Identity: Slaves of Righteousness (Part 2)

Last week we read Part 1 (read here), and it gave a bit more of the biblical background. We are part of a story--and we will never truly understand ourselves apart from a story (as Alistair MacGrath, C. S. Lewis, and others have famously pointed out). Here we explore some more of the implications for what this looks like on a Saturday morning and daily life, but the story is the shaping part. 

~ Paul’s Story ~

“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace….Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:13-14, 16-18).

LET MY PEOPLE GO! rang out, and the power of sin shook, crumbled.

Free.

And who the Son sets free, is free indeed (Jn. 8:36), for our Master will guarantee our freedom. He will not command what he does not give (to paraphrase Augustine). That yearning for freedom, obedience, greater trust—he will give! That conflict you feel—you will win! Sin will have no dominion over us (Rom. 6:19), and that is a promise. You are a slave to righteousness—both in our own volition and the Master’s power. He it is that works in us to will and to do as we work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13).

Charles Hodge, in his commentary, states that the point of the analogy of slavery is the superior power over us (of sin or of God) that compels obedience. Thus, “the obedience of the believer to God is no less certain.” (3) This is hope! This is freedom! Our Master empowers by his own life within us, the life of the Obedient One, our obedience. Like Miriam and the tambourine dancers, singing after the Red Sea, we dance our way into sanctification.

*Do you feel hopeful or hopeless in your struggle against that which is hindering your obedience? (See the previous week). Spend a moment reflecting on God’s power for you, at work in your heart to will and to do.

~ Stepping In: Us Today ~

Thousands of years after Pharaoh’s court scene, what does it look like to live as slaves of righteousness? In the temple courts, the Hebrew pilgrims year after year sang:

“To you I lift up my eyes,

    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Behold, as the eyes of servants

    look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant

    to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

    till he has mercy upon us.”

(Psalm 123:1-2)

Slaves of righteousness honor their King. He is enthroned, and we look to him. He is enthroned and worthy of all. The heart attitude of honor weaves throughout the day. This means we bow our knee, our preferences, our pleasure. We have willfully forfeited our right to make immoral decisions (2). That is not an option (as we grow into it!), for we are our King’s and he is worthy and Lord over all. In the tight spots, when loving seems hard, when it is easier to do X than obey, we know we have surrendered.

Slaves of righteousness see ourselves in relationship to him. We know our place—but what a place! I have been told that a slave in Caesar’s house had more honor than some freemen and wealthy men, just because he was Caesar’s and bore his authority to carry out his master’s bidding. So much more so with us! We bear his authority with confidence and humility. We know it is his and only from him.

Slaves of righteousness are trustingly dependent. Our eyes are fixed on him alone; not trying to self-protect, figure things out in our own wisdom and strength, or take things into our own hands. A master-slave relationship has a promise built into it (ideally): the master will care for the slave with protection, provision, housing, clothing. The slave is utterly dependent. Our Master is utterly powerful and utterly good. Obedience is costly and difficult sometimes—and sometimes it looks like it will get us further into difficulty. The Israelite slaves were forced to make more bricks, and their labor was harsher as they trusted (Exo. 5). But we trust our Master to work things out. Our eyes patiently are fixed on him.

We have no other master. Our eyes are fixed on the Enthroned One alone, and seek to please him alone. Paul writes, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 2:10). Anxiety is not my master. Your sin is not your master. Our pleasure is not our master. Bondslaves, we have sworn ourselves in exclusive love and loyalty to our King. You are not bought with the precious blood of Christ to do labor yet for the kingdom of darkness, and there is no neutral ground. Build, build for the kingdom of light with every word, every attitude, every thought!

Slaves of righteousness obey in mind, body, soul, will, emotions. We are intentional in disciplines to help us obey. Our time is structured around him. We volitionally choose his will. We set our eyes on him. We present our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:13). We take captive every thought (1 Cor. 10). We delight to do his will, for his commands are not burdensome (1 Jn. 5:3). Our obedience is wholehearted love (Rom. 6:17). We are shoots that come from the branch from the stump of Jesse, the Anointed Servant whose delight was in the fear of the Lord and in his obedience (Isa. 11:1-5). Christ’s Spirit is ours.

Our Master, Adonai, will keep us standing. Paul writes, the Lord’s servant “will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4). We will stand—we need not cower, obey, excuse, give into any pharaoh. Any pharaoh trembles before our King. The battle is won. We are free to slave to Love.

*Which dimensions of being a slave to righteousness characterize you? Which do you need to grow in? What is your biggest challenge? How can you grow in this aspect of your identity?

*Would you add other dimensions of how to live out our identity as slaves to righteousness?

*Spend a moment and pray for this to be more true of you. Just reading is so often lost, but prayers are eternally powerful.

NOTES

(1) James M. Hamilton, “The Messianic Music of the Song of Songs: A Non-Allegorical Interpretation,” Westminster Theological Journal 68 (2006): 331-45. Laurence Cantwell, “The Allegory of the Canticle of Canticles,” accessed March 11 from biblicalstudies.org

(2) Brad Hambrick, “Finding Your Confidence, Identity, and Security in Christ” http://bradhambrick.com/identity/

(3) Charles Hodge, Romans (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 192.