A few blogs ago I was writing about what it means to be a slave. We are slaves no matter what. We only get to choose if we will be slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6) Jesus talked about how we serve in a bit of a different way:
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
John 8:31-33 (NIV)
The Jewish rulers rejected the premise that they were slaves. (Although their claim that descendants of Abraham cannot be slaves must be metaphorical because I am sure they knew that the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt.) Jesus goes on to tell them that every human is in fact a slave:
34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
John 8:34 (NIV)
But if the truth sets us free, will we no longer be slaves - even slaves to righteousness as Paul implies? Well, Jesus says we are free if we know the truth. He says we will know the truth if we hold to his teaching. Isn’t that a restriction? Isn’t that just slavery by a gentler name? If freedom has conditions, is it really free? Freedom in the bible doesn’t mean that I am able to control my own destiny or to have things my way. The moment we try to take those things from God we just sell ourselves into slavery of sin. Biblical freedom is to be what we were created to be. Dr. Sheperd, my theology professor at Tyndale, likes to say that we are free like a train. If you remove a boulder from its tracks, it is free to move on the tracks like a train. It isn’t free to leave the tracks or fly like an airplane - it is free to be a train. We were created to serve, so Christ gives us the freedom to be slaves to the right master. Remember, Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty for our sin - he “redeemed ” us! That means he bought us. We are his.
Jesus only asks us to do things we were created for. Look at how he sums up the law:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV)
Jesus commands us to love him and love each other. That is what our innermost selves want to do anyway. If Jesus were the master of a dog he would tell it to eat, sleep, play and scratch. Jesus wants us to do what we were made to do.
We were made to love. Jesus’ commandments are only difficult to follow because we have a will corrupted by sin. He is redeeming that as well. The great thing about having Jesus as a master is he doesn’t call us to do arbitrary things that are against our nature. He calls us only to do those things that our true self, the image of God, wants to do anyway.
I hope these discussions have helped in the struggle to understand the analogy the Bible uses of us as slaves. Jesus doesn’t leave us with that analogy alone. The passage in John continues on to say:
35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:35-36 (NIV)
Mark Wallace
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
John 8:31-33 (NIV)
The Jewish rulers rejected the premise that they were slaves. (Although their claim that descendants of Abraham cannot be slaves must be metaphorical because I am sure they knew that the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt.) Jesus goes on to tell them that every human is in fact a slave:
34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
John 8:34 (NIV)
But if the truth sets us free, will we no longer be slaves - even slaves to righteousness as Paul implies? Well, Jesus says we are free if we know the truth. He says we will know the truth if we hold to his teaching. Isn’t that a restriction? Isn’t that just slavery by a gentler name? If freedom has conditions, is it really free? Freedom in the bible doesn’t mean that I am able to control my own destiny or to have things my way. The moment we try to take those things from God we just sell ourselves into slavery of sin. Biblical freedom is to be what we were created to be. Dr. Sheperd, my theology professor at Tyndale, likes to say that we are free like a train. If you remove a boulder from its tracks, it is free to move on the tracks like a train. It isn’t free to leave the tracks or fly like an airplane - it is free to be a train. We were created to serve, so Christ gives us the freedom to be slaves to the right master. Remember, Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty for our sin - he “redeemed ” us! That means he bought us. We are his.
Jesus only asks us to do things we were created for. Look at how he sums up the law:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV)
Jesus commands us to love him and love each other. That is what our innermost selves want to do anyway. If Jesus were the master of a dog he would tell it to eat, sleep, play and scratch. Jesus wants us to do what we were made to do.
We were made to love. Jesus’ commandments are only difficult to follow because we have a will corrupted by sin. He is redeeming that as well. The great thing about having Jesus as a master is he doesn’t call us to do arbitrary things that are against our nature. He calls us only to do those things that our true self, the image of God, wants to do anyway.
I hope these discussions have helped in the struggle to understand the analogy the Bible uses of us as slaves. Jesus doesn’t leave us with that analogy alone. The passage in John continues on to say:
35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:35-36 (NIV)
Mark Wallace
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