RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-12-16	What Does It Mean To Be A Slave to Sin? (Jn.8:34)
		Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. The kind of slavery Jesus had in mind was not physical, but slavery to sin (Ro.6:17-18). Jesus uses the analogy of a slave and his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master since he belongs to him. We are either slaves to sin, which is our natural unbelieving state, or we are slaves to Christ. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it. At least certainly not on our own. By the power of Christ over the power of sin, you have “been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Ro.6:18). Slaves obey their masters and have no will of their own, because they are in bondage to their masters will. An Unregenerate man is not free from himself. That is, he is not free from his sinful inclinations. Jesus' disciples belong to Him and want to do the things that please Him. We do this because Jesus has set us free from the slavery of sin. (Jn.8:36). Joh 8:36  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. While we were slaves to sin, even called enemies of God, He loved us and saved us from deserved wrath through His mercy (Ro.5:8-10). Romans 6 takes the idea of a slave and his master much further. As Christians we do not continue in habitual sin because we died to sin (Ro.6:4). Rom 6:4  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Since we know that our old self was crucified with Christ so our body of sin might be done away with, we should no longer live as slaves to sin (Ro.6:6). Rom 6:6  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Ro.6:11). As believers we are commanded to no longer let sin reign in our bodies. Rather we are to present ourselves to Him as instruments of righteousness (Ro.6:12-14). Paul tells us we are slaves to the one we obey. Either we are obedient to sin or we are obedient to righteousness (Ro.6:16-18). Paul in Romans 7 expressed how difficult it can be to not live in sin, even though he is a believer in Christ. We as Christians have been set free from the penalty of sin, yet we still live in the presence of sin. At least while we still live in this life. How can we be free from the power of sin? The Holy Spirit is given to believers the moment we come to faith in Christ (Ep.1:13-14). The presence of the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in our faith every day. He gives us the strength to resist sin more and more. He empowers us to not give in to temptation, and to live according to God's Word. Habitual sin will become more abhorrent to us. We find ourselves wanting to avoid anything that will hinder our fellowship with God. So being a slave to sin you are controlled by sin as your master. This is the condition of the unregenerate man. But we as believers in Jesus Christ are no longer controlled by sin. We have a new master, Jesus. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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