“Paul, a bondservant
of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God”
– Romans 1:1
The word “bondservant” is used throughout the New Testament
as a title for several followers of Christ. The apostles would sign their
letters to the churches at the beginning of the first chapter because this was
the first words to be seen on a scroll.
They presented their name and title to the reader by saying they were a “bondservant
of Jesus Christ” or a “bondservant of God”.
It was the title of Paul (Romans 1:1), Epaphras (Colossians 4:12), James
(James 1:1), Simon Peter (2 Peter 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1), and even used to
describe the service of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:7).
The word “bondservant” carries the connotation of slavery. Slavery begins with being captured, placed in
“bonds”, and taken into service against your will. It removes freedom, inflicts harm, and
pain. But that’s not what being a bondservant
means.
The Greek word for bondservant is doulos (Strong’s G1401), which carries four parts in its
meaning. It means:
-
"a servant and attendant”
- “one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men”
- “a slave”
- “devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests”.
The difference in being a bondservant and being a slave is
that a bondservant chooses to take on the role rather than being captured and
forced. He chooses to give his life for
the cause of Christ, to give up what he wants to follow what Christ wants. He is self-less to the point of donating his
own life for the cause of Christ, without expecting anything in return.
Reread that last part.
He expects nothing in return. The
difference in a bondservant and an employee is that an employee earns wages for
what he does in service to his master. A
bondservant earns nothing, and yet does the job with full devotion anyway.
What if Christianity had no perks, no blessings, no comfort,
no intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit, no position in the church, no
rewards…whatsoever? Would we still
choose to be a “bondservant of Jesus Christ”?
The question puts a spotlight on our hearts, where our true allegiance
is rooted. A bondservant serves out of
love and devotion to their master. An
employee serves for his own gain.
If to be a Christian means to be Christ-like (and it does),
then we have to serve God out of love for Him.
To serve because we want a jewel encrusted crown when we
get to Heaven is to serve as an employee.
To serve to hear God say, “well done, my good and faithful servant” is to
serve as an employee.
To serve for the comfort of a church position or
popularity is to serve as an employee.
We have to serve without considering or getting hung up on the
blessings of Christianity. 1 John 3:16
says “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Jesus was willing to lay down His life, to
become a bondservant of God, to be self-less for our good. As we serve each other, the love of Christ
should be our only fuel.
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