Whose slave are you?

[brakelite]

Romans 6:16-22 gives us two choices. Either we yield ourselves to God, or we yield ourselves to sin. Two choices. One or the other. We are either a slave of God's, or we are a slave to sin. If we are not a slave to God, you are still a slave, but to sin.
To be a slave to God, we must walk the path of self denial. If we do not surrender totally and completely, we are not His slave. Slaves do not question His authority, nor are half hearted in their commitment. Slaves are completely yielded to the will of their Master, just as Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene. Utterly given over without question to their Master, their Lord.

Jesus said:Mt 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

If we do not take up our cross and walk the path of complete self denial Jesus says we are not worthy of Him. We cannot be an almost Christian. There is no such thing. A Christian is someone who is wholly committed and surrendered; is fully yielded to His Master. If not; if we are only partially Christian, we are wholly lost.

 

[agua]

....
If we do not take up our cross and walk the path of complete self denial Jesus says we are not worthy of Him. We cannot be an almost Christian. There is no such thing. A Christian is someone who is wholly committed and surrendered; is fully yielded to His Master. If not; if we are only partially Christian, we are wholly lost.

What does "complete self denial" mean Brake?

I'm not sure sure anyone can boast this.

 

[Kit Carson]

I play around on a forum time to time, I learn a lot each time. It seems to me that none can smile, relax, have some fun, and trust God.

God does not wish us to live in fear, to walk around all day with worry that we might sin, and we for sure are not slaves. A slave has several meanings, but generally it means to be under the rule of another without free choice. Once you accept God, you are not a slave, you are free, forgiven and under grace all the things you have done and will do are forgiven as long as there is no deliberate and repetitive sin committed .

The law and self denial, that was tried, an tried and tried. It never did work and the pursuit of perfection failed under the law. So a new way was put into place, and in Gods eyes , as long as we are sincere we are now perfect. Once you realize this, then you can smile.

Self denial.......fear, indigestion, worry, and letting others cause you fear is not Gods intent. He does not wish us to be sad, to worry, to live in fear, and put added requirements to his word.

Lets use myself and a couple examples, and tell you what God tells me.

So I am building a new home and it is hot, the work is hard, I am a pretty good guy with a smile and a bit full of mischief, I work hard, and at some point during the day I will say to God, thanks for the day, and thanks for the simple fact that I can work and that I am able to work and by the way, the trees and nature are a supreme creation......you did good. Then I go on with work and the next door Preacher comes over to say Hi.......and there on the foundation sits a six pack of beer I bought on the way back from Lowes that morning, and I have drunk two of them. The rest sit awaiting to go in the refrigerator . So he jumps all over me, I am a bad man, I am drinking beer. Lol!! So as I am full of mischief I ask him if he would like one. LOl! Now he is going to pray for my soul, say ten Hail Mary's and get me right with God.

That preacher is the one that needs to get right with God, he needs to talk to God and not listen to the laws that confuse him, as for me , a beer once in awhile is cool, if I were to become a drunkard and or drive while drunk and or allow non responsibility to enter my life......then this would be a sin. If I were to use beer to excess this would be a sin. What the poor ole preacher does not know, is that was the first six pack of beer I had bought all summer, and I was just playing with him.

Self denial......God has never told me I cannot have a beer, this kind of thing is added to God word by those who live in fear. By those who worry. He simply says, in excess the drunkard becomes a sinner.

So I like girls too.......Lol! They are cute, their eyes are full of mischief, and some of them wear those short skirts........uh oh...Lol! This is a good one. It taught me about self denial. It released me from fear, and allows me to smile. And to understand.

So you see this pretty girl in the short skirt and so sexy, and yes you look. This is natural. The inner desire is there, it was put there by God, but there are a couple things here , one is the girl should not be dressed in this way to begin with, that is one sin, an the other is me Kit taking it all in.......one plus one......is two.

But to act on lust or temptation is the real sin. To resist the temptation and simply appreciate the beauty of the girl with no real intention of sin or desire of sin......becomes very possible when you allow God to guide you. So he says to me, enjoy them and smile, just to not ever allow it to be a sin.

Once you accept God and the Holy Spirit does guide you, there is no need to worry about being a slave, or to be trying to figure out what you should or should not do......God will teach you, and he will allow you to live with a smile.

One does not have to run around all day , trying to be in self denial of imagined sins. God knows we are not perfect, so he put into place a perfect way. Then as life goes along he teaches us, works with us and hopefully one day we will meet the requirement of life in the new life.

