People don’t like the word slave and don’t want to be called someone’s slave. But in life, you will be someone’s slave. The question is, whose slave are you? Do you live after the flesh and do you belong to the darkness and are you a slave of the devil and do you listen and obey him or do you walk after the Spirit and do you belong to the Light and are you a slave of Jesus Christ and do you listen and obey Jesus Christ?
The allegory of Agar and Sarah
In Galatians 4:21-5:1, Paul gave the allegory of Agar and Sarah. Agar was a bondmaid (slave woman), and her child Ishmael was born after the flesh. Sarah was a free woman and her child Isaac was born by the promise of God.
This allegory of Agar and Sarah in the Bible, represents the old creation that is born in the flesh (the old covenant), and the new creation that is born of the promise, in Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit (the new covenant).
Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid (slave woman), the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou that travails not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 4:21-5:1)
The old creation is a slave of the devil
Before you knew Jesus Christ and before He delivered you from the kingdom of darkness, you were a slave of the devil; a carnal child. You were a slave of your flesh (your body, senses, carnal mind, emotions, feelings, etc.). The sinful flesh reigned as king in your life and you were tossed to and fro by your feelings and emotions.
You were led by your flesh and fulfilled the lusts and desires of your flesh and your carnal mind. Your flesh was in control and you listened to – and obeyed your flesh (a.o. Ephesians 2).
You were not free, but you were a slave of your flesh and lived in spiritual bondage of death
The two sons of God on earth: Adam and Jesus
Before the day of Pentecost, before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God had two sons on earthL Adam and Jesus.
The first son Adam was perfectly created after the image of God (Elohim; God, Jesus the Word, and the Holy Spirit). However, Adam believed the lie of the devil above the truth of His Father (the commandment of God). Adam did his will instead of doing the will of His Father. And so Adam disobeyed God and sinned.
Adam did what God forbade Adam to do. Because of his disobedience to God, Adam (and Eve) became a slave of the the devil, a slave of darkness and a slave of the flesh.
Their spirit died and they were no longer free. They were carnal and bound by the flesh.
Because they became corrupt, the seed of the man became corrupt. Everyone, who would be born of the seed of man, would be born as a slave of the devil, a child of the devil aka a sinner.
The second Son Jesus was the Son of the promise. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Maria.
Jesus came in the flesh in the likeness of man, but He was born of the Seed of the Spirit.
In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the devil. The seed that God was referring to, was Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus would take the devil’s authority and power and give it back to the new creation.
And that’s exactly what happened when Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for humanity. Jesus took all the iniquities and sins of the world upon Him. Jesus was made sin and therefore Jesus entered Hades legally.
In Hades, Jesus took back the keys of death and hell and dethroned the devil, by taking his authority. Jesus rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God (Read also: What did Jesus do in hell?).
Everyone is born a sinner
Every person that is born on earth is born of the seed of fallen man and is born as a sinner (a slave of sin). There is no one excluded.
All people are sinners and remain sinners until they hear the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and decide to believe and repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ and become born again.
Only when people become born again by the incorruptible Seed of the Spirit, they will no longer be sinners and slaves of the devil and sin.
The people decided to believe Jesus Christ and follow Him and turn their back to their old life as a slave of the devil and sin. They are no longer carnal and through the flesh bound to the devil and walk in sin. But by faith and through regeneration in Christ, they have become spiritual and are bound by the Spirit to Jesus Christ and shall walk in righteousness.
The new creation is a son of God (this applies to both males and females), born of the promise by the Holy Spirit.
The sons of the flesh
Through the interference of Sarah, Ishmael was fathered after the flesh. Sarah wanted to help God a little bit and offered her bondmaid Agar to Abraham. But God didn’t need Sarah’s help. Sarah’s deed had consequences for the offspring of Isaac. Because the offspring of the one, who was born after the flesh persecuted the offspring of the one, who was born after the promise.
The sons of Agar represent the sons of the devil; the sons of this world. These sons have the evil nature of the devil and the spirit of this world within them; the spirit of the antichrist.
They’re sinners, slaves of sin. Therefore, they live in the bondage of sin.
They are controlled and led by the thoughts of their carnal mind and live after the will, lusts, desires, emotions, and feelings of their flesh.
They do those things, which God dislikes and forbade His people to do in the law of the Old Covenant.
They’re just like Adam, who believed the lie of the devil, instead of the truth of God and became disobedient to God’s Word and His commandment.
They think they are free. But in reality, they are slaves of the devil and slaves of their flesh (body and soul). They are controlled by the evil spirits of darkness that cause them to sin. And through their sinning they give power to the devil and worship him.
The sons of the promise
The sons of Sarah (the free woman) are the sons of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. They are the sons of the promise: the new creation. They’re born again in Jesus Christ of the Seed of the Holy Spirit.
They have become sons of God and have access to the Kingdom of Heaven and to the throne of God.
They are no longer sinners and don’t live under the judgment of the law of sin and death anymore. Because they have crucified their flesh (their will, ‘self’, feelings, emotions, carnal lusts, desires, etc.) in Christ and buried their flesh through baptism.
Their spirit has become alive, because their spirit, who was dead, has been raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
They have been made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ and are free from the bondage of the darkness.
