What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:15-18
When a person reads about the promises that God gave to Abraham, it is understandable why so many nations hold to the claim they are descendants of Abraham. Not only do the Israelites (the 12 tribes that came through Abraham’s grandson Jacob) claim to be Abraham’s descendants, so do the Edomites and Moabites who came through Jacob’s brother Esau, and the Arab league comprised of around 22 Middle Eastern and North African states came through Abraham’s lineage through Keturah. Even spiritual lineage like Christians through faith in Jesus and Muslims though faith in Muhammad claim to be the descendants of Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-2 God promised Abraham, “Get out of your country and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation.” Then in Chapter 15 verse 5, God promised him ““Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them,” and He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”” God’s promise to Abraham has been fulfilled. Not many different people groups want to claim the heritage of the rest of the promises God gave to Abraham. In Genesis 12:2 God promised Abraham “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless them who bless you, and I will curse them who curse you.” The promise people are still fighting over is in verse 7, “To your descendants I will give this land.” This was all given to Abraham because he obeyed and it was counted to him as righteousness Genesis 15:6). Genesis 15 started with God encouraging Abraham not to be afraid because, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” No wonder there are still wars over who got the inheritance God promised Abraham. Not only did God define which land Abraham’s descendants were going to inherit, God also clarified which people group was going to inherit that specific land. Genesis 15:13 “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them for four hundred years.” This clarifies which of Abraham’s descendants were to receive the promises of God and the land. The Israelite nation, those who came through the lineage of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. Growing up in Sunday School like many of you, I never understood why the children Israel (Jacob) would “be strangers in a land (Egypt) that is not theirs and they will afflict them four hundred years. How could a people who were promised such an inheritance have to suffer such harsh treatment? Genesis 15:16 clarified more, “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Many scholars call this the cup of iniquity, a biblical metaphor to explain the effect of unrepentant sin has on a person or nation. The iniquities and unrepented sins are stored in a cup and when they reach a tipping point, divine judgement is triggered and poured out. God knew the Amorites were living in rebellion to Him and they would refuse to repent, causing the judgement. In Leviticus 18:25 God told the Israelites, “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and judgements and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.” I started to understand why the “iniquity of the Amorites” caused them to loose their lands and the obedient Israelites would soon take over the inheritance of the promise land, but I still struggles with the concept with God being a just God, why they children of Israel could not just take a long journey, but they ended up slaves in Egypt, The Children of Israel ended up going into Egypt during a time of famine that affected most of the known world. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and wanted to kill him, but ended up selling him to be a slave. Joseph ended up n Potiphar’s house and his righteous behavior caused him to become right under Potiphar until Potiphar’s wife found Joseph attractive and when he rejected her for God’s sake, she accused him of rape and he was put in Pharaoh’s prison. There he served many years until Pharaoh needed Joseph to interpret his dreams about the coming famine. Joseph was promoted again and this time he was second only to Pharaoh when his brothers came looking for grain. Pharaoh ended up giving Joseph the best land in Egypt, Goshen, for his brothers to live in. The next thing the Bible teaches is that they were slaves to the Egyptians. How does a person go from the blessing of the best lands (which they still had possession of when the great exodus took place) to be treated harshly as slaves? I understand the Egyptians taxed them unfairly and they ended up their slaves, but what I struggled with was what happened to the promises of God? He promised to make them great, to bless them and to be their exceeding great reward? Now they were slaves in a foreign country.
After Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land and right before he died, he admonished them, “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!” Joshua 24:14. Could it be that them serving as slaves was a direct result of them worshipping other gods? Ezekiel 20:7-8 makes the same reference, “Then said I unto them, “Each of you throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” But they rebelled against me and would not obey Me. They did not cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, “I will pour out of My fury against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.” They started out as slaves to sin in the spirit, and then became actual slaves to the Egyptians in the natural world. Sin enslaves people.
Too many in the church will argue that that was under the law and God is love and under the new covenant we are under grace. Apparently, Paul had people who believed the same thing. He asked in Romans “What then shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Hid answer was unapologetically “Certainly not!” The seeker friendly movement tried to soften sin and teach that God is love and He understands what you are going through. That is not biblical. Paul asked in Romans 6:2-3 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus wee baptized into His death? We are to crucify the old man of sin. Jesus said in John 8:34 “”Most Assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin." What a horrible thought for someone who thinks they are free, to realize they are a slave to sin. The young person that thinks they can handle the alcohol or drugs and finds themselves addicted to them. Or maybe the sexual immoral people who find themselves hooked on pornography. The “sanctified” church easily recognizes the enslavement others have to sin while completely being ignorant of the sin that has enslaved them. Does God still have first place in your heart and does it show by your time, money and affection? Do you lean unto your own understanding or do you acknowledge Him in all your ways? Then there are the sins the church does not think much about, unforgiveness, strife, wrath, hatred, envy, covetousness. Sin does not just enslave us now and take away the freedoms Jesus died to give us, it also affects where we spend eternity. Revelations 21:8 plainly states, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone.”
Jesus came to set the captives free. Isaiah 61:1 promises “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Jesus told those who believed Him in John 8:31-32 “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Too often it is the sins that are attached to an emotion that makes its way in and makes a stronghold that we are often unaware exists. Will you ask God to reveal any sin that has crept in and tried to ensnare you? The writer of Hebrews encourages the believer, “Let us lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” “The wages of sin is death, (Oh But!) the gift of God is eternal life. Don’t allow unconfessed sin to rob you of your inheritance in God! Much love! Cathy Nesmith