formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. [galatians 4:8]

 

we were all slaves to sin.

 

before we were awakened to eternal life in the blood of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, we were slaves to sin. for the galatians, if jews, it was to the ritual of the law. if gentiles, it was to the rituals of their pagan practices. in the same way, we could not choose to love or obey God because we only knew one master. sin. satan and his demonic forces were a large part of keeping us entrenched in it to be sure, but they were not responsible for our rebellion. our sin was on our own head, leading to our own condemnation, holding us captive under the wrath of God. we served it willingly as our king, with our time, thoughts, energy, money, and passion. are you still acting the slave to your si

Jesus answered them, “truly, trunly, i say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. [john 8:34]

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [eph 2:3]

put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. on account of these the wrath of God is coming. in these you too once walked, when you were living in them. [col 3:5-10]

do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? [rom 6:16]

but then we knew God!

 

in His great mercy, he did not give us over to our sin. he would have been perfectly just to do so. to pour out his wrath on our rebellion, to let us rot in our well deserved condemnation. but no, because of the great love with which he loved us, he looked on our helpless state and said, “mine.” he breathed new life, opened our eyes, called us to himself, and made us sons, co heirs with Christ of eternal life with him. this is Jesus’ prayer for us, to know the Father. are you seeking to know him more?

and this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [john 17:3]

all things have been delivered to me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. [matt 11:27]

that i may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible i may attain the resurrection from the dead. [phil 3:10-11]

 

now we are bondservants to Christ.

 

in the same way we willingly submitted to our sinful desires, now that we can see the beauty of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ, we willingly subject ourselves to that glory. to his character. to his satisfying way of life. we are his, and are free from slavery to sin, because we know his better way! we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!

this will lead to a life that looks radically different from those who are still enslaved to sin. radically loving, radically joyful, radically forgiving and patient, radically counting as loss the things of this world, with a radical mindset focused on eternal things. are you radically different? do you look like a bondservant to Christ?

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. [rom 7:6]

but thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. [romans 6:17–18]

now by this we know that we know him, if we keep His commandments. he who says, “i know him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. but whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. by this we know that we are in him. he who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as he walked. [1 John 2:3-6]

 

~ arwen eastman