This is a good one. Are we slaves or free? A long-standing dogmatic and denominational question. Some believe that if you are baptized as a baby, you are saved for all time. Others believe that a person must make a choice as an adult or one who is of the age of accountability. Others think that you simply must ask Jesus into your heart and float on the “raft of grace” forever. Then there are those who think that works and the sacrament are the only way. What about the Sabbath? What about the laws of Adam, Noah, the Ten Commandments, or the plethora of commands of Jesus? And, obviously the list goes on. So, this goes into the deep discussion of “what is sin.” Throughout the Bible this is clearly defined, but do we truly abide by it?
Last time I checked (and I’m really good at that), God HATES sin, yet we are so consumed with our political correctness, the change of our verbiage to appease evil, trusting in government more than God, refusing to teach and preach the Gospel out of fear of losing command and control for money or power within our church community, or worse, making people think we are not “normal” or “cool” within the context of our generation. Quite honestly, I could care less. If someone wants to disagree with me, and I regularly invite that, then come armored with Scripture and we can have an intelligent discussion. So, these words from Jesus in John carry a ton of weight. Trust me, I’ve been in worse bondage that you could ever imagine, but the freedom in Christ is so intensely amazing, that I just don’t care about the noise or nonsense. I am beholden to no one but God and what He teaches me through the prayerful study of His Scripture.
Paul really leans in on this in his epistles and specifically in Romans. How is it possible to be free and yet simultaneously be a slave? I truly love this premise and will never waive from it. Religion has indeed been a crutch and/or a tool of control throughout the millennia, but I fully recognize the freedom I have every day in prayer and study of the Scripture. Jesus rides with me every day and it comes out in my words and actions. God is my absolute foundation. So, I fight every day as I have my entire life and how my parents taught me stand up and fight for Christ. Is it hard work? Oh, yeah. But could I ever see anything else I can imagine doing now that I answered the call? NEVER. I don’t ever wish to cajole or guilt anyone into what I know, I want to teach them and have them pray about it with sincerity. If they want to argue, I just provide Scriptural fact. If they want to fight, well then meet me on the back 40. I refuse to relent because of all that Jesus did for me on that cross. He is my rock. Trust me, I’ve been to hell and back more than a few times, and God my fortress and strength. Society and the demons of Satan are doing their utmost to destroy us and break our will. We cannot let that happen! Not on my watch! We are Ezra and Nehemiah manning the wall! I’m FREE and I choose to man that wall.
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