The Bondage of Sin

Last week I introduced a series we'll be walking through over the next few weeks. We'll be digging into how the law exists because sin exists and without sin, there's no need for the law. We are living in between the first and second comings of Christ, so we have the hope of the redeemed world before us while still living in a broken world. Today we're going to lay the groundwork of how sin binds us, so we can better understand the power of God's love to save us from it.

Without further ado, let's get started!

Sin binds us up in two main ways: bondage to the sin itself and bondage to judgment under the law.

Bondage to sin itself
Scripture warns us about slavery to sin, and there’s actually science to back it up. When we engage with a sinful behavior because it feels good, our brain gets a surge of dopamine, the feel-good hormone. Essentially your brain rewards you for the behavior.

Think of a toddler. If you reward the crying with a candy bar, they learn to cry next time they want a candy bar. So instead, we reward the good behaviors and they start to behave better because they learn that’s what leads to rewards (don’t worry, I understand that parenting toddlers isn’t actually that simple, but for the sake of the analogy, just go with it).

Our brains act in a similar way, and once it reaches the level of addiction, or enslavement, it’s very hard to break the habit with sheer willpower.

“Don’t you realize that you become a slave to whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” - Romans 6:16

Anyone who’s struggled with addiction, or really any kind of habitual sin can understand this. It becomes an enslavement. You may not even enjoy it anymore, but you’re reliant on it. This is how sin leads to death. It binds us up and kills our spirit. As long as you’re in this bondage, you can’t fully experience the love of God or enjoy the fruit of His Spirit.

Matthew 5:27-30 teaches us that sin begins with a thought. If we brush this off and don’t take it seriously, we run the risk of becoming enslaved to sin without even realizing how we got there.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

This scripture is usually referenced for anxiety, but let's look at it a little differently today. Whether it's worry or other thoughts that may lead to sin, Paul admonishes the Philippians to pray about EVERYTHING. The the peace of God will guard your heart and mind. That's huge!

He didn't say the peace of God would guard your tongue or your hands, but your heart and mind. He knew that the words and actions are just an outpouring of what's in the heart and mind, so that's where we need the peace of God to protect us from becoming enslaved to sin.

God wants to stop it at the source - our thoughts.

Bound to judgment by the law
“Sin is no longer your master for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” - Romans 6:14

Walking in the Spirit gives freedom, but it’s not freedom so that we can go and do sinful things. As soon as we go that route, we end up in bondage again - bound to the desires of our flesh and bound to a stricter law.

The law was created to prove our need for a savior. If we bind ourselves to judgment by the law, we are condemning ourselves to failure. Don’t try to rely on your own means - you can’t do it! Choose to rely on Christ’s sacrifice for you and walk in the freedom of grace.

There's a children's song we listen to with our son about the Ten Commandments and I absolutely love the main chorus. It goes like this:
“The Ten Commandments... no one can keep them all, The Ten Commandments... even on your best behavior, The Ten Commandments... that’s why we need a savior.”

God knows we can't keep the law perfectly. That's why Jesus came. Jesus' sacrifice gave us another option. Instead of trying to attain our own perfection, He offers for us to take up His perfection and live in the light of it.

If we deny Jesus' sacrifice and refuse to accept the freedom of His grace, then we are choosing to be judged by the old standard of the law, by which we cannot measure up.

Do you get it?

By choosing to live in sin, we're choosing to hold ourselves to a standard we can never attain. By choosing to live in obedience to God, we're choosing grace, freedom, and a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit.

Choose today not to live in bondage to sin and death anymore!