Enslaved and freed - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

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 6:17–18

Enslaved and freed
Kidnapped and abducted from Africa, put in heavy iron chains, taken by ship to other continents under the most terrible circumstances, offered for sale to brutal traders, forced to work by force: more than three million African slaves were sold to Brazil alone by Portuguese merchants in modern times. It was not until 1865 that slavery was abolished in the United States. Sadly, it is estimated that more than twenty million people worldwide still live in slave-like conditions today. What horror when we think of the fate of each individual represented by that number!

The Bible speaks of enslavement but it has nothing to do with external freedom. What is meant is the fact that we are compulsively subjected to our evil inclinations. Where does this compulsion to think, say or do evil come from? The cause is sin, an evil principle that dominates our thinking. This becomes evident early in human life, when young children deliberately defy their parents or do something wrong on purpose. That is why it is by no means an exaggeration when the Bible calls us “slaves of sin” (Romans 6:20). Only when we realise that we cannot free ourselves from this enslavement can God give us His liberating grace.

Jesus Christ liberates from sin. Whoever entrusts his life to Him experiences true freedom – freedom from sin. The Lord Jesus promises, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 3:31-4:12 · 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5