Master
(Genesis 3:1-7)

When the devil tempted Eve, he said that your eyes will be opened and you will be equal to God if you eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Who is God? He is the creator and owner of the Universe. He possesses absolute sovereignty and has the sole right to determine what is good and evil in the Universe. Only a master determines what is good or bad while a slave just obey the master's decision. Adam and Eve declared that they would become the master of their own lives, not letting anyone make a decision for them, determining what is good or evil in life, and living independently from God.

1. The life in which one is one’s own master
- A life of secular humanism and atheism
1) A slave to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
2) A slave to the devil
3) One ought to bear the sole responsibility for works, problems, burdens, and so on, which belong to one.
4) A slave to circumstantial curses

2. The self-centered life in which one takes advantage of God
1) Faith without the cross
① A life in which one has not yet nailed down the old-self on the cross and become the new self.
② A life in which one has not been led by the Holy Spirit.
③ secularly humanistic faith and academic faith
2) Faith which tries to take advantage of God
① One uses faith to accomplish one’s own dreams and hopes.
② Philosophical, academic, and formal faith

3. The life in which one serves God as master
1) A life in which one crucifies oneself on the cross and believes and obeys the Lord
- Being gentle and modest, one takes the yoke of Jesus’ cross.
2) Entrust God with everything, anything that happens to one, problems, and burdens
- “Watching and waiting, looking for above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love”
3) Entrust God with all the things and then all we have to do is to believe and wait for God.
4) Faith of belief and peace ? “It is finished.”

Those who regard themselves as their own master are under the curse of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Those who are self-centered and take advantage of God are legalistic believers. Those who put down everything including himself before God and regard God as their master are leading a faithful life with God's grace.