Romans 6:20-23(NIV)
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the contol of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
King James Version uses the word servant instead of slave. Using www.blueletterbible.org I used the commentary and looked up the word for servant, here is what I found:
Word: Servant
Greek Transliteration: duoloo
Outline of Biblical Usage: 1) to make a slave of, reduce to bondage
2) metaph. give myself wholly to one's needs and service, make myself a bondman to him
Other scriptures using the same word (Remember the the word search was done with the KJV and the scripture is from the NIV):
Acts 7:6 God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
1Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
1Corinthians 9:19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
Galatians 4:3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
Titus 2:3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
2Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
I am not the best person and fail so often. I have hurt those closest to me and done harm to many yet He still loves me and forgives me if I ask of Him. I try to do better, I am learning and walking everyday. I fall, He pulls me up; I wonder from His path, yet He guides me back to it. I choose to walk, the best I can, according to His word leaning on him for all strength and guidance. I know I can't do anything myself so, I am His servant.
1 comment:
Thinking about all of this and especially the last scripture "for a man is slave to whatever has mastered him" I started thinking about what has mastered me. I thought maybe I am a slave to a critical spirit, or negativity, or selfishness and so on an so forth. Then this scripture came to me 1John4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." So who are we slaves to? If the one in you is greater then anything else we are a servant of God, for he is what has mastered us and is the most powerful!!!
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