“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed’” (John 8:34-36).
In the verses leading up to Jesus’ statement above, He explained that the truth is able to make us free (John 8:32). Free from what? From sin. Sin enslaves those who commit it.
How does this happen? It does not somehow remove our free will. Even after we sin, we still have the ability to “choose…whom [we] will serve” (Joshua 24:15) and be persuaded to follow the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:11). So how does this “enslavement” happen?
In this article, we will notice seven ways that sin enslaves us. As we consider these, remember that most are actually accomplished by the devil and his ministers, who tempt us to sin, but they are attributed to sin itself.Continue Reading
In a time of lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders, and social distancing, we are more cut off from others than we had been previously. Obviously, there are challenges to this type of social arrangement – including spiritual challenges. One such challenge is that it is increasingly important for each of us to take personal responsibility for our faith and our standing before God. Paul mentioned this idea in his letter to the brethren in Philippi:
