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Freedom is something we cherish and protect. The very thought of another person owning us is horrifying. So why would anyone who is truly free ever willingly choose to become a slave? The answer may reveal something important about who—or what—is really in control of our lives.
Few words carry more horror than the word slavery. Our own nation bears the terrible scar of a time when human beings were bought, sold, beaten, separated from their families, and treated as property. Tragically, slavery did not begin in America, nor did it end here. Human trafficking and forced labor continue throughout the world today. Given a choice, no rational person would willingly surrender his freedom and say, “Make me your slave.” And yet St. Paul, who knew the reality of human slavery, willingly chose that very word to describe his complete surrender to Jesus Christ. Why would a free man willingly call himself a slave?
Many years ago, Rick Warren opened The Purpose Driven Life with four unforgettable words: “It’s not about you.” Those words collide head-on with much of what our culture tells us. We are encouraged to pursue what we want, protect our independence, satisfy our desires, and live life on our own terms. Yet St. Paul tells us something radically different: “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” (Romans 14:7)
Paul understood the meaning of slavery. He lived in a world where slavery was an everyday reality. Yet remarkably, Paul repeatedly chose that very word to describe his relationship with Jesus. He begins Romans by calling himself “a slave of Christ Jesus.” (Romans 1:1) Elsewhere he calls himself a slave of God. Paul was not confused about what the word meant. He chose it deliberately.
Christianity, however, does not stop with the image of servant and master. It proclaims something astonishingly greater. Through Jesus Christ, God invites us into His family. Paul tells us that we have received a spirit of adoption through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15) We are sons and daughters of God, heirs with Christ, and Jesus calls us His brothers, sisters, and friends.
Yet Paul, knowing all of this, willingly calls himself a slave of Christ. God did not impose slavery upon Paul. God made Paul a son, and Paul responded by surrendering himself completely to God. His slavery was not forced upon him. It was freely chosen out of love. This is the great Christian paradox: the beloved child freely chooses to become the servant of the Father who loves him.
That is willing enslavement.
But if we refuse to surrender ourselves to Christ, we don’t necessarily remain free. Paul warns that we can instead become slaves to sin. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey?” (Romans 6:16) Money can become our master. So can lust, alcohol, possessions, success, resentment, anger, pride, comfort, politics, our phones, or our endless desire for approval. Sin often begins by offering us a choice. Eventually, we may discover that what we once freely chose has taken away our ability to choose.
God will never force me to become His slave. Sin won’t ask my permission forever.
This is why Paul’s words from Roman’s are so challenging: “If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8) We belong to Him. My time, money, sexuality, possessions, ambitions, talents, suffering, plans, relationships, and even my remaining days belong to Him. Christianity is not simply about making room for Jesus somewhere in my life. It is the surrender of my life to Jesus.
I wrote the lyrics to the song, I AM YOURS, to amplify and accompany today’s message. I hope you enjoy it.
St. Augustine often spoke of the holy fear he felt knowing that one day he would have to give God an accounting of his service. He understood that belonging to Christ meant being accountable to Christ. One day, each of us will stand before the One who gave us everything and give an accounting of what we did with what He entrusted to us—including ourselves.
Perhaps, then, the real question is not whether we will serve a master, but which master we will serve. One promises freedom and eventually binds us. The other asks us to surrender everything and, in that surrender, sets us free. Jesus Christ has made us children of God, and because we are free, we can freely say: Lord, I belong entirely to You.
Heavenly Father, You have not called me a slave, but Your beloved child. Give me the grace to surrender myself willingly and completely to You. Free me from every sin, desire, possession, and worldly attachment that seeks to become my master. May everything I am and everything I have belong to You, so that when my earthly life is complete, I may give a good accounting of my service. Amen.
I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who attended my retreat at Holy Family Catholic Church is Hannibal, MO. on October 3rd. You made my wife and me feel very welcomed. It was a blessing to be with you!
AMDG
AMDG is a Latin abbreviation for “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” which means “For the Greater Glory of God.”
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Please take a moment to share your thoughts about today’s message below.
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