The type of slavery the Bible speaks against the most is slavery to self. This is when you put yourself in the “God” position. There are two angles I will hit here today: the narcissist who thinks he is God, and the victim who is being held as a slave to that person. This whole issue comes from the key lie of the serpent that triggered Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit: “And you shall be as God, able to determine what is right and wrong.” The lie of the Serpent is that we as man would be the arbiter of truth and reality.
There are two areas where this is on full display: politics and science and the two are often interlinked. Forty years ago, Jeremy Rifkin made this statement in his book Algeny as a commentary of the mindset of the scientific community back in 1983.
Humanity is abandoning the idea that the universe operates by ironclad truths because it no longer feels the need to be constrained by such fetters. Nature is being made anew, this time by human beings. We no longer feel ourselves to be guests in someone else's home and therefore obliged to make our behavior conform with a set of pre-existing cosmic rules. It is our creation now. We make the rules. We establish the parameters of reality. We create the world, and because we do, we no longer feel beholden to outside forces. We no longer have to justify our behavior, for we are now the architects of the universe. We are responsible to nothing outside ourselves, for we are the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.
- Jeremy Rifkin, Algeny (1983) page 244
Take note of the last statement in that quote. That is the mindset of the scientific community. I don’t believe it is Rifkin’s position but that of the scientific community that he is addressing. That is blasphemy, and it is the sinful nature on full display there. This is seeking to rule our own lives without God and to rule everyone else while at it. Understand that this is the attitude that these scientists have toward God and us. They believe that because they are so well educated and have so much scientific knowledge, they not only know what is better for us but that they are better at it than God. If you think about it, this is the attitude that the government and scientists who are paid by them had towards us during the Covid-19 pandemic. They did not believe we could make our own informed choices but that we must submit to them as though they were God Himself. They appear to have believed they had overthrown Him and could rule in His stead. There is only one thing that happens when any person or group of people does this: death.
But how did they get such into such a position? How did these people get such a God complex? The answer is simple: we gave it to them. We as a people have put these people on pedestals and given them the prestige they love, and now they want to exert authority with that prestige. A false teacher depends upon one critical thing: a willing, believing audience. Take away the audience and they have nothing. And those false teachers don’t just stand behind pulpits; they wear white coats and sit at ruler’s desks as well.
It starts at the individual level. The psychological term for this is narcissism. A narcissist is someone who thinks all about self and wants everyone else to think about him. Many accused President Trump of being narcissistic, and I saw validity to that charge. I also saw it in Dr Fauci and many others. Whenever someone makes every statement about themselves, that is narcissism. Bad news folks: EVERY ONE of us are narcissists. We all think about self and want things to be about us. We all have it, because at the root of all sin is self. This is one of the reasons why God listed pride and haughty eyes as the first of the sins he hates. So many times, we direct conversations about our interests and our desires and seek praise for us. Now, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the fruit of your labors, but why are we doing such work to begin with – for God, for others, or for ourselves?
Why did you take your job? Why are you pursuing such and such career? The answer for most is one of two things: money and prestige. They want the income, the title, and the recognition. If you are good at a job, yes, go for it. But what is the motive? The motive is often self. Seeking that prestige is all about self. Wanting that new car or getting the latest cell phone just because it is new – why get it if the current one is working fine? The answer is usually to show off, especially for teens or young men. They want to show off to girls that they got the “goods.” It’s about self and getting others to “worship” them. And once such narcissists exercise such control over people, when someone wants to break out of it, they show their nasty side. It’s all about self and these people are themselves controlled by self. Even if they say or want to serve others, they do so to make themselves look good before others. Some of these people are not only slaves to themselves but they are slaves to others because they depend upon the approval of people and are always seeking someone to please them. Often, this can be a result of parents who never gave them any value and who never taught them that their true value comes from God, not from others.
Every man thinks he is right. No one does what he does because he knows he is wrong, unless they have gone past the point of no longer caring. Look at our movies. Most of the villains actually think they are doing the right thing and have “good motives” for what they do. They usually want the same thing the hero wants, but the hero has that moral line he won’t cross, though the villain will. That is what separates Luke Skywalker from Anakin Skywalker. That is what separates Batman from the Joker. However, in the real word, each of us are the villains. We each think we are doing the right thing, but the end leads to death. This is why Jesus said we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. That is why Proverbs tells us to trust the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding.
The world is not about you. All that goes on is not about you. When you try to take God’s place to rule the universe and make everyone’s decisions be about what you think they should make, there are two people who are laughing at you. One is God Himself as He sits on His throne, laughing at us trying to rage at Him. The other is Satan as he watches us follow his lies and make utter fools out of ourselves. There is only one solution to this: we have to take ourselves off the throne and submit to God who actually has the title of God and let Him rule. One way or the other, God is going to show that He is God, and we are not. We will serve someone: either self or God, either sin or God. And the only way to change from one master to the other is through the death of the former. That is what Romans 7 is all about. We were born serving sin, so sin must be put to death before we can serve God, legally and practically. That is where this series is going, but before we get there, I have one more topic to hit: slavery to teachings.
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