1 Corinthians 7:21-24 

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. ²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

Trust

Who is the person you can trust, aside from your family members? You let that person borrow your car, and you trust that your car will be returned in good perfect condition. Now imagine this case: If he returned and your car is damaged, you don’t sense any regret of letting it borrowed. What do you call such attitude?

Sharing your things is kindness but not everything should be shared, right?

So, what is something you set apart exclusively for personal use only, and you don’t want others to borrow it? Someone may say, “I don’t want others to borrow my underarm deodorant.” Another said, “I don’t want others to borrow my shoes!” Well, that’s given. You don’t like your things to be contaminated; you don’t want to be contaminated by body odor of others or vice versa.

Aside from clothing, what is it that you exclusively use for yourself only, and you do not want to share with others? Someone does not want to lend his guitar to others; he does not want to feel sorry if anything accidentally happen. Fragile, breakable or delicate things are supposed to be taken care of, right? What do you prefer: To borrow or to lend? It declares in Deuteronomy 28:12-14,

¹² The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Can you strongly believe that the Lord will bless you abundantly when you honestly obey his commandments? First, ask yourself: “Do I seriously trust that godly commands are prescriptions of God to abundantly bless the obedient?”

When the Holy Spirit of truth reigns in our heart, he inspires us to believe that godly commands are prescriptions for blessing; he inspires us to obey them.

But we resist and ignore anything that comes from the Lord when sinful instinct dictates our heart. By faith in Christ, believers are not slaves of sin anymore.

1.  Slave

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 

The term “slave” pertains to a person who is controlled by a master; his labor and services to his master are not paid; he is very dependent on his master for everything he needs. His master dictates wholly and directly all his activities. In short and simple language, a slave person is the property of his master.

Slaves are the most deprived people in the society; in contrast, masters are the most privileged people in the society. Social status is not a requirement to be saved. Through faith in Christ Jesus, slave or master, anyone has opportunity to be saved from the eternal torture. God is not prejudiced about social status. It is by his grace that we are saved through faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

Slaves as well as their master can practice faith in Christ. Apostle Paul made it very clear that being a slave should not be a hindrance for Christianity. But he also encouraged slaves to gain their freedom if they have opportunity. Slaves are limited because their master controls their activities even marriage.

TV Show

There’s a TV Show about a nobleman who had a slave. The slave followed and served his master honestly. The slave and his master were like friends. One day, the slave wanted to marry a woman who is not a slave, but they cannot get married officially because the law of the land won’t allow slaves to marry anyone who is not a slave. The nobleman sensed the agony of his slave. So he gave his slave a certificate of release from slavery as wedding gift. Both the slave and his fiancée were so happy. Their marriage was legally recognized eventually.

Someone may argue, “I am not a slave; so, what is the point of studying about freedom from slavery?” Did you know that a group of singers had predicted that anyone can be slaved or imprisoned by his own device? Have you ever sang the song that declared, “We are all just prisoners here of our own device!”

Interestingly, someone said that his life is not complete without his device. Another one said that the first thing he does when he wakes up is to check his device. They can’t help but check their device while driving or even in the church.

If something controls you, you are a slave of that thing. Romans 6:16-18 says, ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Can you accept that everyone is a slave? One can be slave of his device, another one is a slave of sin, and we are slaves of Christ who freed us from sin.

Christ’s death on the cross was the payment for our freedom from sin. We are slaves of Christ logically. The Lord holds our freedom. When slaves accept Christ as Lord and Savior, they become freed persons. Similarly, anyone who was not a slave when he believes in Christ becomes slave of righteousness.

2.  Similarity

²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.

Personally, how do you interpret the phrase “The Lord’s freed person?” Does freedom mean that we can do whatever we desire? If we follow our desire, we’re dependent on our instinct. Naturally, human instinct is sinful. Do you agree that sin controls human desire? How can the Lord’s freed person be totally free?

Freed persons of the Lord become slaves of godly righteousness. Sinful nature can influence our desires. Spiritual maturity is necessity. Children don’t mature overnight. Similarly, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us mature spiritually.

So in anything we do, we are either controlled by Christ or by sin. If we do anything contrary to godly commands, sin has control our initiatives. But when empowered by the Holy Spirit of Christ, we are inspired to do things acceptable and pleasant to him. Then, we are persons freed from sin and slaves to Christ.
How strong do you believe that God knows if we are willing to obey him or not? Begrudging or delayed obedience has no enthusiasm to obey the Lord. It practically proves that sinful nature is still in control. But when the Holy Spirit produces enthusiasm or gladness in us, we gladly obey Christ as our master.

