When Christ saves a soul, God does tremendous work in that person we do not always see. A new spiritual life will begin, and the old ways should be behind that person.
The old ways were before Christ. The new life results in much freedom and joy!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
Before people were saved, no matter who they were, they were enslaved. They may not have mindfully planned to be servants, but they were enslaved. They were:
Slaves to self.
People did whatever felt good to them. “Gimme, gimme, gimme,” was their selfish attitude. “Me first,” they lived. “Who cares what happens to others, just as long as I make out okay,” they believed.
Because of our selfishness, we are commanded: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: … 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Colossians 3:5-10)
“Die” (“mortify”, quit) your self-gratification and other acts of selfishness. Let the new creature in you live a life of freedom in Christ without self-centeredness!
Slaves to sin.
Before the Holy Spirit controlled one’s life, it was common to think:
- “Can’t live without that cigarette.”
- “I need a drink to think.”
- “I need to lie to cover up past lies…”
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34
See in the following verses what the lost did and what he is expected to do now that he is on the Heaven-side of Calvary:
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 With God’s help, we can put off our old ways and let the new person in us give us new freedom.
Slaves to sin’s fruits.
Do not be deceived; there is a price tag on all sins. AIDS and other diseases are often the wages of the sin of fornication, homosexuality, and adultery. Cirrhosis of the liver comes many times as a consequence of drinking. Lung cancer can come from defiling the temple with smoking. The sins of lying and dishonesty reap loneliness, being cut off from others, mental illness, and guilt. Consequences may be slow in coming, but there are often visual wages from iniquity.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7 Also: Romans 6:23.
Slaves to Satan’s whims.
Because an unsaved person is not a child of God, like many would have us believe, they obey their father, Satan.
“Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: …Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do .…” John 8:41-44 Also: Ezekiel 11:19-21. When we become born-again, we are born into the family of God, and we can obey our new Heavenly Father and have more freedom.
Slaves without hope of an eternity in Heaven.
There is a price tag on our “slavery” without Christ as one’s Saviour. That cost is one’s eternal life in the Lake of Fire.
“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23 Also: Ephesians 2:1-6.
There can be freedom from the “slavery of sin” which ruins so many. By acknowledging one’s sinnership and accepting God’s only Son’s death on the cross as payment for our sin, we can have God’s promise of Heaven and freedom from sin’s hold.
Even after being saved, the hard part is listening to the new Master and not the flesh. When we do let our new Master have control, we can be free in a way the unsaved world cannot even imagine. We can have a new life better than the one we had before Christ saved and changed us.
