"Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever."
John 8:34 - 35 NKJV
Jesus is speaking about being a slave to sin and the dangers of clinging onto your sinful life. Socrates said, 'How can you call a man free when his pleasures rule over him.' Let that statement sink in for a moment. We are all sinners saved by grace, if we know Jesus. And we all have the ability to commit sin. In fact, probably daily. This obviously is not ideal but, with Jesus we are a work in progress (Phil 1:6). However, when a person blatantly commits the same sin over and over again, then that person is hooked on what this sin is, in fact, a slave to this sin.
William Barclay comments here: 'Sometimes when we are rebuked for doing something wrong, or warned against such a thing, our answer is, "Surely I can do what I like with my own life".
The thing is that those who sin are not doing what they like, they are doing what sin likes'
The Commentary to John, William Barclay
A sinful habit is likely to get such a grip on each of us and it is hard to break. If we are not careful, we end up liking what we shouldn't. We become slaves to our habits. But, Jesus offers us freedom. He knows that we will never be perfect until we meet with Him face to face. But, we can come very close. We do this by realising that this particular sin is taking over us and we need help. Jesus is our help and He will certainly help us to be in control of ourselves. But it is never easy. Something you want badly, is never easy but it is well worth the effort.
BibleRef.com comments on the subject of slaves to sin according to Jesus' comments in v35:
'Slaves—from the Greek term --meaning a "bondservant"—were the equivalent of employees in the ancient world. They lived in the master's house, and had a certain kind of relationship with the master. However, they were not actually part of the master's family. Eventually, these bondservants would leave, or be dismissed. Only the actual children of the master had a permanent right to live in the home. The classic example of this is found in , where Ishmael, Abraham's son through the servant Hagar, is dismissed from the home; his son Isaac, through his wife, remains. This, according to Jesus, applies to our spiritual relationship to God'.
Therefore, let us all be careful; sin is dangerous and can lead to us being a slave to sin. Therefore, let us heed the warning signs and accept the freedom that Jesus offered to each one of us 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.' Yes, you may well commit the sin again but, when you have Jesus on your side, He can help you to be free pretty quickly. For some it may be instant, for others it may be a lifetime. Just trust Him and come to Him now:
Lord Jesus, I have become a slave to sin and I want to release this sin to You, because You promise to set us free. Lord in Jesus of Nazereth's name, I claim your freedom now. Amen.
If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:
'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.
In Jesus' Name. Amen'
Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com
If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk
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