COMMENTS
Our next step must be that of determining what God means by “bondage”
and “freedom”. Let’s check it out.
NOTES
The dictionary defines “bondage” as “the state of being under
the control of another person; the state of being under the control of a force
or influence or abstract power.” More
importantly, in John 8:34, Jesus said that “everyone who sins is a slave [in
bondage] to sin.” And 2 Peter 2:19 says
that “a man is a slave [in bondage] to whatever has mastered him.”
I believe that Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection,
bought our freedom from sin; and when we are reborn, we are born into that
Divine Liberty that only He can give.
However, as in all things, God has given us a choice. We can choose to live in His freedom, or we
can choose to listen to Satan’s lies and live in bondage.
I have a car sitting in my garage. I live about 12 miles from the nearest store
of any size. If I want to buy groceries,
I have a choice: (1) I can choose to act as if cars were never invented and walk to town, make my purchases, and then struggle to walk back home with them,
or (2) I can get in my car and drive to Kroger, make those same purchases, and
then load them in the car and drive back home.
God has invented a "car" for me, a vehicle that I can choose to use to live my
life in a better way. I can use that
vehicle (Christ’s power through the Holy Spirit living in me) to live in
freedom, or I can deny its existence and "walk" in sin (listen to Satan telling me that,
even though I’m a Christian, I’m unchanged).
When I continue to listen to Satan, I’m in
bondage, even though that car is sitting in my garage. I have access to freedom, but I’m choosing
bondage.
What does that bondage look like? It’s different for different people. I was a slave to insecurity. Christ offered me the freedom of confidence
in Him. I was a slave to the fear of
rejection. Christ offered me the freedom
of knowing I’m loved and accepted.
What has "mastered" you? What is Satan using from your old life to hold you captive? Look at your life, at the struggles you have;
and He will reveal where you need to experience freedom. You could be like I was (and still am when I
listen to the wrong voice) and struggle with insecurity or fear of rejection. Yours could be that you feel unloved,
unqualified, unappreciated, or unable to perform to the level you think you
should. You could have a fear of failure. Maybe you’re a slave to work or money or power. Maybe worrying is your
problem. Maybe your bondage is in the
form of a relationship—putting someone in your life above God. The potential list is way too long to even
try to include here, but God wants to talk with you personally about your life.
I realize that it’s difficult to think of these things as sin
because most of us think that’s “just the way I am”. That implies that we are stuck—that we cannot
change. We know that’s not true! In Christ’s power, we can do anything He
wants us to do (Philippians 4:13 Paraphrased).
So, what does He want us to do? He wants us to live like this is true
(because it is!):
“If we have been united with Him like
this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His
resurrection. For we know that our old
self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been
freed from sin.” (Romans 6:5-7)
In Jesus Christ, we have been freed from sin. Walk in the freedom He has provided for you!
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