Frodo, Neo, and Freedom from Sinning

In Scripture sin is presented as a slave master.  (See my friend James-Michael's Sin as Conqueror, Captor, and Enemy.)

Look at Paul's description of sin in his letter to the Roman Christians:

"Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

Romans 6:16-18

In "The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers," and "The Matrix," I see three very good analogies of sin as a master, and the way to freedom from sinning.

The first analogy is in "The Two Towers." There is a scene with Gollum in which he talks to himself about "the one ring."  Gollum is a slave to the ring--which tempts all who wear it with DESIRE, and POWER.  The ring's master is Sauron--THE DECEIVER...who for me is a kind of Satan figure. So Gollum is ultimately ruled by Sauron when he is ruled by Sauron's ring.  He cannot escape this master....until he has the revelation of a NEW master! Upon this realization, he sees that HE NO LONGER NEEDS THE OLD MASTER--THE RING, or SAURON/SATAN/SIN. So what does Gollum do with this realization? He commands his "sinful nature/the side of him enslaved to the ring" to "leave now and never come back!"

Upon experiencing his new found identity and authority, Gollum says, "We told him to go away, and away he goes!  Gone, gone, gone!  SMEAGOL IS FREE! "   Through Frodo, Gollum is reminded of who he really was and who he really is. It is only when Gollum is deceived concerning his new master that he turns back to his old master. I believe the same is true in relationship to sin as a master and Christ as a liberator from sin.

 Smeagol's nature became warped by the ring, and he couldn't find freedom until he received a new master. This is the same in relationship to Christ setting all who believe in Him free from sinning.  We must acknowledge the truth: that self-centered desires are our master.  We must then HATE self-centered desire as a master (just as Gollum hated the slavery of his ring ruled self.)  We must then reject the old master, which is sin, and accept a new master, which is Christ the Lord.  In accepting a new master, WE NO LONGER NEED THE OLD MASTER.  As Gollum said to his ring ruled self, so we would be able to say to the sin that rules us:  "Christ looks after us now.  WE DON'T NEED YOU ANY MORE!"

When Gollum realized he had a new master, there was nothing in his "warped ring ruled nature" that kept him from choosing Frodo and refusing Sauron. In the same way, our natures are warped from birth.  This is so because Adam listened to the Satan, the deceiver.  But our warped natures are not so warped that we cannot accept the freedom Christ offers us.  We still have a choice.  We can choose or refuse "the ring" of power and self-centered desire. And we can choose or refuse "the red and blue pill".....(To be continued.)