Bond Servant of Christ

10 For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Pray

Here in this passage Paul states that he is not preaching to please men but to please God. He is not saying that he never tries to please men he does look at 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

But here he is saying that one cannot serve two masters.

Matthew 6:24 (CSB)

24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

He has made his choice and he is a servant or a bond servant to Christ. Which is interesting because this letter all together is about freedom. Freedom is found in bondage?

What is a Bond-servant?

To really understand let’s stop and look at what a bondservant is?

Greek word there is dulos.

Bondservant

Servant

Slave

In Roman times, the term bondservant or slave could refer to someone who voluntarily served others. But it usually referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.

The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6).

During the time of Jesus and the first-century church, as much as one third of the Roman population were slaves, and another third had been slaves earlier in life. It was common for freeborn men and women to work side-by-side with slaves as street sweepers, dockworkers, doctors, teachers, and business managers. Convicted criminals became bondservants of the state and usually died working in the mines or on galleys.

The difference between a servant and a slave is how you got there.

A Slave is someone who serves out of force. In the books they be called a servant, but if you don’t have a choice for whatever reason you are a slave. Slave to Sin it means that you really don’t have a choice but to sin. But with Christ there is freedom. Have the option to sin. Cause you are in the world but not of it.

Servant is a choice you choose to be devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interest. Choose to put self aside and see to anthers needs.

But it’s the same word

The question then becomes why would it be something to boast about?

Why would someone boast about being a servant? We are not exactly talking top of the food chain here. Servant is something we let the lowly people do. When I grow up I want to be a servant. We sing about being a servant of Christ but ever though about what a servant is.

Servant is the person who cleans, who cooks, who sees to the needs of others, who does the work that others don’t want to do. Like the farming and I am not talking sitting in a tractor. If you have slaves such things aren’t needed. Great innovations like Computers, tractors, microwaves, electric stove tops, central heating and air ;Didn’t happen till after we did away with slavery.

Part of it was due to time we didn’t quite have the technology yet. but why didn’t we understand. Why strive for something when you have someone who does it all for you? Slavery is and was one of the biggest hindrances to technological advance. Why develop better mining techniques when you can put the slaves in with hammers and chisels. Let them die.

So why boast about being a servant?

Normally I would say there is no reason. We don’t boast about being slave to alcohol or cigarettes or pornography or food or whatever. “We can always quit when we want” (right). And something’s like alcohol, food and cigarettes aren’t sins in themselves it’s our addiction to harmful behavior that is.

No one said don’t eat, But when we turn to food for our comfort instead of God, It’s become a false God.

But when we become bound to Christ we become servants of Christ. There is freedom.

A bondservant to Christ is to love as Christ loved, to walk as Christ walked. Is bound to the will of God and not your own. When we are bound to Christ our paths are made straight. When we are bound to Christ we are no longer slaves. When we are bound to Christ we are protected. When we are bound to Christ we have armor. which only the rich have. When we are bound to Christ we have eternal Life and a life to its fullest.

This and more are the blessing of being bound to Christ

And that is why Paul boast.

I hope all of you can boast in this manner as well.

If you can say you are a servant of Christ then you can find yourself in one of three categories

Reluctant servant

These are the people that know the truth but not sure what that means for life.

And are not really sure you want to devote yourself entirely to God and be bound to his will. The things of the world are tempting and you might find yourself flowing that way. These people are usually fence sitter not sure. Don’t really want to be a hypocrite but might be one. If pressed, or made into a habit you will do things like go to church, might read the bible some. But in the end you are not sure what to do.

You believe but that’s about it

Rebellious Servant

I am a believer I know the truth and at one point I might have been a reluctant servant. But now I am just out to live like the world and follow God when it fits my needs. And I am fighting to change the will of God to fight my needs. Some of these people may not actually be servants of God but slaves to the world and Satan. Some just want God to be their own vending machine or Santa clause.

Eager servant

Desires to follow God. Desire to be bound to God. Desire to put God first and yourself last. Doesn’t mean you will always get it right. But you desire to be a true bondservant of Christ.

This is the place in which those who have fallen in love with Christ are. This is where the true bride of Christ is located.

Next Steps

As Paul boasted that he was a bond servant

Can you?

And if you can what type are you

I pray that all of You desire to be eager Bondservants of God. Putting his will before yours