I see this so much, a person gets involved in religion, or a church and listens to others, and they become so fearful they cannot breath. You see when you accept God, yes he convicts you that you are sin, that you have been and are bad, and the closer you get to him the more it shows. I may be in my mind wanting to smack the lady in the store line who forgot all her money and has a cart full of stuff and I am in a hurry and lets just go smack her. Lol! God says.....be cool, take it easy, are you so perfect, what did you do wrong today?? To not understand is a sin, to act on it makes it worse......but it shows us we have a lot to learn.

So I am not a slave. I do not live in self denial of anything. I willingly listen , follow and learn.

When I have a question I run to God with it, I do not allow men to teach me and cause me fear. You see they do not have a clue as to what exactly is bothering me, they mean well, but they only make it worse...if I allow them to.

I hope this is understood. I hope it helps some. Beware of living in fear. This was not Gods wish or intent. Live with a smile, and enjoy life as given to you.

You do not have to literally give all away, sit in ashes and self abuse yourself and be sad. Lol! That passage as for the then and now, if you wish to follow me now.....then you must push all of the world away.....as I Jesus have a job to do, if you wish to travel with me, you must have your mind and heart on the job.
It was for the then........It does not mean to abandon your family to throw away all God has given you in the now , to dwell on the then........look for the truth....for you now. There can be many meanings put to things.......to take up the cross then meant death, for most of us now, it means salvation, and a smile.

Live with a smile......take what comes, and be thankful for all.
As for the rest of it.......God will guide you.......if you listen to God and sometimes man......but beware of man causing you to live in fear.

Let me add this....as another example, all the threads on Halloween, you know what God tells me about that? He says enjoy it, enjoy the kids, have a bit of fun, what was is no more. Today it is simply a fun day, it is just about like an Easter Egg Hunt. Do not live in the past and live in fear. To deny the kids some fun and to worry about things that are no more , that is the sin.

Respectfully

Kit

 

[brakelite]

What does "complete self denial" mean Brake?

I'm not sure sure anyone can boast this.

Would not complete self denial be the perfect antidote to boasting? One cannot boast when self is dead.

Ro 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Ga 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Jude 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Re 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
From the above texts, we read that Paul, James,Peter, Jude, and John
all described themselves as servants. There are two Greek words in the NT that is translated as servant. One is

1249 διακονος diakonos dee-ak’-on-os

probably from an obsolete diako (to run on errands, cf 1377); TDNT-2:88,152; n m/f

AV-minister 20, servant 8, deacon 3; 31

1) one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister
1a) the servant of a king
1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge ofand distributes the money collected for their use
1c) a waiter, one who serves food and drink

The other word is

1401 δουλος doulos doo’-los

from 1210; TDNT-2:261,182; n

AV-servant 120, bond 6, bondman 1; 127

1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
1a) a slave
1b) metaph., one who gives himself up to another’s will, those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
1c) devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests


In every instant those apostles used the second word meaning slave. This was not an enforced servitude, but voluntary. In order to be a slave means complete surrender and submission, and denial of self. These apostles had indeed taken up their own crosses and were following their Master. Was their testimony boasting? Of course not. Paul said that his self denial needed to be confirmed every day (I die daily), because he well knew that the self nature of man is wholly corrupt. The old adage that "we are our own worst enemy" is an apt one. Our old nature must be put down every day (with me more often) because it will, given the opportunity, take over the throne of the life in an instant.
These apostles were not boasting of their self denial, they were simply stating a fact. If one should boast of his self denial, then that would prove his testimony to be false, for boasting is rooted in self.
And please, let not those who constantly fall back to their default text Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. using this text as a pretext for doing nothing, remember the words of Jesus. "Take up your cross". This is something we all must do. There is no choice here. Jesus will not carry our cross for us, nor will He walk in our place to follow Him. We must pick up the cross. We must carry it. We must do the following. If we do not these things, Jesus said we are not worthy of Him.
These are not my words. They are in the Bible. They are God's own words, for they are written. And we are to live by every word of God.

 

[brakelite]

I play around on a forum time to time, I learn a lot each time. It seems to me that none can smile, relax, have some fun, and trust God.

God does not wish us to live in fear, to walk around all day with worry that we might sin, and we for sure are not slaves. A slave has several meanings, but generally it means to be under the rule of another without free choice. Once you accept God, you are not a slave, you are free, forgiven and under grace all the things you have done and will do are forgiven as long as there is no deliberate and repetitive sin committed .

The law and self denial, that was tried, an tried and tried. It never did work and the pursuit of perfection failed under the law. So a new way was put into place, and in Gods eyes , as long as we are sincere we are now perfect. Once you realize this, then you can smile.

