Of course, this
runs quite contrary to the nature of most every American. We are, after all,
“the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Time and again, whether from Hollywood , politicians,
pundits, or even the pulpit, the independent, free spirit of Americans is
cheered, celebrated, and encouraged. Since the late 18th century the
message has been clear: Don’t Tread on Us.
Putting Emerson’s
conclusion in a spiritual light, the Apostle Paul said in the book of Romans, “…you are slaves
to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death,
or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that,
though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of
teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have
become slaves to righteousness.”
So,
we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. In other words, we are
either slaves to Satan or slaves to Christ. Being a slave to Christ is a theme
that runs throughout the New Testament. Time and again in his letters, Paul
referred to himself as a “slave (or “servant” in some translations) to Jesus
Christ,” as did Peter, James, Jude, and John.
John MacArthur writes
that “Being a slave of Christ
may be the best way to define a Christian.” He later adds, “When you give
somebody the gospel, you are saying to them, ‘I would like to invite you to
become a slave of Jesus Christ. I would like to invite you to give up your
independence, give up your freedom, submit yourself to an alien will, abandon
all your rights, be owned by, controlled by the Lord.’ That’s really the
gospel. We’re asking people to become slaves.”
C.S. Lewis put it this way:
“Christ
says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money
and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural
self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a
branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t
want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over
the natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones
you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In
fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’”
However,
he concludes, “The terrible thing, the almost
impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self – all your wishes and
precautions – to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do
instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves’, to
keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be
‘good.’ We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way – centered
on money or pleasure or ambition – and hoping, in spite of this to behave
honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you
could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am a field that
contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may
keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to
produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed
up and re-sown.”
Of course, “trying to…remain…ourselves”
sounds innocent enough, even downright American. However, this is one of the
great lies of the enemy. It is great, because it is so subtle and deadly. Through
what is commonly referred to as “pride,” many have been led into what Lewis
refers to as the “Dictatorship of Pride.” Pride, he notes, comes straight from
hell. “It was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to
every other vice; it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
Many people have overcome poverty, physical
disabilities, addictions, and so on, through their pride. “The devil laughs,”
says Lewis. “He is perfectly content to see you becoming (wealthy), brave, and
self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the
Dictatorship of Pride—just as he would be quite content to see your (cold)
cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer.”
A dictatorship: now that is about as
American as a Swastika. Yet that is exactly the view of humanity that many
Americans espouse today. In pop culture and politics Americans are told again
and again that they need to be true to themselves and take what is theirs. Liberals,
Conservatives, and Libertarians all often fall prey to a pride-centered view of
the person.
Many of the political problems we currently face would be greatly reduced -
if not eliminated - if we ceased being subjects of a "Dictatorship of
Pride." Problems with health, poverty, and old age would be alleviated if
we were focused on serving God and our neighbor rather than ourselves.
For each of us, this battle against our
pride is our ultimate challenge. Unsurprisingly, victory lies with humility,
with surrender—giving ourselves over to the One who has purchased us with His
blood. The Bible tells us that we are not our own; we have been “bought at a
price.” Sounds a lot like a slave, doesn’t it? Make no mistake about it; each
of us is serving something. The only question is whose slave are you?
Copyright 2010, Trevor Grant Thomas