September 1

Servants of Sin

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. — John 8:34 BSB

The people who boast so much about their freedom are really slaves without realizing it. They look at a Christian with a kind of pity because he can’t do the things they indulge in. “Oh, I forgot! You can’t go to the theater; you can’t play cards; you can’t drink wine. You’re a Christian. I wouldn’t be so tied down; I want to be free.” So, they talk while enjoying their indulgences — calling it liberty! They don’t realize they are the slaves and that the Christians they pity are the ones who are truly free.

Everyone serves some master. The only difference is in who the master is. There’s no dishonor in having a master, as long as the master is worthy and able to lead us to glory. A Christian serves Christ, while those who live in sin serve sin. Christ is a blessed Master; serving Him leads to eternal glory. But what does sin do for its servants? What life has sin ever truly ennobled or lifted up?

There’s a story that one of the great prisons in this country was built by the prisoners themselves. They shaped the stones and built the walls that would later imprison them. There’s also the old legend of the man who forged a chain at the devil’s request, making it longer and longer, only to find himself bound by that same chain in the end. Sinners are everywhere building their own prisons and forging the chains that will bind them forever. We must be on guard against even the smallest sins — the gossamer threads of thought or habit that, if allowed to wrap around us, will one day become unbreakable chains.