present time. Whether a certain man, even one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, visited a particular city or not, is not the thing of importance here. But it is important to know that Peter did not mean Rome when he said Babylon, for if Babylon is a mystical name for Rome, then Babylon the Great is Rome. But the Bible shows us that Babylon the Great is something much more important and exercises a much more far-reaching influence than Rome ever did, or than does the religion that emanates from Rome. Babylon the Great is the world empire of false religion, which includes, not only the religions of Christendom, but also those of pagandom. To obey the Bible command to get out of her, one does not have to be in Rome; he can be in any location on earth and be held a spiritual prisoner under the influence of Babylon the Great. It is from this that he must flee. He must see unmistakably what Babylon the Great is in order to flee from her to save his life. To do this he must have a clear understanding of what the Bible says about Babylon. Therefore, let us rely upon God’s inspired Word rather than the traditions of men who are uninspired and who try to support a preconceived opinion. It is only the truth that sets men free.—John 8:32.

Holding Fast as Slaves of Our Repurchaser

TODAY all humankind is born under sin as slaves of sin. How did this unhappy state come about? It came because our first parent, Adam, sold himself to sin and death for the selfish pleasure of keeping continued company with the selfish transgressor, Eve, for a few short years. What folly! Since all his offspring were in his loins when he sold himself, he sold all of us with him under sin at the same time.—Rom. 5:12.

But thanks to Jehovah God’s great love, we do not need to remain slaves of sin nor slaves of sinful men! As his Word tells us: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, likewise also through the obedience of the one person many will be constituted righteous”—set free from the bondage to sin.—Rom. 5:19.

As believers we have turned from willing slavery of sin, accepted the righteousness that comes through the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice and have dedicated ourselves to do Jehovah’s will. The first ones thus to be constituted righteous are those who comprise the spiritual congregation of Jesus Christ, the 144,000 Kingdom heirs of whom a mere remnant are left upon the earth. However, the “great crowd” of “other sheep” among us also benefit even now in that they are shown as ‘washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb.’—Rev. 7:9, 14.

Since we have been bought with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whether of the ‘remnant’ or the “other sheep,” we belong to the one who ransomed us, Jesus Christ, our Repurchaser. Having been purchased by him, we may no longer be slaves of sin, slaves of ourselves or slaves of other men. How appropriate, then, our theme for the month of March that we should keep “holding fast as slaves of our Repurchaser”! Yes, as the apostle Paul warns us, “you were bought with a price; stop becoming slaves of men.”—1 Cor. 7:23.a

To keep “holding fast as slaves of our Repurchaser” is by no means an easy thing to do. Today totalitarian rulerships and fanatical nationalism are taking control, and ambitious, power-hungry men and institutions demand our abject obedience and our very lives. Since upon no just basis they lay claim to or demand our lives as their slaves, we dare not yield to their demands.

Others, again, such as greedy commercialists, would like to bring us into bondage for financial gain. They use “the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life” to ensnare us. How important that we keep strict watch against this spirit of the world!—1 John 2:16; Eph. 5:15.

There are also those foes of God’s truth and kingdom who by ridicule or threats would lead us to become their slaves instead of holding fast as slaves of our Repurchaser. But we may not let fear hold us back from going from house to house with the good news, or from offering it to passersby on the street or from making opportunities for incidental witnessing. Therefore, whenever tempted to yield thus to the fear of men, let us remember Jesus’ words about fearing God rather than men.—Matt. 10:28.

We must also hold fast as slaves of our Repurchaser against those that would ensnare us by false doctrine or wrong conduct. Selfish, ambitious men today, even as in the days of the apostle Paul and the disciple Jude, worm themselves into God’s organization and seek to use unsuspecting ones for their own advantage. Against all such we must likewise be on guard!—Jude 3, 4.

If we would ‘hold fast as slaves of our Repurchaser’ in spite of the efforts of all such men to make us their slaves, we must make good use of all the aids that Jehovah God has provided for strengthening us spiritually, including prayer, personal study and meeting attendance. And in particular will activity in the field ministry strengthen us so as to be able to keep “holding fast as slaves of our Repurchaser,” Jesus Christ, our Ransomer. Let us make good use of our opportunities in this respect during the month of March, especially in endeavoring to start Bible studies with lovers of righteousness who are conscious of their spiritual need!

[Footnotes]

Jehovah Is My Strength and My Song

As told by George S. Douras

THIS year I am completing, by God’s undeserved kindness, forty-five years of dedication and service to the living and true God, Jehovah. Throughout this long period of time, amid favorable and unfavorable circumstances, Jehovah has been my strength and my song, my support and my reason for joy of heart.

I have always wanted to praise my Creator, even as a student of law in Athens, Greece, in 1920, as a youth of twenty-five years of age. I was mainly a litterateur, a poet—and how I enjoyed praising God, the Creator, with my songs! However, at that time I really did not know how to praise God in full harmony with the words of Isaiah 42:10, “Sing to Jehovah a new song, his praise from the extremity of the earth.”

A QUESTION PROMPTS QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

One day something happened that stirred up my thinking about God. A friend of mine who used to read my poems suddenly asked me: “Well, do you believe in God? Then teach me to believe too.” After thinking a little about that request, I answered: “It’s doubtful whether I even know God. Beyond what I write in my poems to praise him, I can hardly say I know anything about God.” And, indeed, I did not have accurate knowledge about God.

What a milestone that question was for