The Greek word for slave (doulos) appears 130 times in the New Testament. The companion word in Greek for doulos is kurios. Kurios means lord. This is the dominant narrative of a human’s relationship to Jesus Christ. He is Lord. We are His slaves.
When it comes to Scripture, we’ve got to let God say what God said. We also got to understand the goodness of God. To serve Him is not to serve an abusive person.
During the era in which the New Testament was written, there were about 12 million slaves in the Mediterranean world. To free Greeks and Romans, freedom was everything. Slaves had no freedom and no rights. They couldn’t defend themselves in a court. They couldn’t be citizens. They couldn’t own property.
Popular culture in those days was to refer to one’s relationship with god as philos. Philos means friend. The thought of being a slave to anyone, even to a god, was despicable in the Greek world. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” [1] The message of the cross was a stumbling block to the Greek mind. Paul conveyed to them a message of a crucified Jew who wanted to make people His slave.
“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus” was his first point. He wrote, “Am I now seeking the favor of men or of God?” Slavery to Christ is about seeking His favor. “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ.” [2]
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” [3]
The first point of the books of James and Jude are, “a slave of Jesus Christ.” At the beginning of the last book of the Bible, we read, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His slaves, the things which must shortly take place; He sent and communicated it by His angel to His slave John.” [4] James, Jude, and John knew what slavery meant. They lived in a world of slavery.
To be of slave of Christ is to be on the good side in the Book of Revelation. “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their forehead.” “In the days of the seventh angel’s voice, when he’s about to sound, and the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His slaves the prophets.” The prophets, the apostles, and the preachers in the time of tribulation are slaves. “His judgments are true and righteous; He judges the great harlot corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His slaves.” “Give praise to our God, all you His slaves, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” “There shall no longer be any curse; the throne of God, the Lamb, shall be in it, and His slaves shall serve Him.” Past, present, and future; we are slaves, those who are redeemed by the Lord are His slaves. [5]
A servant is someone who performs a function for a wage and is free to quit. A slave is purchased and owned. Peter wrote, “You are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” Paul said, “The church of God, which He bought with His own blood.” [6] This is slave language. We are owned because we were bought.
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the following commission, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” This commission involves knowing who Jesus is in relationship to us, obeying Him, and trusting Him. This is not about, “God, come into my life and fulfill my dreams.” He said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” [7]
Paul wrote, “If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” The Christian life is about being a faithful slave. To be the person in the parable to whom Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful slave.” [8]
The Lord provides His slaves a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Paul wrote, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” He lavishes grace upon grace. His place of rulership is a throne of mercy for us in our time of need. We don’t have anywhere else to go. We depend on our Lord for our provisions, and our protection. He promises, “I’ll never leave you or forsake you.” He is a good shepherd who cares for His sheep. [9]
A slave in Caesar’s household was at the top of the slave ranks because of who his master was. Paul doesn’t hesitate to say, “Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ,” because his Lord is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
Jesus Christ is the best Master. He loves us His slaves. He seeks what is best for us. After making us children and joint heirs, He seats us with Him on His throne to reign with Him. He lavishes on us all the gifts of His grace.
“Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be held onto, grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave.” It’s good enough for Him, and it’s good enough for us. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” In the crisis of the moment in the garden, Jesus said to the Father, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” [10]
“He took the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, humbled Himself in becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus is the perfect model of self-denying slave of God. And what was His return on investment? “Therefore also God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name which is above every name.” [11] He is the slave who became Lord, and we are the slaves who will one day be raised to share His throne.
[1] 1 Corinthians 1:18
[2] Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10
[3] Matthew 6:24
[4] James 1:1, Jude 1:1, Revelation 1:1
[5] Revelation 7:3; 10:7; 19:2, 5; 22:3
[6] 1 Peter 1:18-19; Acts 20:28
[7] Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23
[8] Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 25:23
[9] Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 5:4
[10] Philippians 2:5-6; John 5:19; Luke 22:42
[11] Philippians 2:8-9
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