7月1日
标 题：义的奴仆
经 节：耶稣看见这许多的人，就上了山，既已坐下，门徒到祂跟前来，祂就开口教训他们。你们既从罪里得了释放，就作了义的奴仆。（马太福音五章1～2节）（罗马书六章18节）
在你成为基督徒之前，你是罪的奴仆，被罪所捆绑。就算你根本不想犯罪，还是会不由自主去做（罗马书七：15～24）。当神拯救你之后，祂把你由罪恶中释放出来，然而，你的身分还是奴仆。现在你不再被罪恶捆绑，你是被公义捆绑。在你生命每个角落，你有义务要荣耀神。
有些人以为基督已经释放自己，因此可以为所欲为。事实并非如此。使徒保罗理解到，在跟随基督之后，他变成基督的“奴仆”，不但如此，他的生命再也不是他自己的（罗马书一：1）。他不再作罪的奴隶，他是神与神公义的奴隶。当人们恶待他的时候，他已经放弃天然本性的反应，取而代之的是有一股力量，让他能以公义回应。当他被试探的时候，他不再屈服于自己的感受。保罗在工作场合不会有自私的行为。他了解身为义的奴仆，他有义务要过圣洁的生活，以荣耀他的主。
公义的生活不是基督徒的选择，也不是一件得时时尝试去做的事。它是一项义务，是神的每一位儿女所当行的事。在基督里的自由，不是高兴做什么就做什么，而是以公义过日子的自由，这不是被罪捆绑时所能做到的。现在我们有自由，能过公义的生活，务必要容许圣灵在生命结出圣洁且成圣生活的果子（约翰一书三：7）。
Slaves
of Righteousness
And
having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Romans
6:18)
Before
you were a Christian you were a slave, in to sin. Even when you did not want to
sin, you were unable to do otherwise (Rom. 7:15–24). When God saved you, He
freed you from sin, but you remained a slave. Now, rather than being bound to
sin, you are bound to righteousness. In every area of your life you are
obligated to do what honors God.
There
are some who believe that when Christ sets them free, they are free to do
whatever they want. That is not so. The apostle Paul realized that when he
began following Christ he became a “bondservant” of Christ, and his life was no
longer his own (Rom. 1:1). Now, rather than being enslaved to sin, he was
enslaved to God and His righteousness. When people mistreated him, he had
forfeited the right to respond from his natural feelings but was compelled to offer
a righteous response. When he was tempted, he was no longer free to succumb to
his feelings. Paul could not enter the workplace and act selfishly. He
understood that, as a slave of righteousness, he was obligated to live a holy
life, honoring his Master.
Righteous
living is not an option for a Christian. Nor is it something we must try to do
over time. It is an obligation, mandatory for every child of God. Our freedom
in Christ is not freedom to do what we want. It is freedom to live righteously,
something we could not do when we were in to sin. Now that we are free to live
righteously, we must allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us a holy, sanctified
life (1 John 3:7).
