Monday, November 15, 2010

Dear X (You Don't Own Me) -From Slaves to sin to Slaves to Christ!

A while back I met up with a good friend to catch up. We had a good time with good discussion about a number of things. No sure how it came about, but we started to talk about slavery in the context of biblical times, and transitioned over to how we were once slaves to sin, but now are slaves to Christ.
This is something that I have recently been thinking about, and rejoicing over. I thank the Christian hard rock band Disciple for this! Their current single "Dear X (You Don't Own Me)" for their latest album talks about this very thing of going form being slaves to sin to being slaves to Christ.
The 1st verse I don't believe is relevant to the message the song is getting across. It talks about how were enslaved to shame and pain, which are effects of sin which we still experience to this day, but I don't believe the Bible talks about being slave to those things. Though there is the simple truth that even though we now belong to Christ, we will still experience the effects like pain, sorrow, and shame among others, till the day we die. This is what the 1st verse of song reminds me of, even though it's irrelavant to what the song is talking about.
The 2nd verse though hits home.It talk about hate and anger. Ha there we go! Both anger and hate go hand in hand in with the 6th commandment , you shall not murder. How? Well rember Jesus' word in Matthew 5. "You have heard it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to council; and whoever says,'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:22). To me personally, anger was one of the big sins that owned me. I was selfish in my anger; wanting this or that, or wanting things to go my way. Yet, thankfully I am no longer a slave to anger, and to all the other sins the I was enslaved to.
The prechorus is short, yet rings true. "I've let you go, but you're still chasing!" The scripture that comes to mind is Genesis 4:7, which says, "And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It's desire is for you, but you must rule over it." So there is that truth that sin is still there. Just because we are no longer enslaved to sin, and now God's chosen, doesn't mean the sin can't touch us. It's not like once we become converted, we instantly become perfectly holy and righteous, with out sin. 1 John 1:8 makes it clear, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Let me make it clear that even though we will still be sinning until the day we die, doesn't mean that we should be sinning of our own will. 1 john talks about this, in how if we keep on sinning then we don't abide in Him; and are of the devil (1 john 3:6; 8). This is what Paul says later in chapter 7, vs 24 of Romans "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death!" Of course that answer is Christ. Paul longs to be ridden of sin for good, as do all believers! Son until the Lord calls us home, or retuns to take His bride away; we'll still be at war against sin. In the words of a reformed rapper, "I aint gonna lie, I'll still be sinning until the day I die, but I'm also fighting like a titan trying to stay alive!"
Then there's the chorus. "Gonna ahead but you're never take me/You can bend, but you're never gonna break me/ I was yours, but I'm not yours anymore/Oh, you don't own me" This is pretty much God's chosen saying to sin, in the face go ahead try to take me back! Go ahead give it all you got! Yea, I may fall into your traps, but you don't own me anymore! I've been bough with a price, by the blood of Christ! I bleong to Him now!
Finally the bridge comes saying, "You're tempting me to look back, but everything we had together was a lie!" So true! Right!? Our relationship that we had with sin was nothing but a lie. It would only end us up in hell for eternity; drinking the cup of God's divine wrath forever and ever! Thanks be to God that by the death and resurrection of Christ we have been transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13. No longer having that relationship with sin that leads to death, but now have that relationship with Christ that leads to life! From being slaves to sin to being slave to righteousness. We are not our own, we have been brought with a price. That price was that in love Christ took our place on the cross, bearing our sin, taking the wrath of God that was reserved for us; then after being in the tomb for 3 days, resurrected defeating sin! In response we have given our live to Him. Dying to ourselves, to be found alive in Christ! To Him who has delivered us from the bondage of sin, be honor, majesty, and glory forever amen!

4 comments:

Justin said...

Dude. Sweet goodness. What Christian rap is that that you were quoting from?

Joshua Aaron said...

It's from No Worries, the one that features Lecrae, and Flame.

Joshua Aaron said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Justin said...

coolio