Slaves yet free

 
The phrase "freedom in bondage (slaves) to Christ" appeared in something I read recently. For those who've been around church for a while, this might make sense but to many it will seem confusing, even a bit daft. You'd think the terms "free" and "slaves" don't belong together. 

Definition of a slave: (i)A person who is the property of and wholly subject to another and forced to provide unpaid labour. (ii)A person entirely under the domination of some influence or person.

I felt the need to sit and consider this matter further, to be able to break this phrase down into something which might make more sense. 

So the word "slave" generally has negative connotations in the usually accepted sense since it implies coercion. However the quality of life of a slave necessarily depends on the character of the owner. Let's ask a few questions about being a slave to Christ. .

Q: If I am a slave, who owns me?

A: Jesus

Q: There is a cost to buying a slave - what did I cost? 

A: He paid with His life - nothing else was valuable enough. 

Q: Why did He do that?

A: Because He has loved me since before time began

Q: Again, Why?

A: Because otherwise my sin would condemn me to death unless the penalty, price, cost was paid. Jesus paid for that - a life for a life, so that I can spend eternity with him. (Another strange concept - He died, yet lives for ever. The tomb was empty because He had risen)

Q: So He says He owns me - what if I don't want to be owned by anyone but myself?

A: That's where the freedom bit comes in - despite the fact that I cost Him His life, He still allows me to choose whether or not to submit to that, whether or not to accept that I belong to Him. 

Q: If I decide that it's OK for Jesus to own me, is there then a set of rules to obey? And what's the punishment for not obeying?

A: The only rules Jesus ever said were (i) that we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and (ii) that we love our neighbour as ourselves. There is no direct penalty for failing, only that we move ourselves out of close fellowship with Him. We only need to repent and turn back to find Him waiting for us. 

Q: What are the benefits for me here and now?

A: Freedom! Freedom from the enemy of our souls (Satan), freedom from the bondage of sin, freedom to be who I am created to be. 

So I conclude that I am bought with the blood of Jesus who sacrificed Himself to purchase my freedom - before that I was a slave to the prince of this world (Satan) whether or not I was aware of that fact. There is no middle ground. It's one or the other. Denying the existence of God and of Satan doesn't make either of them go away. Because of what He did, Jesus technically owns me but leaves me free to choose whether or not to submit to that fact. 

As for me, I chose Him a long time ago and have never regretted it. I look forward to spending eternity in the presence of my Lord, Master, Saviour, Brother, Friend - starting now

Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God".

I thought of this verse whilst meditating on the Verse of the Day from my phone app. The verse was 1 Peter 5:6 

"If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands".

These verses demand some self-examination regarding our attitude towards God. For example, how often have we prayed,"God, if you will do.......... for me, then I will ............" (You can fill in the blanks).

Please know that our Sovereign Lord, gracious, merciful and loving God does not perform for favours. Oh we might dress it up as laying out a fleece (as in Giddeon), or looking for guidance, but let us be very careful we are not trying to bargain with God. 

Another worldly thought that can result in a creeping resentment towards God might be, "God I've been really good at/faithful in.........so surely I deserve ..............When do I get my reward?"

We must be very careful to understand that our salvation is through Jesus alone, His death in our place, His resurrection and His eventual return. We can do nothing to earn it, God can't love us anymore than He does. It doesn't depend on what we do or don't do. Our service to Him must be as a response to His love for us, not a means of earning it. But oh how the world's way of thinking creeps in if we're not careful!

How about this one:"My leadership team doesn't recognise me for all the hard work I put in. Why hasn't God prompted them to elevate me to a higher position? Are they not listening to Him?"

Jesus talked often of obedience, and the verse from Micah sums that up. What God desires from us is humble obedience to Him, and that we share His love, mercy and grace with those around us. Not so we gain reward, not as a tit-for-tat bargain. 

Though things might be difficult for us at present we have the promise that He will lift us up at the right time. Sometimes there is stuff we must endure - if it's not through our own disobedience, it will be to strengthen and refine us. 

We have the promised Holy Spirit within us - the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead! He will never leave us or forsake us, we are not abandoned or unrecognised in His Kingdom. He knows what we need, where we often only know what we want. He is faithful, trustworthy, compassionate, all-seeing, all-knowing, eternally loving. 

So let us make sure to check our response to Him. 

Have a blessed day. 💖