Slaves To Sin - In Search Of A Better Tomorrow

Freedom from slavery to sin can happen after a person chooses Christ as their Savior, as doing so enables atonement of sins, reconciliation with God, justification, escape from hell, and the potential to live increasingly closer to a sanctified life, for those enslaved by sin.

Sin is rebellion against God’s holiness. It is “any thought, word, or action that goes against God’s will, His character, and His perfect standards.” Sin has separated man from God, damaging our relationship with Him. Sin is not just an action we do, but is a part of our human nature.

“All have sinned, falling short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). From Adam, we were born slaves to sin:

“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin’” (John 8:34).

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them” (2 Peter 2:19).

Slavery to Sin

Every human is born with a sin nature, and without divine intervention, will always be a slave to sin. Being a slave to sin involves “repeatedly making unrighteous choices despite desiring to do better’; being “obligated to follow the will of sin” as we have “no power to leave the ‘master’ of sin on our own.” Slaves to sin have no choice but to rebel against God.

Sin is a controlling, destructive, enslaving, addictive force that God never intended man to experience. Sin starts subtly and progressively tyrannizes us. Sin distorts human desires as “continual sin blinds our moral judgment, leading to harmful choices.” “Sin becomes a habit; the more we indulge in it, the greater our struggle to break free from its stranglehold”. Finally, “sin hinders man from receiving God’s blessings” as sin separated man from God.

Sin has also broken or caused strain on countless human relationships, as our sins often harm others.

Sin undermines self-esteem and identity, as people often feel shame and guilt from the consequences of continually making bad choices. From broken relationships caused by sin, we often also feel the adverse effects of rejection on our self-esteem and identity.

Sin produces death, destruction, unstable conditions, fear, condemnation, brokenness, misery, heartache, pain, guilt, undermined identity, shame, anxiety, insecurity, disease, depression, hatred, and discontentment. As man increasingly sins, the more enslaved man is to sin’s consequences.

Sin disconnected man from God’s original perfect plan for humanity. Without divine intervention, sin will eventually destroy all of humanity over time as hearts become eviler, and man uses and invents more destructive tools than the atomic bomb to undermine human freedom.

The worst consequence of sin is eternity in hell in the afterlife, as the “wages of sin is death.”

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

God’s Response to Our Sins

God is perfectly righteous. If He ignored our sins, without demanding justice, God wouldn’t remain always fair and impartial to those whose sins have injured them, and His justice and goodness wouldn’t be operating within the realms of what is right and good. God’s perfect justice in punishing sin is an extension of His perfect righteousness. If God let sin go unpunished, He would no longer be righteous, and He would presumably be a slave of sin just as man is. And the flawed universe would be governed by a flawed god.

God not only hates sin because it is rebellion to His holiness, but also because it separates His beloved creation from Him, as God is perfectly holy and thus unable to abide with anyone who has sin. God doesn’t hate man; He loves His creation perfectly. He only detests sin. Thankfully, God is also full of mercy, forgiveness, and grace.

God pitied man, feeling intense sadness and sorrow for man’s brokenness, unhappiness, and predicament caused by man’s slavery to sin. God desperately desired every human to be no longer slaves to sin, for man’s and God’s broken relationship to be reconciled through the atonement of man’s sins. God also greatly wanted to adopt every sinner, regardless of their past, and make them children of God, desiring to rehabilitate the lives of all His future children through His perfect love, from the consequences that sin would bring upon their lives. Instead of hell, in which every man deserves, God desired man to experience heaven, spending eternity with God, enjoying an intimate love relationship with the Father, and giving them an inheritance. God didn’t need man; however, God is perfect love, and He perfectly loved man despite His holiness’ detestation of sin.

But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Forgiveness and justification are the basis of Christ’s sacrificial death”, which to those who believe are atoned of their sins and experience reconciliation with God, all because they have been forgiven of all of their sins, and justification, which mean “legally declared righteous” in God’s eyes (although we still daily sin) because Christ paid the punishment of all sins. Because we are forgiven and justified, we escape hell and become children of God, and will always be eternally loved, totally accepted, and completely forgiven when we sin in the future, from His perfect grace.

Christ’s blood sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty of all the sins of the world, in our place, satisfying the wrath of a holy God. For those who accept this gift of grace by God through faith and repentance will be now considered holy and acceptable in God’s eyes, will receive atonement of their sins, be legally declared justified by God, be reconciled to God, become children of God, will experience heaven and not hell in the afterlife, and are free from being slaves to sin.

Freedom From Slavery to Sin (Romans 6:5-7)

Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins, and resurrected, three days later. Those who accepted Christ as their Savior have figuratively died with Christ when Christ was crucified, and were resurrected with Christ when He resurrected.

Our old self, the one that likes to tyrannize us with sin, was spiritually crucified in the same manner Christ was physically crucified on the cross. When we got saved, God put to death our being slaves to sin.

We still have our sin nature in us, as we still have desires to sin. However, we are freed from the power of sin, in which we are never again compelled to sin. We only volunteer to choose to sin.

Our sins no longer have the same power over us as they once did. As Christians, we now have a new nature that desires to obey God and a Spirit that, when we surrender to it and let it guide our lives, empowers us not to sin.

Christians are dead to sin. Although a struggle, we still have a choice. We have the Spirit to lead and empower us not to sin.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Rely upon the Spirit daily not to sin so you won’t be enslaved by sin again.

We will still sin on occasion, as we won’t be wholly sanctified until heaven, but choose not to make sin a lifestyle choice.

Is God the punishing type of God?

God doesn’t punish daily the unbeliever for their sins; it’s the natural effects of sin that worsen life that do the punishing. God does, though, often allow our sins to worsen progressively, motivating us to repent and become a Christian. God may allow you to hit rock bottom if it leads to freedom from slavery to sin. Hell is only punishment His justice gives. On Earth, He chooses not to punish unbelievers as their sins deserve.

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9).

God is merciful and loving, but also holy and just. The world cannot remain free if a holy and just God becomes flawed because He ignores the sins of man. Someone has to pay the penalty of your sins. Let it be Christ and not you!

You don’t have to experience hell, live broken lives, or remain enslaved to sin any longer. The choice is up to you!

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