Written by Andria Irwin
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 Many passages in the Bible refer to a sinful state as a state of slavery. Only those who have truly been delivered from it know how true the comparison really is. Sinners are slaves.
Though a great deal of them are convinced they are living to please themselves, they are really only pleasing a cruel taskmaster named Satan. He holds the strings of their puppet and helps them accomplish his evil plans.
Every day, many wake up oppressed and unable to escape this dismal life. What started as just a simple act of rebellion for them has turned into an ugly, demanding monster. The monster must be cared for constantly, yet those who care for him worry each day that soon he will devour them.
When we as Christians finally realized how awful this was, we became tired of it. All we needed was a hope of escape and one day we found that hope in Christ. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
We then began to fight a war against our cruel taskmaster the devil when we sought salvation. It was a bloody battle in which many of our own desires were lost, but that served us well. Freedom always comes at a cost, but through His blood we were finally able to break free.
Christ has given us liberty– made us free, so that slavery is no longer our destiny. The day Christ delivered us from sin was truly our Independence Day, one to be celebrated for years to come. While we won’t be celebrating for 250 years, every day we wake up without sin should be a cause for worship no matter how long it’s been. No matter what country we live in or who controls it, we have the best kind of independence.
Now we have an easy yoke instead of a yoke of bondage. Christ truly describes the beneficial life of a Christian with these words in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We have a new Master, One who actually loves us. Let us always remember where we came from and never be entangled again with it.