John 8:34-36 "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. (35) And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. (36) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
Jesus used a common analogy in these verses. Those to whom He was speaking
understood the picture of a servant's quarters and the house of the Master. The
servants served but did not abide, or live, in the Master's house. There was no
hope of those servants ever moving from their quarters to the house of the
Master. They understood the analogy, but they could not picture
themselves as being the servants. "We are of the line of Abraham. We have
never been in bondage to anyone. Why are you saying that we can be free?"
We all were servants to sin. We were dead in trespasses and sins and completely
unable to bring ourselves out of that state. We were alive to the things of the
world, but dead to the things of God. We could walk, talk, eat, breathe, see
the things of this life, but there was nothing within us to enable us to see
the things of God. We were in bondage and completely unable to bring ourselves
out. We may like to think that we did something to initiate or something to
activate Spiritual life, but we were dead (held in bondage) in trespasses and
sins. There was no hope of us ever moving from that state to being spiritually
alive. Let me use Scripture to show what I am saying.
(Ephesians 2:1-3) "And you hath he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
(3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind;
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
We were "by nature" the children of wrath. Thank God as we read that,
we can see it is past tense. We were servants of sin. We were in bondage to
sin. We had no hope of ever moving from the servants quarters to the Master's
house. In and of ourselves, we had nothing to offer to God to make amends for
our transgressions. I'm thankful that Ephesians 2:4 shows the change. "But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:4-5) Then Paul
repeats it to make sure we understand the importance of that word, "but,"
that is graciously used. "That at that time ye were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (13) But now
in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ." (Ephesians 2:12-13)
Notice the contrast in both sets of verses (verses 4-5 and 12-13).
"We were... But God." "We were... but Christ."
Can you see how God has so graciously intervened and delivered us from
the bondage to sin and now we abide in the Master's house? It was not of
any works that we have done; rather, the Son has made us free. And praise God,
we are free indeed!