Exercising Our Freedom

Romans 6:11-17

After the slaves were freed, at the end of the Civil War, many former slaves did not understand that they were free to take what ever job they wanted. After celebrating their being declared free, they returned to the service of their master, often with no pay agreement. They simply didn’t consider themselves free, and some of the former masters took advantage of their feelings of slavery.

Satan is like an evil and abusive former master, taking every possible advantage. He will demand further service, creating fear, or anything else he can use, insisting that there is no way we can be free. He will also deceive, pretending to offer more than God to retain control. Like the freed slaves, we need to understand fully what as transpired, that we are free men, not slaves.

We have the ability to make choices, and just as the former slaves had the American legal system to defend their freedoms, the believer has the power of the Holy Spirit to support his freedom. By being baptized we have participated in the celebration of our freedom. It has declared our acceptance of that freedom. We just need to recognize and act on that freedom.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:11-14)

Once the slave was freed, he was free to choose who he wanted to work for, and what job he wanted to do. He could use his abilities to please an employer as he saw fit. He could leave if the employer became abusive. He was free to work for the same employer if he chose, but if he was not obligated to put up with abuse or lack of pay. To go back and serve as if he were a slave was to turn his back on what had been done for him. The same is true for the believer. To go back and live in sin implies we have no understanding or appreciation of what we have received. We are only enslaved by sin because we choose to be.

“What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” (Romans 6:15-17).

By believing what we heard and accepting Christ, we have been delivered from slavery to sin and death, as demonstrated by baptism. We have the freedom to choose to obey God, or to obey sin. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to exercise that choice. It would be pretty dumb to choose slavery because we’re used to it. We can choose who the boss is.

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” (Romans 6:18-20)

As a slave the pay was minimal or non existent. There was no opportunity to choose ones job or improve ones estate. Any improvement would come solely at the whim of the master. One could only do what he was ordered to do or face punishment for failure. As a natural man the same was true for us, but Christ freed us. Now we can do different things, and we can expect reward for what we have done. We have eternal life as a gift, that cannot be taken away. As slaves, the end result could only be death.

“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:21-23)