“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. “
Romans 6:20-22
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Our former condition was slavery to sin. Selfish desires directed our lives; we were under the power of evil without even knowing it. Righteousness was completely foreign to us, maybe even ridiculed. You might say we were out of control. From our perspective, we had no need of righteousness.
What were the results of this way of thinking and living? Jealousy, anger, resentment, harsh criticism, complaining, laziness, pride, foolishness, and impurity characterized us. We thought we had things together, but we were on a dead-end road. Desire for possessions and the pleasures of this world blinded us to our enslaved condition. Even when we reaped trouble and estrangement, we kept going our own way destined for death.
But now we have been set free. Sin is no longer master. A new owner has taken over, God Himself. This new master does something no earthly slave-owner could ever do: the lives of those in His service are transformed in such a way that leads to holiness, setting them apart for eternal purposes.
When sin is master, life is filled with selfishness which leads to death. When God is master, life becomes characterized by holiness, which leads to life eternal. This is a gift from God. We do not make ourselves holy. We do not earn eternal life. God is our Master, and we are privileged to live in His service, engaged in His work in this fallen world. This is our purpose as long as we have breath on this earth.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What things that you reaped as a former slave of sin are you now ashamed of?
- What benefits have you have reaped as a slave of God?
- Who is the master of your life today?
Church Reading Plan: Proverbs 15; Philippians 2