Are you a slave to God?

Beginning this day I was introduced to in a completely new way that I have never known before. As my inspiring teacher R.C. Sproul introduced me, this English translation does it no justice to what it is Paul is trying to convey. The original language translates the word ‘bond-servant’ from the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos). This word properly can mean both servant, but in this case through context it would better be translated as Slave. Shocking to me and us all, as we re-read through again we see a different picture. “Paul, a ‘slave’ of Jesus of Christ Jesus. I have never thought of myself as a slave to God, are you one?

The Title we have been so familiar with for Jesus is “Lord”, have you ever looked into the Greek of the word? The word rightfully is κύριος (kyrios); This has a few different translations and meanings. Such as Sir, a formal and respectful term toward one who exceeds in authority over you. Lord rightfully can also mean, Super-natural master over all, which he rightfully is! “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” as well as, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth”. But to properly make the point clearer “owner, one who owns or controls estate land and property such as slaves”.

SLAVE? ME? but in Christ I am set free!? how can this be???

Please remember the true words of our Lord Jesus in , “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” When we fall into the carnal and inward sins we become a slave to its chains and confines. Salves do not have their own say into what commands from their master they will follow today or not. We are under legal obligation to follow whichever master we are under. Who is your master? Jesus puts it very plain and simple; you serve one of two masters. Either God or your sin nature. "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” In this case made in the counter authority was money, but this isn’t just easily dismissed by saying “phew, money isn’t my master, I am clear”. Disturbingly the case can be made for all pervasive sin that infiltrates our lives, every Idol we make, whether imaginary or physical, this is no game.

Sin is a whole different ballgame where we don’t comprehend for far off we fall from God’s demand for a righteous lifestyle.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Romans & Galatians Major Themes and Theological Concerns

For a person like Paul, whose life has been immersed in Scripture, sin would be anything that falls short of the two all-encompassing biblical commandments—the commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deut 6:5), and the commandment to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves (Lev 19:18). So sin is defined as much by what people fail to do as by what they do.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

English Standard Version Chapter 19

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Isn’t it beautiful that Jesus didn’t even make up any new laws, just emphasized those that encompass all of the ten commandments so boldly and extravagantly. So how much more do we fall short from God’s standard when realizing that our failures to do what is right and lawful are presented as a witness to our already sinful and putrid souls. Remember those times where the Holy Spirit moved you with compassion for another to help in the most innocent and caring way, but because it got in the way of your regular time schedule you just walked passed them. Or such as the account Jesus shares with us of the Good Samaritan, Hmmm; how many times have we been the Levite or priest that walked passed the man who had been robbed and left for dead. WE FALL SHORT DAILY, we cannot escape the reality we are degenerate sinners and we are in such crucial need of a Savior if we are to stand in the presence of a HOLY and Righteous judge on our final day.

Glory your God, lift praises for the Holy One of Israel and all the World for He is merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. For He himself descended to atone for our wretched sin. The answer to sin lies in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through which God both forgives sins and provides the life-transforming power of his Spirit to overcome sin. As a result, Christians are freed from the power of sin and enabled to live a life of true goodness to God! Our predecessor Paul comprehended this magnificently as stated in ; “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

So we can be freed from our old sinful passions and now bear new fruit, delightful and scrumptious fruit of the Spirit whereby we can rejoice in The Lord and magnify His excellency! The freedom we have through Christ our beloved Lord gives us the free range to be freed from the horrid consequences of sin to be able to serve our Lord God. Service to Him is now the beautiful and glorious fulfillment of the laws mentioned earlier, Loving our God and loving our neighbor as our-selves. What is truly exciting is that how we put off the old man and it’s lusts is by trusting in Jesus that He will empower us to not fall back into our old sinful nature. But what really seals this even greater is that we have the freedom to Love God more than the fleeting passion that is tempting us in our current moment. As we read in Joseph wasn’t just simply “not feeling it” rather he had a stronger conviction to follow and love the Lord that he would confess, “He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Our Love God stirs in our hearts for Himself and His law, will overcome the temptations that may come back again time and time again.

Oh how my soul will rejoice in following your ways my Righteous God, faithful and true to all generations. Never have I to doubt of worry of injustice in you for you are always the same forevermore. Hallelujah!

This brings us to rejoice greater in knowing that as He fills our hearts with more love for Him and to follow His ways, He will also renew our sinful, lacking natures with a compassion for those “minor” or “mayor” helps we are presented with throughout our daily lives. He is whom we trust in to fill us with new heart’s desires and a new Spirit to obey, for we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to our Lord and God Jesus bar Joseph, who has purchased us with his blood, once and for all. for you were bought with a price!. So glorify God in your body.

Amen, Shalom.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Amen, Shalom.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Mohrlang, R., Gerald L. Borchert. (2007). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 14: Romans and Galatians (p. 16). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.us and to me I had to be told of the third vague and controversial meaning.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus