EVERYBODY IS A SLAVE BUT IT IS YOUR CHOICE WHO YOU WILL SERVE

Published September 10, 2008

Did you know that the word “slave” is not in the Bible? The only time it is used is in Jeremiah 2:14. If you look that up in a King James Bible you will see it is in Italics. The reason it is italics is because the King James version of the Bible has the words that men added, usually to complete a thought during translation, in italics. The word “slave” was not in existence until middle 1200 A.D.. It came about because the Slavic people were the ones being made captive servants. The Bible calls people servants.
The importance of this is that today in the “modern world” people aren’t captives any more but they are still servants. If you are an employee you are servant to the company that you work for. If you own a company you are a servant to your clients and to your employees. Moms are servants to their children, dads to the family etc. But in the spiritual context we can only and are only servants to one of two masters, sin or God. If you would like, you are servant either to the Devil or to God. You choose! Does that seem harsh? Well who has rulership of this world? Let me remind you.
John 14: 30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
That is Jesus Christ talking. Who runs the show right now on earth? The Devil. Who has the power of death in this world? The Devil. Who is always wanting to take the place of God? Again it is the Devil. We think we are so modern and so knowledgeable that we completely dismiss the notion that there is a Devil or devil spirits and yet God’s Word continually declares that there is a Devil and devil spirits. We are off track. Either God is a liar or we don’t know as much as we think we do and perhaps it would be best to, once again, put God and His Word where they belong and that is in the forefront of our believing and lifestyle. We must choose who we will serve. This is an individual choice and it doesn’t matter where you are living or what situation you are in. This is a mental and spiritual decision.
Romans chapters five and six describe the state that we were in before Jesus Christ made a way out of the sin of this world and gave us the position and the ability to serve God and Jesus Christ.
You see when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden he committed treason and transferred his authority that God had given him to the Devil. That is why we are all born under or into sin. When Jesus Christ died, rose again seventy two hours later and accended into heaven He made a way for us to have the righteousness of God and gave us the ability to forget about the sinful things of this world and to follow Him.
Let me remind you what the definition of sin is. Sin is broken fellowship with God. When you are out of fellowship with God you sin. It is as simple as that. That is why Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, it was because He never went against the will of His Father, God.
Romans chapters five and six explain what condition we were in and what Jesus Christ made available. Once you see what He did for us and what the benefits of following Him are then it makes it easy to give up the things of this world.
Romans 5: 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
We were and still are ungodly until we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in hearts that God raised Him from the dead, never again to die.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
That’s right! We are saved from the wrath to come.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved (made whole) by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
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15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one (Adam); much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s (Adam’s)disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
By Adam all mankind lived in broaken fellowship (sin) from God. But, because of what Jesus Christ did and what we have when we do Romans 10:9 & 10, we are clean of that broken fellowship as if it were dead.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him (Jesus Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Shouldn’t we as Christians be doing the same? Let us foresake the lusts and greed of this world to follow Him.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
YOU CHOOSE WHO YOU ARE GOING TO SERVE.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants (slaves) to obey, his servants (slaves) ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What God wrought through Jesus Christ and in us gives us the righteousness of God but it is by what we do each and every day in our actions, in our talk and conversations and in our thinking that determines wether we serve sin (the Devil) or God. Isn’t it about time to get off the band wagon of sin and iniquity and start living in the glorious light of God and His Word?

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