The slave of God (Part 3)
Today I will specifically talk about the spiritual meaning of the slave of God. The word "slave" sounds very bad because we all have a clear picture of a slave. When it comes to slave, we immediately see a man who exploits another against his will but the biblical explanation is just the opposite because we become slaves of God willingly and joyfully. I hope that at the end of this teaching many will understand that once we are saved, we are supposed to stop being slaves of sin and become slaves of God. Keep on reading this teaching until the end and you will have the desire to have your God not only as your Father but also as your Master.
Let us first read the scripture where Paul says that Christians are slaves of God: "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become SLAVES OF GOD, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life"(Romans 6: 20-22).
For those who are unaware of the history of slavery, a slave was bought and owned by his master. The first job of the master was to completely change the mentality of the slave. If the slave came from another country with a different language and a different culture, his master would force him to learn his language and completely forget the old one. The slave had to change his name and carry the first name of his master because he belonged to him and identified himself to him. The master did everything to make sure the slave was completely disconnected from his own country. In few words, the master wanted his slave to be a new creature so that the old things were completely forgotten and everything had become new.
This is exactly what happens when one is converted by accepting Jesus as the savior after the repentance of sins. Here is what the Bible says of the converted: " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new "(2 Corinthians 5: 17). If you are converted by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are supposed to get your mentality, your company, and your language changed. There are some places that you should not attend because you have changed the master. You were a slave of sin but today you are a slave of God. A slave decides nothing without consulting the opinion of his master. He has no power over his life because everything he owns belongs to his master. His master sends him where and when he wants. A slave is totally dependent on his master. As Paul wrote, we must totally rely on God who in addition to being our Father is also our Master.
The difference between a slave of man and a slave of God is that the slave of God is loved and protected by his Master who is also his Father while to slave of man is just exploited by his master.
To be continued in Part 4
Chris Ndikumana
