οὐκέτι δοῦλοι

οὐκέτι λέγω ὐμας δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος — κατὰ Ἰωάννην 15:15α

ouketi lego hymas doulous, hoti ho doulos ouk oiden ti poiei autou ho kyrios — kata Ioannen 15:15a

No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. - John 15:15a

Slavery is anathema to modern, enlightened cultures that pride themselves on individual independence. The abomination of man abusing power over his fellow man should be. Yet though we condemn slavery in its most obvious form, we embrace it in other less obvious but equally insidious forms: addiction, immorality, avarice, and wrath. Everyone who indulges in these commits sin, and as Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34a, ESV).

Paul reiterates Jesus' stark statement, writing, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods” (Galatians 4:8, ESV). The Greek word translated as “slave”, δοῦλος, indicates one born into slavery. Apart from the knowledge of God and His Word, we readily sell ourselves to anything but Him. We may not explicitly call what we devote all our time, thought, talent, and treasure as gods, but actions in this vein betray any feeble declarations of independence or irreligiosity.

In and of ourselves, we have no hope. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:4-7, ESV).

Thankfully, Christ prevailed over the world and its enslavements, even death, in His sacrifice and resurrection. If we accept this truth and the price paid for our freedom, then we will truly be free to become heirs of God's kingdom. Just as heirs are privileged to enjoy the inheritance which is set aside for them, we also are privileged to share in the glory which Christ shares with the Father. The apostle Paul writes, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:16-18, ESV).

Inheritance is not only a privilege. As Paul writes, followers of Christ should expect to share in Christ's suffering as well as His glory. Our motive for following Christ should not be the search of pleasure but the pursuit of God's kingdom and His righteousness. All those in Christ once sought after themselves and the decaying enticements of the world unto enmity with God, leading to death.

Despite its empty results, sin still entices. The apostle Paul had to admonish some of his slipping brothers and sisters in Christ , “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Galatians 4:9, ESV) We who follow Christ today must be equally mindful of the temptation to sin. Though no longer slaves to sin, we should use our freedom judiciously to avoid falling back into that slavery, according to the knowledge of the Father's will which Christ has given us through His Word in which He has enjoined us to remain.