Are You a Slave of Jesus?
During a conversation with a Christian, I mentioned the seriousness of the Apostle Paul. My friend acknowledged that Paul was “totally sold out” for the Lord. Compared to Paul, my friend did not think he was “totally sold out” in the same manner as Paul. Due to lack of time, I did not pursue this conversation further
A Christian may be ignorant of areas of his life that are not “totally sold out.” BUT…if a Christian knows areas of his life that are not “totally sold out,” it is a very dangerous thing. It is blatant idolatry. It suggests that this man is holding on to areas of his life that he has not yet surrendered to Jesus. He remains lord over his own life and has not surrendered it to Jesus. This is a symptom of an unregenerate heart.
I am not saying that such a man is not born again. I am merely saying that if a Christian knows of any area of his life that is not totally sold out, he really should have NO assurance of that he is truly born again. Assuming he is regenerate, I would propose that, based upon the admission that there are known areas of his life that are not totally sold out, he is a believer that needs to repent.
Paul was looking out for our eternal salvation when he said, “I urge you, by the mercies of God, to present your body a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
In Romans 1:1, Paul states that he is a slave of Jesus Christ. In his mind, he was living in accordance with his teaching in Romans 12:1-2. He wasn’t saying that it is merely a good idea to imitate him (I Corinthians 4:16). He taught that it is the only Christian way to live.
We must not let the spiritual malaise of people all around us lull us into thinking that this is merely an optional mindset. We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Any unwillingness to let go of all that we hold dear is spiritually dangerous. It leads to increased spiritual sleepiness and decreased intimacy with Jesus.
The eternal ramifications are great. Jesus said, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26). If a Christian thinks that he is not totally sold out, it means that he is holding on to his life rather than losing it to Christ. Based upon this, such a Christian should fear Jesus’ warning that at the judgment, he might “lose his life” (go to hell).
If you are knowingly living your life in a “not totally sold out way,” you are in great spiritual peril until you repent and relinquish everything to Jesus. If this is the case, I urge you to pray about this and if God is speaking to you about any area of your life that you have not given completely over to Him, surrender it over to Him now. Then you will have much greater peace and have protection under the wings of God.