A SON… OR A SLAVE? John8:34-36

No one wants to be a slave. And God knows this. But, He also knows that the only way to have true liberty is through faith in Jesus. Because only Jesus has conquered death by making the way through the wall of death by His resurrection that alone can take us from being slaves to being sons of God. To remain in His house forever.

As slaves Israel while under the law could not be the ones who would remain in God’s house forever. Even though they were God’s chosen people.

But, that just meant that Israel was to be the conduit through which God was to bring the messiah. A messiah Israel would have to trust in to deliver them from being God’s slaves. To being God’s sons. Sons who would remain in the house forever. And it would take Israel being delivered from the law for them to become sons.

So when we contrast that with what God said to Israel here in Leviticus25:55 where God says, “You are servants unto me. I am the Lord your God.” (The word for servant in Hebrew and in Greek meaning slave.) We see that prior to Jesus’ coming Israel was slaves, and not sons.

Jesus reminded them of this slavery in John8:34-36 when He said, “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.”

This after the Jews proclaimed that they were children of Abraham and had never been anyone’s slave. Yet God told them here in Lev.25:55 that they were His slaves. So they had always been slaves.

This too is something to which Paul makes reference saying in Rom.6, “14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”

Paul adds that it is because of the “infirmity of your flesh” that he used the word slave in reference to righteousness. Because they had been trained their whole lives to think in terms of law keeping. To the point that many of them came to trust in law keeping for their being righteous before God. This was the infirmity of their flesh.

It’s the same infirmity Paul speaks of in Rom.7 when he told those who knew the law about the “sin in their members”. Sin that was their idolatry of the law which keeping they believed made them righteous before God.

But, in the righteousness of faith there is no slavery. But, only the liberty that is in Christ. A freedom that would release Israel from bondage to sin by the law. To the freedom of a loving relationship with Jesus. And which gentiles have after deliverance from idols and unbelief.

In contrast to the slavery of Lev.25, the freedom Jesus speaks of is freedom from the bondage of sin. A bondage Paul says was caused by their being under the law. Because under the law the continual sacrifices Israel was commanded to do put them in bondage to sin both physically and in their conscience.

This is what Heb.10 is referring to when Paul writes, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

The word perfect here is to be made complete. Complete by a spirit that is created in everyone who trusts in Jesus. A spirit that men never had before. A spirit that makes us God’s children and heirs to His kingdom.

Paul adds that it is “10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God…”

Not that the law could not purify the flesh from sins under the law. Heb.9:14 says that’s exact;y what the law did. But, that the keeping of the law and its required sacrifices could never take away their consciousness of those sins. Heb.10 tells us that it was the constant doing of those sacrifices that kept sins defined by the law ever before them. And ever in their consciousness.

This is what Paul was trying to show them too when he said in 2Cor.3, “But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.” The law kept them from knowing the kind of freedom that a son of God knows. This is how the law kept them “shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” as Paul says in Gal.3:23.

This is why Paul continued in 2Cor.3 saying, 16 Nevertheless when it(the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

For all the time Israel was under the law they were slaves to God, and slaves to sin because of being under the law. Because the law was a constant reminder of sin. And because of their not being children of God by birth… at least not yet.

Not yet because the time for the faith they were shut up unto, which is the faith of Christ by which men are justified, had not yet come. Because for this to happen Jesus had to come. For it would be through His death and resurrection the faith of Christ would be revealed to them.

A faith that says as Jesus did, “Nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done.” Knowing that God’s will is that none should perish. But, that all men would come to a saving faith in Jesus.

And when Jesus came He told them that He would set them free. Free from the law and from those sins defined by the law. Which is why Jesus said, “Think not that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” And fulfill it He did.

He told them that He was their sabbath and if they would come to Him He would give them rest. And He told them that they needed to become sons of God, and no longer slaves. And to do this they needed to be born again.

In John15 we see Jesus telling Israel that the Jew’s first birth, his fleshly birth, made him a branch in the vine that was Jesus. This old covenant is what made them His chosen people. Slaves to God and to sin by the law. But, branches nonetheless.

But, when Jesus came He came with the doctrine that their first birth, even though it connected them to the vine by the law, was not enough to make them eligible for the kingdom of God. Because even though they were branches in the vine they were not children of God. So Jesus told them that only by a second birth, being born again of the Spirit of God, would they be eligible for God’s kingdom. To live in God’s house forever.

But, in John15 Jesus also told them that as branches in the vine if they did not bear the fruit of faith in Him they would be taken out and thrown into the fire. The Old Covenant connected them to the vine. But, only as God’s slaves, and not as His sons.

And as long as they remained born only once they would remain slaves. And as Jesus told them in John8:35 the slave does not remain in the house forever. But, only the son remains in the house forever.

Jesus who is God came in the form of a Son to reveal the Father to Israel. And that He could set them free from the slavery they were in. To become children of God and heirs to His kingdom.

And a great mystery that was hid from all ages past that Paul says in Eph.3 was revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit that was able to come after Jesus left, revealed that God would join Jew and gentile together as one people, to be one new man, when they would put their faith in Jesus.

No longer under the law that made Israel slaves to God and sin by the law. And no longer in unbelief and trusting in idols as the gentiles did. Israel was shown that the rest of the nations too would be set free from the power of death and the idols they served.

Made free by the power of an endless life as Heb.7:16 says, to live a life full of the blessings and the joy of the Lord. Because Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us who have believed in Him.

An intercession that is made of His joining with mankind in our death. And then conquering death by His resurrection. By His endless life that is our intercession. Continually interceding for us who have believed in Jesus for eternal life.

Not continually pleading our case as in a courtroom. But, only reaffirming what has been done. There is no courtroom as those delusioned by the doctrine of original sin and sin nature believe.

There is no Satan prosecutor and Jesus defense attorney. There is only “Christ and Him crucified” as Paul said in 1Cor.1:23. Crucified and risen from the dead on our behalf. To give us eternal life now, and immortality at our resurrection.

Set free in Jesus. Not so that we can do whatever we want. Although if we really know His love we know He always wants what is best for us. So whatever we want to do should be what He wants us to do.

As righteous people the Israelite is free from the bondage of the law and sin so that they are now able to love and serve God with all their hearts. Just as the gentile is free from idols and unbelief.

If you too want this kind of freedom that makes it possible for you to know and love and serve God without any encumbrances then join with me in this prayer.

Dear Jesus, thank you for joining with me in my mortality. Thank you for joining with me in my death. So that by trusting in you I can join with you in immortality and eternal life. I trust in you with all my heart. I confess you Lord Jesus. And I believe in my heart that you have risen from the dead. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for setting me free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then you are born again. If you prayed that prayer then you are now free to love God with your whole being. And as a child of God you are no longer a slave. And as His child you are heir to His kingdom. If you prayed that prayer… then I will see you there or in the air!