The Slave to Sin Commits Sin to Impurity Under Law

Chapter 2 - 1.7

Artwork: Crucifixion Artist: Matthias Grünewald

The severity of slavery to sin inevitably results in the sinner committing sinful acts. In John’s Gospel, Jesus describes those who are slaves to sin. “Jesus said to the Jews, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin’” (John 8:34; cf. 1 John 3:4-10). Truly slaves to sin cannot help but commit sin since they are in bondage under the rule and power of Satan. Therefore, John writes, “The one who does sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning” (1 John 3:8; cf. John 8:44). Slaves of sin do what the devil does; sinners commit sin. Paul also teaches that all are under sin (Rom 3:9; 7:14; Gal 3:22) and that sin has dominion as ruler and master. According to Paul’s teaching, one also learns that the Law condemns.

Since “the payment of sin is death” (Rom 6:23), the inescapable payment of death has to be settled. Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The one who rejects the grace of God in Christ dies an eternal death as a slave to sin. Martin Franzmann wrote,

What the Christian knows, but is always tempted to forget is, is the hard fact that we cannot take sin or leave it. Once we take sin, sin has taken us; for sinning is always at bottom rebellion against God and removes us from Him. Removed from Him, we return inevitably to the domination of sin. Paul’s word is an echo of Jesus’ saying: “Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Freedom to sin is therefore merely a passport to slavery and a consignment to death. The alternative to this slavery is a slavery too. Paul calls it, rather strangely, a slavery to obedience.[1]

The slave to sin is obedient to sin under the Law and the lordship of sin, death, and Satan. Condemnation is an actual true death without Christ, as death is the inescapable and inevitable reality for all enslaved to sin.