S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Everyone is a slave in the spiritual sense. We are either slaves to sin, which is our natural state, or we are slaves to Christ. The writers of the New Testament willingly declared their status as ...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Al Mari Supporter Private practice as a cardiovascular & thoracic surgeon

Slave to sin, to me, means being subject to (the consequence) sin, as a master. 

Since the "sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law" (I Cor. 15:56), it appears that death has a "hold" on all of us. "Death" is a surety for sinning. We are therefore "slave to sin" because whether we like it or not, death hangs on our heads. 

But thank God, Jesus' sacrifice and love for us saved us from death and "freed us from this consequence of sin". As in I Cor.15:55, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". 

Indeed, because of Christ, "Death is swallowed in victory (I Cor. 15:54). We are therefore "free" from that slavery.

November 21 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What does it mean to be a slave to sin?

Being a slave to sin means being in spiritual bondage, where a person is unable to resist sinful desires and behaviours, effectively submitting their will to sin as a master. It is a habitual, "sold under sin" state characterised by doing harmful acts that one may not actually want to do, leading to spiritual death rather than true freedom.

Aspects of being a slave to sin include:

Bondage of the Will: An enslaved person to sin lacks the power to stop doing wrong. As Romans 7:15, 19 describes, it is doing the very thing one hates and not doing the good one wants to do.

Habitual Practice: It is not merely an accidental sin, but a consistent "practice" or lifestyle of sinful choices.

A "Master" Relationship: The concept implies that everyone serves a master—either sin, which leads to death, or obedience (righteousness), which leads to life.

Separation from God: It is a state of being "sold under sin" and separated from the freedom found in righteousness.

Romans 6:1 ESV: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin?"

Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome about 56 C.E. Some of those Christians at that time appear to have had wrong ideas about God's mercy. Influenced by Greek philosophy, they may have reasoned that the more they sinned, the more they could benefit from God's forgiveness. (Romans 6:1) Others may have argued that they were not accountable for their errors because they were no longer under the Mosaic Law. (Romans 6:15) In his letter, Paul emphasises that Christians cannot benefit from God's mercy if they allow sin to dominate their lives.—Romans 6:12-14, 16.

Jesus himself said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34) The word "practices" implies a habitual, intentional and persistent pattern of behaviour. Sin is not just an occasional slip or stumble, but a deliberate choice to rebel against God and His commandments.

Movies, books, plays, TV programs​—peppered with materialistic, me-first, sexually oriented commercials—​promote the pursuit of unrestrained and uninhibited pleasure. The first sin makes the second easier, the third and fourth follow, and soon the plunge into worldliness is at full speed. 

Ultimately, those who are "lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God" become preoccupied with "planning for the desires of the flesh." (2 Timothy 3:4; Romans 13:14) Both old and young are swept into the jaws of sin, and their consciences become totally seared. "...who being past feeling, gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."​—Ephesians 4:19; 1 ESV.

Those determined not to be separated from God's love must fortify themselves against sin's grip on the fallen flesh. It is a formidable foe, as the Bible repeatedly stresses John 8:34 ESV. 

"Jesus answered them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin.'"

Conclusion:

Slavery to sin is an addiction that consumes a person's life. Sin is more addictive than any drug. 

Slavery to sin destroys a person's mind and makes it impossible to think in healthy, productive ways. Titus 1:15, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled, and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds, and their consciences are defiled."

3 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report