Free indeed…….
“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 9:34-36
If you are a slave, you do whatever your master demands—-you are not your own. Your master has absolute control over your life and your destiny and you have no real “place” or “seat” at the family table, so to speak. It’s bad to be a slave—but good to have a place in the family.
I have never owned a slave, or course, nor have I met one, but did you know that 40,000,000 people still live in slavery. China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines and Russia still practice some sort of slavery. But in the ancient world 30%-40% of the world was in slavery! It was an economic means of life.
No sane person talks about the virtues of slavery—it was and is a bad thing. And in the context where Jesus uses it, “sin” is a slave-master of those who those who live apart from God. “Sin” (or Satan) does not want the best for you but instead pushes for your destruction. Sin’s purpose is to keep your from the table of God (the Father) and from becoming formal and legal part of the family.
If you think that “slavery to sin” does not in our society, consider those are “mastered” by alcohol, drugs, sex (porn, prostitution, etc), gluttony or their own egos—just to name a few. Once you become enslaved by a habit or hankering like this, it owns you. It’s funny, but most things that end up becoming and addiction or sin are, in the context of how God intended them to be used, gifts from the Father. But sin tempts us to have “it” all, right now, and with no restraint or respect the same standards we might expect of others. Sin causes us to “understand” or even wink at our own addictions or excesses, but show disgust and reproach at the failures of others.
So who is the master of my life? Sin (i.e. a self-centered existence that must have it now, with no limits) or God (a trusting relationship where I know that my Father will always have a place for me at the table)?
And note the promise: Once we turn to Jesus, we become freed from the slavery of sin and become a true a son or daughter—-forever! We never need to be a slave again—-we’re free to live the overflowing life He talked about and promised. Why would anyone want to be a slave (to sin) when they can be a child of the King of Kings?
Warmly,
Dean Barley
1945 Vineyard Road
Westfield, NC 27053
336 351 2070
www.vineyardcamp.com
Commentaires