WHO IS YOUR MASTER? (Part 1)
We are all servants of someone. The question is not whether you will serve. The question is: Who will be your master?
WHO IS YOUR MASTER? (Part 1)
The book of Romans is a remarkable piece of literature. Paul teaches us about righteousness, holiness, sin, forgiveness, grace and so many other essential truths of our faith.
In Romans 6, he uses an unusual cultural image to help us understand the Christian life. He calls us slaves.
Paul could have used many other images. The Bible calls us children of God, heirs of the King and brothers and sisters in Christ. But Paul wants us to understand something very specific: we are servants of the One we obey.
J. Vernon McGee once wrote about a group of limos parked outside a club. The wealthy men who owned them were inside, while their chauffeurs stood outside talking together.
Eventually, one of the men came out and called to the group. One chauffeur immediately left the others, walked to the limo, opened the door for his employer and then took his place behind the wheel.
McGee said he knew immediately who that man served. How? He knew by watching whom the chauffeur obeyed.
The same is true of us.
We like to think of ourselves as completely free. But Paul reminds us that every one of us serves something. We are slaves to what we obey.
Before Christ, we were slaves to sin. Sin was our master and our obedience revealed it. But when we come to Christ, something changes. We are freed from sin’s authority and become servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:17–18
“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
So here is the question we need answer: Who are you obeying?
Your answer reveals your master.
You may call yourself free, but your obedience tells the real story. Are you still following your sinful nature, or are you surrendering your life to Christ?
We are all servants of someone. The question is not whether you will serve. The question is: Who will be your master?
