No One Can Serve Two Masters: The Impossibility of Divided Allegiance

Our Lord presents an inescapable principle in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters." The man who serves his master does so with faithfulness and singleness of heart, his mind wholly devoted to that service. It is impossible to serve two masters thus. A man may appear to serve both, but when contrary interests arise, his true allegiance becomes evident.

Certain exceptions seem possible yet prove the rule's force. One may serve two masters successively in time, or serve one in reality while pretending service to the other. One may serve two masters unequally, or when they align on the same side differing only in degree. Yet Christ makes the application absolute: God and mammon are irreconcilable masters.

Every person must serve some master—no man exists without one. The advocates of independence become the greatest slaves. The service of religion demands no greater privations than the service of sin.

God claims your service on grounds of both interest and gratitude. God can accomplish infinitely more for you than mammon can. God's claims rest upon what He has already accomplished for you. The path of uniform attachment to the right Master yields faithfulness rewarded, safety secured, and heaven gained. Decision of character proves wholly distinct from mere party spirit. The misery attending attempts to unite these services, and the fatal consequences in eternity, render decisive commitment to Yahweh alone both necessary and wise.