4. What do we need to do to become “slaves to righteousness”?

4 We are very thankful to Jehovah for giving us what we need to be his slaves! Our faith in the ransom sacrifice of Christ makes it possible for us not to be slaves of sin, that is, not to be completely controlled by it. This means that even though we are still imperfect, we choose to obey Jehovah and Jesus as our Masters. Paul explained this clearly in one of his letters. He said: “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed with reference to sin but living with reference to God by Christ Jesus.” Then he warned: “Do you not know that if you keep presenting yourselves to anyone as slaves to obey him, you are slaves of him because you obey him, either of sin with death in view or of obedience with righteousness in view? But thanks to God that you were the slaves of sin but you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were handed over. Yes, since you were set free from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:11, 16-18) Notice that Paul says that we should be “obedient from the heart.” So when we dedicate ourselves to God, we become “slaves to righteousness.”

5. What must we all fight against, and why?

5 As dedicated slaves of God, we have two battles we must fight. The first one is our own imperfection. Paul too had this fight. He said: “I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my members.” (Romans 7:22, 23) Because we are imperfect, we must keep fighting against our fleshly desires, that is, human desires to do things that God does not like. The apostle Peter urged us: “Be as free people, and yet holding your freedom, not as a blind for badness, but as slaves of God.” —1 Peter 2:16.

6, 7. How does Satan make the world seem attractive?

6 The second battle we have is against this world that is controlled by the demons. Satan is the ruler of the world, and he uses every weapon he has to try to break our loyalty to Jehovah and Jesus. Satan wants to make us his slaves by tempting us to become part of his world. (Read Ephesians 6:11, 12.) One way he does this is by making his world look attractive, like something we want to be a part of. The apostle John warns us: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because everything in the world —the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life— does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world.” —1 John 2:15, 16.

Satan makes the world seem like something we want to be a part of

7 All over the world, people want to have more and more material things. Satan makes people believe that having lots of money will make them happy. Superstores are everywhere. Advertising promotes a lifestyle in which the most important thing is to have more things and to have more fun. For example, travel agencies promote trips to interesting places in the company of people who think as the world does. Yes, all around us, the world is telling us to change our lifestyle, but in the way it wants us to.

8, 9. What real danger exists, and why?

8 In the first century, Peter warned Christians about those in the congregations who were beginning to think like the world. He said: “They consider luxurious living in the daytime a pleasure. They are spots and blemishes, indulging with unrestrained delight in their deceptive teachings while feasting together with you. For they utter swelling expressions of no profit, and by the desires of the flesh and by loose habits they entice those who are just escaping from people who conduct themselves in error. While they are promising them freedom, they themselves are existing as slaves of corruption. For whoever is overcome by another is enslaved by this one.” —2 Peter 2:13, 18, 19.

9 If we try to satisfy “the desire of the eyes,” that is, have everything we want, we will not have freedom. Instead, we will become slaves to Satan the Devil, this world’s invisible master. (1 John 5:19) The danger of becoming a slave to materialism is very real. If that happens, it can be difficult to escape.