“Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24)
The word “serve” in this Scripture means to be a slave. Before receiving Jesus as Lord, we were in bondage in the kingdom of sin and darkness. We were slaves to the devil’s influence. We had the nature of sin and couldn’t change ourselves. We were powerless and unable to do good. “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)
When we believed on Jesus and made Him the Lord and Savior of our lives, we were immediately translated into the kingdom of light, life, peace, joy and love. We received a new nature, the nature of God, filled with His love, filled with His peace and filled with joy. In God’s kingdom, there is freedom and there is choice. We can choose to sin, but when we do, it goes against our new nature and is unbearable. If we continue in sin, we will come to a point where we will become reprobate and refuse to obey the Holy Spirit indwelling within. Our hearts will become hardened. A hardened heart cannot see and understand spiritual truths. It cannot hear the Holy Spirit anymore. Jesus Himself gives us this definition when he rebukes the apostles. “And when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?” (Mark 8:17-18)
There is great discussion among those who believe that once you are saved, you cannot be unsaved, and those who believe one can become unsaved. Some may think that because they cannot leave a terrible weakness, like fornication or drug abuse, that they are reprobate. But this is not the case. Sins like these have such a pull on the flesh that although the spirit suffers greatly because of that sin, they fall into that sin over and over. It’s a matter of the flesh, not the spirit. To deny the work of Christ in our lives is so rare because the born-again spirit cannot bear the severance of our fellowship with the Lord. But those who choose to deliberately sin and continue to do so get to the point of being reprobate. Paul wrote, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6) So there is that possibility in my opinion. And in some cases, I’m sure, they may not have ever been really saved. It may have been not a pretense, but maybe they were deceived into thinking they were saved and never were.
In our Scripture above, Colossians 3:24, Paul states “...for you serve the Lord Christ.” Or in other words, you are bondslaves of the Lord Christ. We didn’t just jump from slavery to the devil into another bondage. Our slavery to the Lord Christ is voluntary. “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) Our bondage to the Lord is not bitter nor harsh. His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) And bondage to the Lord has great reward. “...ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance...” (Colossians 3:24) Paul writes about this. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22) What is the reward of the inheritance? “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:15-17) Yes! There is great reward when we are bondservants of Jesus our Lord.
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