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Romans 6:16-20 – I Am A Slave
My ancestors were slaves. Taken from their home country, they were delivered to their new master. Their children became slaves, and their children’s children became slaves.
I am white. No, the few words above are not about white slavery, or black slavery, or any other kind of racial or nationalistic slavery. The few words above are not about injustice, prejudice or economics; nor about indignity or hopelessness. Instead the few words are meant to take us some place we don’t want to go, a place we would not choose to go, in order to make a point that we all need to know. We are slaves. We have no choice but to be slaves. There is no escape slavery.
Now here are the shocking truths. Although we have no choice but to be slaves, we are slaves by choice. That is the paradoxical truth of our lives.
Romans 6:16-20 HCSB Do you not know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey–either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? (17) But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, (18) and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. (19) I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. (20) For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.
If we are slaves of Christ, then we have willingly been taken from our home country and delivered to a new master, to a new home.
Colossians 1:13 HCSB He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,
We even encourage our children to become slaves like us.
Some are slaves of sin, through deceit and deception:
2 Peter 2:19 HCSB They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.
Others are slaves through self-deception:
John 8:31-34 HCSB So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. (32) You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (33) “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered Him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will become free’?” (34) Jesus responded, “I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
Paul gloried in his chosen slavery:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 HCSB (19) For although I am free from all people, I have made myself a slave to all, in order to win more people. (20) To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law–though I myself am not under the law–to win those under the law. (21) To those who are outside the law, like one outside the law–not being outside God’s law, but under the law of Christ–to win those outside the law. (22) To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. (23) Now I do all this because of the gospel, that I may become a partner in its benefits.
Paul simply followed his Savior’s example, an example we either choose to follow or reject:
Philippians 2:5-8 HCSB Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, (6) who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. (7) Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, (8) He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death–even to death on a cross.
All of this is said, not to diminish the condition of slaves in any culture, especially within American history. America’s history of slavery is referred to as America’s “Original Sin.” Spiritually, we are slaves by choice, not because of Adam’s original sin. Such is said to imprint upon our minds our true condition. We are slaves. The word slave (doulos) means,
“to completely and absolutely assign all personal rights over to the authority and will of another person; to be in a ‘permanent relation of servitude to another, his (the slave’s will swallowed up in the will of another (Trench); the permanent surrender of personal rights in a attitude of total submission.” (The Discovery Bible, pp.542-543)
Some translations choose instead the word servant or bond-servant. That sounds so much nicer, and less offensive. But it also sounds easier. And it also loses the impact of the mental wallop that comes with realizing we are slaves.
How often do we surrender to God’s will? How often do we sacrifice God’s will to our own, making it our slave and us the master?
The Holy Spirit purposely chose this word because in the first century of the Romans Empire slavery was as common as freedom. People became slaves through wars, debt, and birth. People understood what it meant to be a slave. It meant a total lack of self-will.
And that is what being a Christian or unbeliever is – paradoxically each self willingly choosing to give up free will. By our free will we give up our free will, and freely continue to live without free will unless we decide to take back our free will. And deciding that we again paradoxically give up our free will. That is the point of Romans 6:16-20. We are all slaves – either of righteousness of unrighteousness. We choose, but in choosing, we choose freedom from and enslavement to. We choose the only two choices. There is nothing in-between. We cannot be totally enslaved without freedom. And we cannot be totally free without enslavement.
Who is your master?
My ancestors were slaves. My children are slaves. I am a slave.
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