From Posessed to Posesser
Text: Galatians 3:23-4:7 Faith Brings Sonship in Christ
There are still to this day over forty million slaves in the world, more than at any other time in history. Despite all the trappings and conveniences of modern life, the world remains abusive. In many places, the world is more dangerous for the innocent and vulnerable, particularly women than at the height of Egypt or even Rome. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man continues to be brutal. We think we are enlightened, yet we too often turn a blind eye to such injustices. Human trafficking affects the world, even us here at home.
Our state of Ohio ranks as the fourth highest in the United States for the most widespread use of sexually trafficked women, most of them teenage girls. Their average age is thirteen. At any given time there are as many as fifty-thousand online active predators on social media in Ohio alone. There is much we can do to raise awareness of this unspeakable evil, and even to combat it through our laws as well as international law.
When you and I take off the blinders we’ve made and take an in-depth, honest look into the mirror of the law, when we take His law to heart, it is devastating. We see our sin laid bare, and our guilt is our only clothing. We can, at last, recognize the chains that bind us. We are slaves.
In your baptism, your sinful nature was drowned in the water, and the Name of God was placed on you with an indelible mark. No longer a slave to sin, you are a slave to God. But this type of slavery is not oppression and is not a burden. It is an eternal joy. You are His prized possession. We remain sinners, but we do not live without hope. We can turn to our Master and ask for forgiveness in faith. When we repent, God promises to absolve us. We are now truly free!