Slaves to Sons

Opening Scripture

Romans 6:16–23 NASB95

16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bought and Paid For

I know that in today’s world slavery has all of the negative attitudes and tones that it deserves. Make no mistake when I say that slavery in human terms has been around for a long time, at one point in time every nation under heaven has come into slavery from another, and while there are so many bad points that I could paint from slavery, today I want to talk about slavery as something that is unavoidable. What if I told you that no matter what you did you were going to be a slave to something, would you get mad at me and leave? Would you ask me what I mean. I’ll give you the long and short of it so not to labor it, from birth you have been saddled with sinfulness and are prone to sin, in some ways it seems like you can’t help but do sin, and the Bible says that you were a slave to sin. This means there was a price on your head. Now coming out of the 4th of July weekend you might feel like you’ve been steeped in freedom, however from the cradle you have been doing whatever you sinful heart desired and it is storing up wrath according to Scripture. Because the devil had tempted man and man fell the world has been the frontline for a war that we don’t see with our natural eyes. With that being said, this earth was under the influence and some say under the command of the enemy, then something amazing happened, the Lord showed up and paid the price of freedom.

Baffling the Religious

This idea is something that is so radical that it has always baffled the religious, let’s look at this example.

Mark 2:1–13 NASB95

1 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” 13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

I want you to look at that, Jesus, God with us steps in a says this is the way that I want to do it, and man argues with Him! How stupid can you be, the religious folk of the day, set out to try to disprove Him with the Scriptures, can’t do that because He’s the Word made Flesh, then they try to catch Him in His speech, but can’t do that because He’s perfect in all His ways.

So they do the only that they can do, they lie about Him, and in doing so show that they are bound to do sinfulness, even when they say they are doing the Lord’s work. Paul would echo this with his persecution of the church, he would zealously seek out to do what he thought was God’s will but it was anything but.

Ask yourself this, are the things that you believe about God routed in His Word or are the things that grandma taught and you bought?

So many things that we tend to hold onto were from loved ones teaching and they might not even be Scripture, now they might not be bad, but if it ain’t the Word you better be careful what you get caught up in.

Application: Slaves to Sons

Here’s the thing this can come off as misleading, everyone that writes an epistle in the NT is pretty much calling themselves a slave of Christ, this is not much of a stretch, Take UP MY YOKE, this is a term of servitude. A term of slavery, however what Jesus is talking about is how you go from servant, ie slave to son, and it is in the relationship you have with Jesus.

John 8:34–36 NASB95

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Think about that prodigal, how when he came home he came to be a servant, when he left to go home, in his mind he was just a hired hand, but as soon as he was in the Father’s arms he became the son again.

The relationship that we have with Jesus on this earth is for sure a servant-master relationship, but there is coming a day when we will be joint heirs with Him in glory! When the Father opens the book and with us standing in front Him all He sees is Jesus!