Christian Living

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“Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” - John 8:34

We all know about addictions, such as with alcohol, drugs, sex and relationships, gambling and the like. I believe there are also addictions like cutting, something that is epidemic among our young people.

The Bible calls addictions “bondage”, or “slavery”. Most, if not all, self-destructive behaviors have been described by many as having been “enslaved” by these behaviors. Many of these persons have given details of becoming addicted or enslaved by these practices once one acts upon the desire to commit to this practice, if even for the first time.

Many have discussed that a typical behavior of one who is addicted is denial. Scripture has a verse that reads much like one who is in denial of being in bondage.

“They answered Him, 'We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, “You will be made free”’?” - John 8:33

The Jews of Jesus' time seemed to have forgotten their history of having been enslaved by other nations. When one has read the Biblical history of the Jews there are many times where they were under the oppression of a foreign rule. Further study would reveal that this enslavement is a direct consequence of things the Jews had become entrapped by, like idolatry and sexual immorality. Even today there are many programs for sexual addictions. When one studies the traits of so-called co-dependence one can see the pattern is much like idolatry.

If this is the case we could say that the issue of idolatry gives clues to what could free a person enslaved by idolatry. What is idolatry but wrongful or inordinate worship of something not worthy of that worship? Co-dependence is a harmful practice of being overly dependent upon another human being to the point where that object of co-dependency is being worshiped or depended upon as if that person were a god.

One could say that the practice of any sin is actually a worship of that sin, or that sin is like a sacrificial offering to the one committing the sin, where the sinner has made themselves a god. What was the lie the serpent told Eve?

“Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” - Genesis 3:4-5

It should be also noted that when we are practicing an addictive behavior we know it to be evil, destructive. In our awareness of its being evil we will seek to hide the practice or justify it.

So suppose that sin is a worship of evil. Addictive sinful practices are an indication of a problem with worship, which is the word I use here to define obedience. Could it be that the answer to these addictive practices would be to re-focus the practice of worship by worshiping the right thing?

Or look at it in the sense of slavery or bondage. I refer back to the verse above at the beginning in this writing.

Now look at this:

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under 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.” - Romans 6:15-17

Is Paul saying something like the Bob Dylan song, “You gotta serve somebody”?

Here is truth: We are not free of anything. We are either enslaved by sin or we have made ourselves slaves to Christ. What we are enslaved by becomes our life. We will either serve sin or righteousness, as defined by the Person of Christ.

Now think about it: how is that many of us keep going back to old sinful patterns, even like those more everyday ones of fear, worry, anger and the like? Does it not seem like we are addicted to those things?

Are you now wanting to think much like that Jew in Christ's time, saying, “I will never be slave to anything”?

Even ask a believer that has been practicing righteousness for a few years. They are likely to tell you that once they made the choice to obey the Lord, they gradually found it easier to say “No” to sin. If they are completely honest with you they will tell you of times where once they gave back into old sinful practices they were immediately aware of returning to an old slavery. They were immediately back in bondage to that sin they had left. Sin/addiction/ bondage is that insidious.

So it could be said the whatever one worships they are serving what they are enslaved to, be it sin, addictions, Satan, self or Jesus Christ. Whatever one worships is that person's lord. That means that in good time one will find themselves living in the reign of that lord. If their Lord is Christ, heaven.

If not?...

I could ask a person, “What do you worship?” I can, in like manner ask, “What do you practice?” The answer for either question would have to be the same.

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