Self denial.......fear, indigestion, worry, and letting others cause you fear is not Gods intent. He does not wish us to be sad, to worry, to live in fear, and put added requirements to his word.

Lets use myself and a couple examples, and tell you what God tells me.

So I am building a new home and it is hot, the work is hard, I am a pretty good guy with a smile and a bit full of mischief, I work hard, and at some point during the day I will say to God, thanks for the day, and thanks for the simple fact that I can work and that I am able to work and by the way, the trees and nature are a supreme creation......you did good. Then I go on with work and the next door Preacher comes over to say Hi.......and there on the foundation sits a six pack of beer I bought on the way back from Lowes that morning, and I have drunk two of them. The rest sit awaiting to go in the refrigerator . So he jumps all over me, I am a bad man, I am drinking beer. Lol!! So as I am full of mischief I ask him if he would like one. LOl! Now he is going to pray for my soul, say ten Hail Mary's and get me right with God.

That preacher is the one that needs to get right with God, he needs to talk to God and not listen to the laws that confuse him, as for me , a beer once in awhile is cool, if I were to become a drunkard and or drive while drunk and or allow non responsibility to enter my life......then this would be a sin. If I were to use beer to excess this would be a sin. What the poor ole preacher does not know, is that was the first six pack of beer I had bought all summer, and I was just playing with him.

Self denial......God has never told me I cannot have a beer, this kind of thing is added to God word by those who live in fear. By those who worry. He simply says, in excess the drunkard becomes a sinner.

So I like girls too.......Lol! They are cute, their eyes are full of mischief, and some of them wear those short skirts........uh oh...Lol! This is a good one. It taught me about self denial. It released me from fear, and allows me to smile. And to understand.

So you see this pretty girl in the short skirt and so sexy, and yes you look. This is natural. The inner desire is there, it was put there by God, but there are a couple things here , one is the girl should not be dressed in this way to begin with, that is one sin, an the other is me Kit taking it all in.......one plus one......is two.

But to act on lust or temptation is the real sin. To resist the temptation and simply appreciate the beauty of the girl with no real intention of sin or desire of sin......becomes very possible when you allow God to guide you. So he says to me, enjoy them and smile, just to not ever allow it to be a sin.

Once you accept God and the Holy Spirit does guide you, there is no need to worry about being a slave, or to be trying to figure out what you should or should not do......God will teach you, and he will allow you to live with a smile.

One does not have to run around all day , trying to be in self denial of imagined sins. God knows we are not perfect, so he put into place a perfect way. Then as life goes along he teaches us, works with us and hopefully one day we will meet the requirement of life in the new life.

I see this so much, a person gets involved in religion, or a church and listens to others, and they become so fearful they cannot breath. You see when you accept God, yes he convicts you that you are sin, that you have been and are bad, and the closer you get to him the more it shows. I may be in my mind wanting to smack the lady in the store line who forgot all her money and has a cart full of stuff and I am in a hurry and lets just go smack her. Lol! God says.....be cool, take it easy, are you so perfect, what did you do wrong today?? To not understand is a sin, to act on it makes it worse......but it shows us we have a lot to learn.

So I am not a slave. I do not live in self denial of anything. I willingly listen , follow and learn.

When I have a question I run to God with it, I do not allow men to teach me and cause me fear. You see they do not have a clue as to what exactly is bothering me, they mean well, but they only make it worse...if I allow them to.

I hope this is understood. I hope it helps some. Beware of living in fear. This was not Gods wish or intent. Live with a smile, and enjoy life as given to you.

You do not have to literally give all away, sit in ashes and self abuse yourself and be sad. Lol! That passage as for the then and now, if you wish to follow me now.....then you must push all of the world away.....as I Jesus have a job to do, if you wish to travel with me, you must have your mind and heart on the job.
It was for the then........It does not mean to abandon your family to throw away all God has given you in the now , to dwell on the then........look for the truth....for you now. There can be many meanings put to things.......to take up the cross then meant death, for most of us now, it means salvation, and a smile.

Live with a smile......take what comes, and be thankful for all.
As for the rest of it.......God will guide you.......if you listen to God and sometimes man......but beware of man causing you to live in fear.

Let me add this....as another example, all the threads on Halloween, you know what God tells me about that? He says enjoy it, enjoy the kids, have a bit of fun, what was is no more. Today it is simply a fun day, it is just about like an Easter Egg Hunt. Do not live in the past and live in fear. To deny the kids some fun and to worry about things that are no more , that is the sin.

