Universal Slavery

Scripture: 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? 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 6:16-18

Observation: In his discussion of avoiding sin, Paul uses the metaphor of slavery (even saying he is speaking "in human terms" so others can understand the concept). He effectively states there are two forms of slavery - one in which we serve sin, or one in which we serve righteousness. In this, he is very clear ... everyone is a slave, and whatever you choose to give yourself over to on a daily basis is your master. As believers in Jesus, we are to give ourselves over to obedience in Jesus and thus be slaves to that righteous behavior. Those who are not believers give themselves over to the pursuits of sins, and become slaves to their lifestyle.

When I read things like this, I am haunted by conversations I have had with others. One type of conversation is from Christians who believe they used to be bound by sin but are now "free". Some of them reject the idea that they are now "slaves" to Christ - they are simply free - and thus easily stray. This is more of a maturity of faith issue and they will eventually grow and embrace Christ. The other conversation that truly chills me, though, is when a non-believer hates the "Christian lifestyle", stating that they are right now "free" in their lives and don't want to live under any ancient rules.

In society today, we see what that kind of "freedom" looks like: Terrible drug addictions that blow up lives, moral failings that destroy families, racial hate that tears apart communities, financial pursuits that removes self worth, ugly political fighting that erodes trust. The people who engage in this are truly slaves to it ... they structure their days to incorporate behaviors that align to these activities/attitudes/beliefs/interests/desires. They are slaves to a lifestyle, and don't even know it.

Application: I was once like that. Everything I did was done so that I could enjoy earthly pleasure and relax. It wasn't until that lifestyle started to erode as friends drifted away that I sought something better. I have tried, and I don't know how to communicate to others that they are in the same boat - that they are slaves to a lifestyle. Especially when I, too, am a slave to a lifestyle ... just one with a better payoff at the end and an awesome master! When they don't value that payoff, there is no useful discussion about the lifestyle.

And so again it comes down to a base belief by non-believers in whether or not they believe there is a God in heaven. Without that core tenant, there is not a lot of common ground to discuss slavery and freedom. So this is where so many conversations need to begin.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for non-believing friends, and specifically for them to be exposed to a basic understanding in your existence and the reality of life and death. From there, Lord, I am here to talk to them, and willing to be your mouth with your words. Please, send me. Amen.