gfs@uunet.uu.net (12/25/90)
Sons of God vs Slaves of God First, let me clarify something from my last posting, in the article titled "Why Today, Believing the 'Bible Alone', is Wrong". Last night, I read and reread what I had written, and put my finger on what was bothering me. I wrote: |... We work to rid ourselves of our own motivations, and simply |ask God with our whole mind, heart, soul and strength that whatever God wants |to use us for, whatever God wants to make happen through us, whatever |information, action or message God wants to make known by using our brains, |hands, feet, or mouths, that is what we want. We can think of nothing better, |we don't want to try to do better, and we totally accept all that God may |want us to do for Him in the world. | | This is the True Conversion. This is what it means to be a Son |of God. This is what it means to be truly 'born of the Spirit', this is |being Born Again. We are Born of God's Spirit and belong to Him as his |adopted Spirit children. This is how we truly call Jesus our Master. |Think about it in terms of slavery as we know it in human terms. We become |true slaves of God. | |Test your heart against this. When some people realize that this is what |we are really asked to be, a slave of God, they will recoil and say "No. |I am free. I will not be anyone's slave, not even God's. Give me liberty |or give me death." This is the ultimate sin if we really say it to God. |If you really have trouble with the concept of 'slave' then think of |total cooperation with God instead. The mistake I made was that the concept of 'slave' is indeed so full of pain and evil from our own modern day history that 'asked to be a slave of God' sounds downright awful. This is not what I was trying to say. First of all, in Jesus day, 'slave' had the concept more of a servent, or even employee. There was such a thing as an honorable slave, rather than the total human degredation we associate with slavery today. But the real point is we are not slaves anyway. What I was trying to say is that we ARE Sons of God, by Adoption of the Holy Spirit, being Born Again. Being good, loving sons and daughters of God, we act on our love for our Father by working hard. As true sons and daughters, we should honor and obey our Father, just as the Ten Commandments says. This is the key here, for to obey our Father, we are humble enough to 'act like a slave' and do whatever He asks of us, in perfect obedience. What is the difference you may ask? There is a big difference. At the end of the parable of the talents (or the silver pieces, as some Bibles have it), the good 'slave' (note they are called thus) is invited to the "banquet of the Father" to "share in the inheritance of the Sons of God". We are Sons. Our relationship with God is Father to Son (or Daughter). We may have to work hard, and we must be obedient children. A final point, it is written that "Jesus humbled himself to obey the Father's will, emptied himself to take the form of a slave" (paraphrase). Again, a core principle is that we are called to be like Jesus, no more, no less. If Jesus humbled himself to take the 'form of a slave' while being the most loved Son, should we not be as humble? This makes the distinction between the Father to Son loving obedience which is Jesus' yoke, even greater from our present yoke or slavery to sin. The slavery to sin is the dehumanizing, hateful kind. We can't compare yoke to yoke, since Jesus' is based on love, and the other is not. My sincerest apology for messing up a critical point. Sincerely, In Christ Greg Shay