The sons of God are controlled by the Holy Spirit
As they are holy and righteous in Christ, the received the promise of the Father: the Holy Spirit, wherewith the laws of God are written upon their heart. The Holy Spirit dwells in the new creation and leads and guides them according to the Word of God.
They are controlled by the Holy Spirit and obey the Word of God. As a result, they shall live holy and walk righteous in the will of God and honor and glorify the Father and Jesus Christ.
The persecution of the sons of God
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now (Galatians 4:29)
And this still happens today. The children of this world, who live in sin and iniquity, hate and persecute the sons of God, who walk after the Spirit and obey God’s Word.
We see an increase of iniquities and sins, just like in the days of Noah. We see an increase in hate towards God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in the children of God, increases as well.
Followers of the world
As long as you believe and accept the wisdom and knowledge of the world and follow the world and think like the world, talk as the world, and act like the world, you have nothing to worry about, everything is fine.
As long as you bow before the spirits of this world and be a partaker of their works, you will not be persecuted, but you will be accepted by the world.
Followers of Jesus Christ
But as soon as you take a stand on the Word of God and give them an undesired answer or don’t approve of their works (their sins and iniquities), and don’t walk and talk the way they walk and talk, you experience persecution.
If you take a stand in Jesus Christ; the Word and obey Him and keep His commandments and do His will and represent His Kingdom, then you will be persecuted by the people around you, who have the spirit of this world; the spirit of the antichrist (the devil).
That’s the price you have to pay if you want to follow Jesus.
When you become a slave of Jesus Christ, you become an enemy of this world.
We live in an age, where too many Christians water down the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Instead of pleasing God and taking their position in Jesus Christ; the Word, they please the world and please people, because they want to be liked, accepted, and honored by people.
The Christians that do take a stand on the Word of God, and follow the Word, instead of the world are considered too strict, religious, rigorous, old-fashioned, etc. While they are the ones, who live in true freedom in Jesus Christ.
They walk after the Spirit as slaves of righteousness, instead of walking after the flesh as slaves of sin. They are no longer bound by the law and live under the judgment of God, but they are delivered and live in the liberty of the Spirit.
Walking in the promise as a son of God
Walking in the promise as a son of God means walking by faith in Jesus Christ; the Word. If you walk by faith, you will be obedient to the (whole) Word of God. Only through the Word of God, you will get to know Him, and get to know His will.
‘Being obedient to the Word’ doesn’t mean going back to the Old Covenant to the sacrificial laws, food laws, the feasts, etc. in order to be saved or stay saved. Because we are only saved by Jesus’ redemptive work and by His blood.
We live in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. In Him, we have become a new creation (born of the water and Spirit).
But the will of God; what pleases Him and what doesn’t please Him, has not changed, nor will it ever change. Because God is the same, Yesterday, Today, and forevermore.
Therefore, it is important to get to know Him and His will, through His Word, and renew your mind with the Word of God, so that your mind lines up with Him.
If you really love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you will be able to stay obedient to God and keep His commandments.
You have a free will
But you will always have a free will, even after you become born again. As long as you walk after the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust and desires of the flesh and not sin and don’t experience condemnation.
But as soon, as you start walking after the flesh and listen to your flesh instead of the Word (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit, and choose to do your own will, and be led by your carnal lusts, desires, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc., and walk in disobedience to the Word of God, in sin, then you shall become a slave of the devil again.
You shall be controlled by the powers of darkness and shall no longer be free. But you shall become oppressed by the devil and live under his yoke of bondage again.
Renew your mind with the Word of God
That’s why it’s so important, when you become the new creation, to renew your mind with the Word of God. Only by the renewing of your mind with the Word of God, you get to know Jesus and His will, and through Him, you will get to know the Father and His will.
When you put the Word into practice, you become a doer of the Word and become like Him and talk and walk like Him.
Through the Word and the Holy Spirit, Who is your Teacher in the Word, you shall discern good and evil.
When you stay in the Word, you shall reign over the enemy; the devil, and his whole army. But as soon as you leave the Word and start walking after the flesh, and after the knowledge of your old carnal mind; the knowledge of this world, then the enemy will take you captive again and shall reign over you. (Read also: How to walk in the dominion God has given you?).
Whose slave are you?
You can’t be a slave of the devil and a slave of Jesus Christ. That’s impossible! You have to make a choice.
- Do you want to keep living after the flesh, being led by your lusts, desires, thoughts, mind, (worldly) wisdom, and knowledge? Doing your own will and be controlled by the darkness? Do you love the world and the things that are in this world? Do you want to serve the world and be a slave of this world; the devil, and live in sins and iniquities?
- Or are you willing to lay down your own life; your own will, desires, lusts, feelings, thoughts, (worldly) wisdom and knowledge, etc. to serve Jesus Christ and become His slave? Are you willing to become a slave of Jesus Christ and live in holiness and righteousness, as a citizen of Jerusalem which is above, while being controlled by the Holy Spirit?
If you are willing to lay down your life and live in true freedom, then all you have to do is to take one step towards Jesus Christ and repent of your former life as a sinner and make Jesus your Saviour and Lord.
If you repent, Jesus forgives you and reconciles you with the Father, because He loves you. Jesus took the first step to show you how much He loves you. Now it is up to you, what you do with it.
But you have to make a decision: it is either the flesh or the spirit.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
