Slaves of Christ

A couple of months ago I picked up a Holman Christian Standard Bible. As I was reading through it I noticed the word servant was replaced with Slave. I stopped reading to think about the significance of that. I had never seen it used that way before. A short while later I was reading The Christian Journey, a blog I enjoy reading. I noticed he had a post called Servants Or Slaves talking about a sermon John Macarthur had done on the word Doulos (Greek for slave) That transcript is available here. I recommend taking the time to read it. Anyway, I got to thinking about what the word slave means. The dictionary defines a slave as someone who is subservient to a domineering force. A slave is owned by someone. A slave does everything to please his master, without the expectation of a reward. When we accept Christ, we give our life over to Him. He bought us with His Blood. Everything we do should be to please him, not for a reward! In Matthew 6:25 Jesus tells us not to worry about what to eat or what to wear. Everything will be taken care of! (Matthew 6:33) God will provide for us, just as a master would provide for his slave. Now let’s look at what a servant is. A servant is hired. He can quit if he wants. He expects payment for his service. A servant does want his master wants so he can get his reward. A slave is called upon just as God calls us. (Romans 8:30) He can’t quit. He belongs to his master, just as we belong to God and are sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14) A slave may try to run away, but his master will look for him. No one can snatch you away. (John 10:29) Once you accept Jesus as your savior he pays your debt and you become a Slave of Christ (Galatians 1:10) and that is a wonderful thing to be!
MSW