Respectfully

Kit

Hello Kit. I am not here to pass judgement on anyone, nor am I here to dictate to anyone how they should conduct their spiritual life. I am simply relating to the readers what the word of God says.
The slavery Paul speaks of is not forced. It is wholly voluntary. God does not want forced service; rather what He desires from us most is a response of love. It is from a loving response, not from fear, that Paul surrendered himself and denied self to serve His Master. It is that kind of response that Jesus desires of us when He says to take up our cross and follow Him.
I am not going to pass judgement on you regarding the beer, or the girls. You must decide for yourself what is appropriate and whether it has any bearing on your relationship with your God. Before your own Master you stand or fall.
If you choose to ignore my posts that is fine. Who am I to demand anyone respond to my posts, let alone obedience? I am flattered you replied at all. All I can recommend to anyone is to honestly enquire, not "what does brakelite say?" but "what does the word of God say?"

 

[Kit Carson]

Hello Kit. I am not here to pass judgement on anyone, nor am I here to dictate to anyone how they should conduct their spiritual life. I am simply relating to the readers what the word of God says.
The slavery Paul speaks of is not forced. It is wholly voluntary. God does not want forced service; rather what He desires from us most is a response of love. It is from a loving response, not from fear, that Paul surrendered himself and denied self to serve His Master. It is that kind of response that Jesus desires of us when He says to take up our cross and follow Him.
I am not going to pass judgement on you regarding the beer, or the girls. You must decide for yourself what is appropriate and whether it has any bearing on your relationship with your God. Before your own Master you stand or fall.
If you choose to ignore my posts that is fine. Who am I to demand anyone respond to my posts, let alone obedience? I am flattered you replied at all. All I can recommend to anyone is to honestly enquire, not "what does brakelite say?" but "what does the word of God say?"

Yes Sir.....fully understood. I am not bashful and will speak to any one.

I just like to try to put things in everyday, understandable language and speak from the heart.

I mess up sometimes ......so you do have to watch me, but I try to keep that to a minimum, and I do put a dry sense of humor into many things.....

I would never ignore anyone. What would that accomplish?? If I am wrong I am wrong, back to a bit of study and an apology.

It is just that so many fear that if they accept Christ, that they have just inherited a great burden. I try to tell them, no you just gave your burden away.

You will find me very different in many things.

Kit

 

[agua]

Jesus showed us what God expects in His Sermon on the Mount.
There is no doubt we are held to a standard of behaviour which includes our thoughts and actions. We aspire to be perfect as Father is.

Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

I still don't understand what "complete self denial" is. Put it in layman's terms please Brake.

 

[stephen]

The O.P. reminds me of a hymn we used to sing 50 years ago, but still relevant to the 'faith' once delivered to the Saints.

Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conquerer be
I sink in life's alarms, when by myself i stand
Imprison me within thine arms and strong shall be my hand.

My will is not my own till Thou hast made it thine
If it would reach a monarch's throne, it must its crown resign
It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife
Till on Thy bosem it has leant and found in thee its life.

Fanny Crosby the blind poet became aware of people pushing by as they went forward to the front of the Church to accept Jesus as their Saviour.

It prompted the writing of the hymn which sadly so many today have never heard.

Pass me not O gentle Savior hear my humble cry
Whilst on others Thou art calling....Do not pass me by

 

[brakelite]

The O.P. reminds me of a hymn we used to sing 50 years ago, but still relevant to the 'faith' once delivered to the Saints.

Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conquerer be
I sink in life's alarms, when by myself i stand
Imprison me within thine arms and strong shall be my hand.

My will is not my own till Thou hast made it thine
If it would reach a monarch's throne, it must its crown resign
It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife
Till on Thy bosem it has leant and found in thee its life.

Fanny Crosby the blind poet became aware of people pushing by as they went forward to the front of the Church to accept Jesus as their Saviour.

It prompted the writing of the hymn which sadly so many today have never heard.

Pass me not O gentle Savior hear my humble cry
Whilst on others Thou art calling....Do not pass me by

Fanny Crosby wrote some wonderful hymns. The modern church misses so much with their focus on choruses and the desire to entertain.

 

[brakelite]

Jesus showed us what God expects in His Sermon on the Mount.
There is no doubt we are held to a standard of behaviour which includes our thoughts and actions. We aspire to be perfect as Father is.

Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

I still don't understand what "complete self denial" is. Put it in layman's terms please Brake.

The best I can express it is relinquishing ones right to self control, hence voluntary slavery. We abdicate our right to rule our own lives and surrender to God, giving Him sole authority.
The old nature is utterly selfish. That's why we need to be born again. However, that old man can be resurrected at any time...we need to daily keep him under the earth...dead and buried with Christ.

 

[agua]

Ta brake : )