A slave of Christ is a freed person of the Lord, senses joyful enthusiasm. You are the Lord’s freed person and Christ’s slave if you obey him cheerfully.

Onesimus

Let’s reflect on Apostle Paul’s appeal for Onesimus in Philemon 11-16:

¹¹ Formerly he (Onesimus) was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. ¹² I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. ¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

What did Apostle Paul mean when he said that the formerly, Onesimus was useless to Philemon? Onesimus was former slave of Philemon, but he ran away and escaped. Was he enthusiastic as slave of Philemon? No! He wanted freedom from slavery. A runaway slave is useless to his master. In contrast, useful slaves gladly obey without any grudge; they are loyal to their master.

Similarly, if we sense enthusiasm in obeying our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, we become useful slaves to him. When sinful nature controls desire, there is begrudging resistance to the Lord. In contrast, when inspired by his Holy Spirit, there is enthusiasm to obey the Lord. Reflect on what it says in Colossians 3:17,

¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Students: Do you give thanks to the Lord when your studies are difficult? Do you give thanks to the Lord when employers assigned difficult tasks to you? During difficult concerns, do you give thanks to the Lord? We thank God when we sense joyful peace, right? It’s proper and acceptable to speak and act in the name of the Lord with thankful heart. Without joy, giving thanks is never easy.

Giving thanks to God during difficult struggles is transformational work of Christ as Lord of our life. Whatever we do may it be complicated or simple, we thank the Lord with gladness of heart when we are inspired by his Holy Spirit.

To be slaves of Christ, we obey him enthusiastically; in contrast, slaves to sin begrudgingly resist godly commands. Reflect personally: “Do you obey the Lord enthusiastically? Do you sense no resistance at all? Are you loyal slaves of Christ?” The term slaves of Christ can be degrading or humiliating to others. Slaves or freed person, we gladly obey the Lord in whatever situation we are in.

3.  Situation

²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

How do you interpret this passage? Christianity does not promote slavery. But Christianity won’t dictate practices of other culture. If there are believers who are slaves when God called them, we should pray that they may find opportunity to gain their freedom from their human master. So, slaves who come to believe in Christ are actually encouraged to gain freedom if opportunity presents itself.

Then, why are we advised to remain in the situation we are in when God called us? To remain as slaves to human beings all their life is personal choice.

Actually, Apostle Paul advised in Colossians 3:22-25, ²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Just imagine for while. You were born into a family of slaves. Or you were forced to become slaves because you have bills to pay. Then you are told: Obey you master with all your heart. Naturally, there’s resistance to obey difficult tasks. But when inspired by the Holy Spirit, we obey with all our heart enthusiastically.

For the sake of discussion, someone ask why does the Lord allow slavery? Slavery helps us understand that we can be enslaved by anything, like device.

Slavery may cause us to reflect and determine practically if we’re honestly dependent on God. The story of Joseph, the son of Jacob could enlighten us. The brothers of Joseph sold him to merchants, who sold him in Egypt as slave.

Joseph

Together, let us meditatively reflect on what it narrated in Genesis 39:2-5:

² The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 

Just imagine: Joseph was the favorite son of his father Jacob. Whatever he wished to do in his father’s home, he was free to do. In Egypt, he was a slave. It must be very difficult transition for him to become slave in a foreign country. He trusted that what happened was important episode of God’s plan for him. He told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Joseph served as catalyst, an agent of change in the life of the Israelites and the Egyptians. Difficult challenges of life cannot shake his faith in the Lord.

What is more difficult situation than being a slave in a foreign country?

Do you consider your situation to be more difficult than being a slave?

Together, let us reflect on what it admonished us in Ephesians 3:16-19: ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Discover how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that you may testify of his grace and love.

As the Chairman of the Board presents the Annual Reports later, may all of us consider that life as Christ’s slaves is far better that the life of human slaves. We are bought at a price and we become freed person of the Lord and slaves of Christ. Let us seek enthusiasm from his Holy Spirit; let’s continue to serve him with all our heart in whatever we do or say and expect inheritance as reward.

Christ is coming sooner; may he find us faithful and devoted servants!

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