Modern Day Slavery

John 8:34-36

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 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. NIV

All who are born into this earth are born as slaves to sin for all have sinned. (See Romans 3:23) One of sin’s greatest deceptions is that sometimes it appears righteous.

There was a man who came to Jesus asking; "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" 17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 18: 16-22 NKJV

The rich man was totally focused on doing good things. He wanted Jesus to tell him which good deed was the magic bullet that would assure him of a place in God’s eternal kingdom. He was likely hoping Jesus would point to some good thing that he had done, or tell him what he could do, to enter into life. When Jesus began to run through the list of commandments I can imagine his hopes rising, yet there seemed to be a nagging lack of assurance. Then Jesus put his finger right on the very problem. "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

The rich man searched for fulfillment in wealth and possessions, yet his apparent emptiness caused him to come to Jesus. The Lord gave him the cure for lack of fulfillment but he chose to hold on and trust in earthly things. He could not trust in the promise of God above the things of this visible world. It proved that wealth was his master. Wealth is not evil in it self but it can become our slave master. Religion, in the same way, can be perverted to be nothing more than a cover for sin.

Sin will try to hide under a cover of good deeds. Jesus taught that sin begins in the heart and He used murder and adultery as examples. Matt 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. NKJV

In effect, Jesus was saying that the sin of anger is just as deadly as the act of murder. We rationalize it away because we did not commit the act, but who can argue with God? He is the only one who can truly define sin.

Again Jesus speaks of adultery; Matthew 5:27-29 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. NKJV


Recognizing Slavery

When Jesus spoke of the Son making them free, some in His audience were offended at His words. He was basically calling them slaves that needed to be set free.

John 8:33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?" NKJV

Not all who are actual descendants of Abraham are free from slavery: only those who trust and believe God’s promises, as did Abraham. Abraham believed that God would raise up a deliverer, the Messiah, to remove the sins of the people. There were some that claimed Abraham as their father but did not act at all like him. They were of their father, the devil, looking for opportunity to kill Jesus, the very deliverer that Abraham believed would come.

Slavery cloaks itself in a religious robe of good works but on the inside there is hatred, anger and a murdering spirit. These religious people were slaves to sin while claiming to be servants of God.

The only escape from slavery is to have a new father. We must be born again into the family of God. We become sons and daughters who remain in the Father’s house forever. Through the new birth we obtain a new inheritance. We inherit a righteous nature in place of the old sinful one. Freedom from slavery to sin comes by obeying our new master. We are no longer slaves to sin but servants of righteousness.