As mentioned previously “Christian Slavery” is a thoroughly biblical concept. Let me take a few minutes to walk us through the concept. Remember last week, Jesus said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (Jn. 8:34).
If you remember, the word “commits” is in the Greek present tense and indicates “continuous action.” For many, sin has become a “pattern of life,” and that pattern places a person in bondage, and they become slaves to sin. That person thinks that he/she is in charge of their life, when in reality, sin is in charge. In short, they are held in bondage to sin, and enslaved to it. In other words, sin becomes one’s master and owner. Anyone who has sin as their master is in total bondage and servitude. But Jesus also said,
“If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36).
The message of Jesus is clear: Only the Son, the One who embodies truth, can set you free, and if He does that, you are really free. But free from what? Freedom from both the penalty and power of sin. The process by which Jesus sets us free is called “Redemption.” Let’s take a closer look at this word.
The Greek word agorazo means “to buy” or “to purchase.” Interestingly, the root of this word, agora, means “marketplace.” Hence, the idea was that of purchasing something in the marketplace, and what was being purchased were slaves. When this concept is connected to the Greek word, lytroo, which is the ransom paid for the purchase of a slave, we get an idea of what it means to be redeemed. If we are, as Paul said, “sold into bondage to sin” (Rom. 7:14), then we need to be set free from that bondage, and that freedom comes through a purchase price which is called “redemption.” Peter tells us,
“We were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but by precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
God’s gift of redemption brings salvation from both sin’s oppression as well as it’s consequences. When a person experiences this freedom from sin’s oppression, they experience what Jesus meant when He said, “You shall be free indeed.” There is no reason for any redeemed Christian to return to their “old master” who is sin. We have a new Master, and that is Jesus Christ. Here is what the Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Church,
“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
God’s Spirit dwells within His temple, who is any person who has been redeemed by Christ. Paul continues,
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in you body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
We are no longer “our own” because we have been redeemed with a price, the blood of Jesus. Therefore, we have a new Master, and His name is Jesus. Murray Harris in his book, “Slave of Christ,” recognizes the profound paradox of a Christian who has been set free from slavery to sin only to become a slave to a new Master, Jesus Christ. Here is what he said,
“As soon as people are set free through Christ from slavery to sin, they enter a new permanent slavery to Christ. Indeed, the one slavery is terminated precisely in order to allow the other slavery to begin. While that emancipation happens individually, the persons who are freed are not isolated “slaves of Christ.” They form a worldwide community of fellow-slaves, all belonging to the one Master who purchased their freedom, and all committed to obeying and pleasing Him.”
Unlike sin, who is the cruelest and unjust of all masters, Jesus Christ is the perfect Master. He alone is the One who is loving, merciful, and gracious. Remember what Jesus said,
“My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:30).
Our freedom from the penalty and power of sin means that we are now free to follow God because sin no longer controls us. He is our Lord, the One who bought us from the slave market of sin. We are not free to wander in a moral vacuum, but free to allow righteousness to flow in and through out lives. As Paul says,
“…having been freed from sin, you become slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18).
One final question: How did the Apostle Paul see himself? And how did he consistently identify himself? Did you know that he identified himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ?” Just check the “greeting” on Paul’s letters. Many modern translations of the New Testament intentionally change the meaning of the Greek word “doulos” to “servant,” when it should be “slave.” Thinking of ourselves as “slaves” is not very PC, so to speak. A “servant” maintains his/her own independence and comes into the Master’s house or field from the village to work, but a “slave” is the property of the Master. Paul saw himself as being “owned” by Jesus Christ, because Paul saw himself as being “a slave who had been bought with a price.”
Friends, if you are a follower of Jesus, you have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. Therefore, we are called to serve our new Master freely and willingly, and yes, joyfully. If you have a problem obeying him, then you have an “ownership” problem. I’d like you to see yourself not only as a “child of God,” but also as a “slave of the King.” Both are compatible, and both are truly freeing.
God is looking for slaves who love to serve. Let’s live and serve as slaves who have been set free by Christ.
May the Lord bless you on this Independence Day, 2020.
