lied about it. Imagine that, during the chase, you had tripped over a sharp rock with your bare foot and fallen right in a mud puddle. The guards had picked you up and dragged you here to the slave sale, and now you are covered in dripping mud, your hair looks like it was caught in a blender, and your bad foot has you limping. Even if you try to stand up straight and tall, you are pretty sure none of the nice people will want to buy you, looking like this. If a mean master chooses you, you will probably have a miserable life serving him. If no one buys you at all, you will be put to death as punishment for your crimes.
Can you imagine being in that situation? (We’ll find out what happens to you later.)
But, believe it or not, you are a slave too! You may not have to scrub dirt floors or serve grapes to a human master, but every person living is a “slave” to someone or something. Either you are a slave to the world, to your own flesh, and to the devil – or you are a slave to Jesus Christ.
Now some people think that if they serve themselves, they couldn’t possibly be a slave. But each of us is born into bondage (slavery). Without Jesus Christ, we are all born slaves to our own sinful flesh and to the father of lies, Satan himself. Satan is a vicious master. He hates people because God loves them, and Satan hates God. Satan will never again have a chance at freedom from his own slavery to self and sin – so he wants to wreck people by tempting them toward sin and away from God.
Let’s go back to the imaginary story of you as a slave in the market waiting to be bought. You are standing there, a thief and a liar, looking muddy and wounded, deserving death for what you have done. Suddenly, you see the kindest face ever! He looks at you, sees the terrible condition you are in, and you realize he must have heard what you did; he must know what a terrible person you really are. Your hopes fall. You understand that someone as kind as he is would never want you in his household.
You are shocked when this person calls the guards over. He tells them there is only one arrangement that could possibly pay the price for someone like you. He tells them to exchange you for his own son. The surprised guards take his son instead of you. His son is now a slave for sale, under the penalty of death, and they let you go. You go home with your new master, this kind man who traded his son for you. Wouldn’t you serve this kind master from the bottom of your heart? Wouldn’t you want to do everything you could to please him? Is there anyone or anything in the whole world that you would love more than you love your new master?
This is more of a true story than you might think! Adam sinned and brought all of us into slavery to sin. God sent His Son to pay the price of that sin, which was death and separation from God. When believers are bought with the blood of Christ, they become slaves to God instead of slaves to themselves or the world or the devil.
You must have one master or another, so which one would you rather have? God is the loving Master Who bought you even when you were vile and dirty and undeserving of anything but death. Satan wants us to get what we deserve: eternal death and separation from God. God freely offers us mercy: eternal life and His amazing love.
God loved us enough to purchase our redemption, freeing us from sin and self to serve Him.
My Response:
» Have I been choosing bondage to sin and self instead of serving a loving Master?
» How can I show my love and gratitude toward God for His gift of His Son?