No Longer Slaves of Sin

We don't think of ourselves as slaves or servants very of often do we? I know I don't! We like to think that we are in control of our lives and though we are Christians, it seems we often think we can do whatever we choose. It is so easy to allow things to become too important and lose focus of what really matters. As Christians, our purpose on earth is to bring glory to God and to enjoy Him. We are servants of the Lord, called to do His will. Romans 6 talks quite a bit about being alive in Christ as opposed to slaves of sin. Starting in verse 5 it says,

"for if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin."

Because of the sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb, we are freed from the burden of sin. We are given new life in Christ that we may walk with Him, not in fear of death. When the Lamb was slain and it's blood poured out, we were purchased from the clutches of sin. We are no longer salves to the master of sin, but servants to the Master of life. Being a slave means constant conforming of the will to that of the owner. Every moment of a slave's life is spent in doing what pleases the master. I think we sometimes lose sight of our role as servants of the Most High. We say we are His children, claiming the benefits and freedom we are given in Christ, and yet preferring to ignore the fact that we are indebted to our Liberator. Our lives are not our own.

First Cor. 4:1 says, "let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." Everyone is a servant to something. We either have been called to serve God, or we serve self, and in doing so serve Satan. Mathew 6:24 tells us, "no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Because of God's love for us, we were bought at a price, we received His undeserved grace. Romans 6 goes on to say in verse 16,

"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."

Who are we serving? Are we living for our own pleasure? Living to satisfy self and our fleshly desires, or are we daily striving to conform our will to be the same as that of our Master? Have we been captivated by the worldly hedonism, or are we living a life that says "not as I will, but as You will"? Do we surrender everything to His command? If we are freed from the bondage of sin and death, why do we chose to continue to live in it, reverting to our old ways, returning as "a dog to his own vomit" (Prov 26:11)?

Who do our actions show that we are serving?