Unlimited: You Are Slaves of the One You Obey
Oct 24, 2022 657
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey (Romans 6:16a)
In the Roman world there were three ways in which you could be a slave: 1) you could be born a slave; 2) you could be forced to be a slave, for example by being captured in war; or 3) voluntarily surrendering yourself to a life of slavery. Although it was rare, it still happened. There were a number of reasons why someone may have chosen to do that in the Roman empire, including on account of great financial debts.
It’s natural that Paul’s talk about slavery grates with our modern cultural sensibilities. An important point is that Paul isn’t talking about someone who has no choice. He is talking about someone who chooses to become a slave.
Who is the one you obey?
Within our modern culture, the issue here is, to whom do you belong? Even those who think that they belong to no-one but themselves, are still at the complete mercy of a myriad of powerful forces in our society that shape our understanding of ourselves, of others, and the world around us. The notion that we are ever completely free is a chimera. However, according to the Word of God, we are completely free in one thing: to choose to whom we will belong.
Spiritual Application
The reality is that we all belong to someone. To whom do you belong? How is that revealed in your life?
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