Not the Spirit of Slavery

[Sue J Love]

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:15-17 ESV)

Recap

Jesus Christ died on that cross to put our sins to death with him “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (v. 4). “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6). “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (vv. 13-14).

Jesus taught this. Paul taught this. And the other New Testament apostles taught this. This is the essence of the gospel of our salvation, that Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross so that we will now die with him to sin, thus leaving our sinful lifestyles behind us, and so that we will now follow our Lord in walks of surrender and in obedience to him and to his commands, by his grace, and in his power. Thus, if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

Our Present Reality

For Jesus Christ did not die on that cross just so that we can “get saved” and now have heaven guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. He died so that we will no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. For if we live according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not live with Him.

Yet even though this is what Jesus taught and that his New Testament apostles taught, many people today, in the name of Christ and of his gospel, are rejecting what they taught. They are “thumbing their noses” (showing disrespect, contempt, and defiance) at the teachings of the Scriptures which do not fit with their preferred lifestyles. They want the grace of God to cover their sins, but they do not want to adhere to his commands. For their minds are set on the flesh, which results in death and not in life in the Spirit.

So, rather than submitting to Jesus as Lord (Owner-Master), and rather than surrendering their will to the will of God the Father, they show contempt for God and for his commandments and for his gospel message. And they end up living double-minded lives where they profess outwardly faith in the Lord Jesus, but while they are living as the unfaithful, traitorous, and deceitful, some in sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, hating, abusing, and in malicious and despicable conduct in opposition to God and to his word.

But we who believe in Jesus Christ, in truth, did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. We received a spirit which enables us to forsake our sinful lifestyles and to now walk holy in all our conduct, in lives pleasing to our Lord, free from slavery (addiction) to sin. And this does not make us perfect in every way, but lack of perfection is no excuse for deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and against our fellow humans. For we are to be those who are dying daily to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord.

And what this teaches us here is that we are the children of God if we walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and if our minds are set on the Spirit and on the things of the Spirit, and not on the flesh, and if we are being led by the Spirit and not by the flesh, and provided that we suffer with Christ in order that we may also be glorified with him. And to suffer with him is to die with him to sin, to walk in obedience to his commands, and to suffer persecution for the sake of righteous living.

So, in essence, what all this is teaching us so far (from Romans 8:1-17) is that, to be in Christ, and to be in relationship with God, and to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, we must die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and we must walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. He must be our Lord whom we serve and obey with our lives, and we must no longer be those who serve and obey our sinful flesh, as a matter of practice, and in open defiance of God and of his commands.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

Not the Spirit of Slavery
An Original Work / February 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love