Privileged Slavery

“What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.”

~Galatians 4:1-2 (NIV).

Royal status, however slaves until the time. This is what it amounts to. Coming to a saving knowledge of God, then, is fundamentally about getting onto ‘the Program,’ which is the track and agenda of God.

Royals cannot often get away with dissident behaviour for they have the royal name and Crown to think about.

It’s no less than that for us. We have been redeemed by the Creator, the one who designed and operates the entire universe. We, alone, are just as key to God as anyone else; equal status!

A Different, Now Majestic, Form of Slavery

We have come from another form of slavery, i.e. to our sin, to this one.

Our context has changed. We’ve now chosen our allegiance and chosen what we will become enslaved to—that is to venture with the Messiah; to do all his will asks of us.

When we were slaves to the world, to Satan and, inevitably, to sin—if we recall—we didn’t have a choice. We were blinded and made captive; we had no rights, though it seemed we had all things i.e. the ‘rights’ over things like materialism and immoral attitudes.

Slaves to God have the choice to obey or not, though it doesn’t pay to disobey.

The Crown cares for its own; God avenges us if we do become dissident. He seeks to bring us back into fellowship with peace, grace and holiness.

Slavery such as this is wonderful. It’s a catch-all for any sheep that stray, although it will inevitably be our own choice as to whether we remain in this God-anointed royal family.

What This Slavery Means

God saves people to send them in his service.

No royal family has princes and princesses ‘bludging’ their way to sovereignty. These royals-in-waiting are busy attending to anything that can prepare them for that day.

And this day we await is a chorus; whatever it will actually look like it’s our destiny and we daren’t put anything like this at risk—not lest the Crown itself (if that were even possible). Yet, we, by our risk-laden nature can threaten the activity of the Crown—the saving of even more souls into this royal bloodline of the Spirit of God.

The highlight is this. As we dabble in the most royal service of slavery to God, serving our contemporaries, we become more and more blessed, capable, proficient, trustworthy, respected, wise, fortuitous, graceful, understanding...

We’re blessed abundantly even before we reach eternity—when we’ll inevitably receive our crowns (James 1:12).

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.