We’re all Slaves. Who’s Your Master?

[Read Galatians 3:15-25]

One of the hardest things to get over for people who are wrestling with Christianity is the truth that we are all slaves (for the back story on this comment check out Romans 5:20-6:23).

If we are not believers we are slaves to sin and selfishness; we are chained to the law which was set up to reveal how far off the mark we really are. On the other hand, if we are believers we are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:19-20). Either way, we are slaves. There is never a time that we are completely autonomous; we are always subordinate to something.

Here’s the difference between our states before and after belief in Christ. Before we believed we were slaves to the law and the law itself was our task master. Therefore, when we broke any law, caused any injustice, wounded any friend, violated any principle it was ALWAYS counted against us. We were in a state of perpetual debit on an account that had started in the deficit.

Now, however, we are slaves to righteousness. We are still accountable to the same standard and as Paul says in Galatians 3:21, the law is not (and never was) opposed to the promise of God given to Abraham. The difference is that now when we break the law, cause an injustice, wound a friend or violate a principle it is placed on the back of the Crucified Savior, Jesus Christ. It is no longer counted against us, but against Him. And in His infinite wisdom, grace, mercy, love…we are counted righteous before God.

Before faith we were slaves to sin. After faith we are slaves to gratitude. We cannot repay Christ and we would take a wrong step if we tried, but we can serve Him. We can place our lives at His disposal and expect Him to use them. We can give Him our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. We are, in other words, free to be enslaved by Christ.