But now that you have . . . become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)
Expanded Passage: Romans 6:21–23
Indentured servitude was part of the slave trade in the West Indies from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. French inhabitants, unable to afford the trip to the West Indian colonies, voluntarily agreed to negotiate their freedom in exchange for a free trip. They were contracted to work with no pay for thirty-six months—going from being free, they became enslaved. They hoped for a better life, a piece of land, and a status of ownership at the end of the three years. However, many of them could not withstand the harsh weather and living conditions in the tropical area—which resulted in death in several cases—and were ashamed of their choice.
When we become Christians, we exchange the so-called freedom we enjoyed in the world for slavery to Christ, with markedly different results from the decision taken by these people to become “indentured.” We are “set free from sin” to “become slaves of God” (v. 22), not for a limited period but our whole lifetime. The Lord has taken away our shame on the cross. And we are so proud of the benefit we reap that “leads to holiness” (v. 22).
Do you want to give up your freedom and indenture your whole life to Christ forever? You have nothing to risk but everything to gain. Paul put it well, “The result is eternal life.”
Give up your freedom for a life forever indentured to Christ.
Handy Calixte is the national director of Christian education for L’Église Wesleyenne d’Haïti. He is pursuing a master of divinity at Wesley Seminary and studying biblical Hebrew at Israel Institute of Biblical Studies.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
