What Holds Us Captive?

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Romans 6:22

For most of us, we are living in unprecedented times. There are only a few people old enough who still remember the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Today, we face the global COVID-19 virus pandemic with its restrictions, closures, lockdowns, and requirements. Millions of people have lost their jobs, some businesses have permanently closed, freedom of travel has been severely restricted, and churches have been unable to meet together. At this point in time, there appears to be no relief in the immediate future from the impact of the corona virus.

Consequently, there are many who feel as though their lives are being held captive by the virus. Some go so far as to claim we are losing our constitutional right to freedom. But are we really in captivity during this pandemic?

To answer that question, let’s first look as what it means to be a captive. The dictionary says that the word captive means “one who has been captured: one taken and held usually in confinement.” We can generally be considered captive, therefore, if we are confined against our will somewhere, such as in a prison cell, as a prisoner of war, or if we have been kidnapped and held for ransom. 

That hardly describes our situation today with the virus. There are certainly restrictions being placed upon all of us, but we still have some level of independence and movement. In some US States and in other countries, the restrictions can either be more or less severe depending upon local circumstances. But in reality, no one is completely confined or held captive to the virus (with the exception of those who have been hospitalized with severe life threatening symptoms).

The Bible describes many times that people were held captive. In the Old Testament, Joseph was put in prison by the Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis), the Jews were in held captive as slaves in Egypt (Exodus), and the Israelites were taken into captivity to Babylon (2 Kings). In the New Testament, the early Christians were put in prison by Paul and even Paul himself was in prison for Christ (Acts). These are clear examples of confinement against one’s will.

Today, we are not confined against our will because of the virus, but simply restricted for a time in what we are allowed to do until the virus passes.

However, we are still being held captive to another, far more dangerous virus. It’s called sin. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), every human being is born with this virus. And no matter what we do, we cannot rid this virus from our lives. There is no medicine for it. There is no treatment for it. And no doctor can remove it. The Apostle Paul wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). In our church’s corporate confession we say that “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” Another way to state that is that we are “captive” to our sin. Our sin holds us, confines us, and keeps us bound in it chains!

Yet, there is an antidote to counter this virus. An antidote is defined as something that relieves, prevents or counters. That antidote is faith in Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and sacrificed His life in our place to release us from the captivity of sin! His mercy and grace gives us freedom from the virus of sin. We no longer need to be slaves to it or in bondage to it. Jesus did not have this virus of sin, and His perfect life is the only antidote to the virus of sin that exists. There is no way to counter this virus in our lives other than through faith in Jesus Christ!

How do we get this antidote for the virus of sin in our lives? We receive the antidote in the form of the Holy Spirit when we are born again through faith in Christ. Paul said that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24) The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to relieve, prevent and counter the harmful aspects of this virus of sin.

Now, it is important to note that this antidote does not remove the virus from our lives. We are still sinful by nature. But this antidote gives us the power to counter the evil effects of sin and to live lives free of its deathly grip. The virus of sin no longer has the power to take our life! When we place our faith and trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in our lives to counter our sinful nature and relieve us from its consequences. And that enables us to live lives that are holy, righteous and pleasing to God.

Our failure to take this antidote, which is provided free to us through Christ’s sacrifice, leaves us vulnerable to the ravages of sin that only leads to death (Romans 6:23). How sad it is that so many people in our world do not even know that there is an antidote for our sin. And worse yet, there are some people who don’t want the antidote and instead prefer to live with sin and its deathly consequences.

As Christians, we have the obligation to let others know that they don’t have to be held captive by the virus of sin and its damage to their lives. They can receive the antidote to sin by simply putting their faith and trust in Christ. It’s free and carries with it a lifetime guarantee!      

While we all wait for an antidote to the corona virus, let us not hesitate to remove our captivity to sin by putting our faith in Jesus. Let us also share the antidote to sin that Christ gives freely to everyone who calls upon His name!