The Servant of God

If you are a Christian you are a Christian, you are a servant of God. In fact, you are God’s slave. I am aware that the word servant can cause one to pause. To tell someone that he or she is a slave is probably a very offensive statement. In America we like to think of ourselves as a people born with the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The constitution of the United States of America names ten basic rights that all citizens have. The first ten amendments are known as the “Bill of Rights.” Although America has a history of slavery, America does not want to own up to that part of its history.

The American slave systems is one in which people were captured in their homeland. They were brought to America’s shores in ships where conditions were so poor that many people died. They were brought to an unknown land and stripped of all rights as a human being and forced into hard labor. They were separated from their families and tribes and were dehumanized as animals with no rights and no protection. The slave could be beaten severely until the slave died without there being any adverse consequences to the slave owner.

The events that have taken place in Charleston, South Carolina have brought shame and controversy to that state as well as the rest of the nation. How could someone go into a church and kill nine people engaged in bible study? This event reignited the debate on whether or not the Confederate battle flag that has hung on the grounds of the state capital should be brought down. Today, this flag has been lowered and placed in a museum. Even those who wanted the flag to remain up denied that it was a symbol of hate. Regardless of one’s position I have noticed that people try to avoid the words “slave” and “servant.”

When I was in seminary, a twenty-one year old Caucasian man said to me that there is no place in the Bible that says anything against slavery. I replied that this is true, but the Bible throughout has a lot to say about how you are to treat a person regardless of any social or economic status. We can see that there is a great difference between a slave in America and a servant of God as described in the Bible.

There are several words in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that are translated into the English word servant in the King James Version of the Bible. In many cases the word could be just as easily translated into the English word slave, and “slave” is most frequently used in the New American Standard Bible. In this article I will use the word servant because it is less offensive than the word slave. The Hebrew word ebed is used most frequently in the Old Testament. The Greek word doulos is used most frequently in the New Testament. Servants are persons who serve someone else. In the Bible, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the Moses, the prophets, and the nation Israel are called servants. The coming Messiah is called God’s servant in the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah (42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12). In the Bible a person may be a slave voluntarily or involuntarily. Servants had rights and protection under the law (Exod. 21:20). In some cases servants obtained positions of status and authority. Under the Law of Moses those who had sold themselves into slavery were set free in the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:10). These people are called servants of God because they serve God. Unlike the cruel slave owner, God is a God of love. He extends grace, mercy, and forgiveness. God is kind and has compassion on His servants. God provides for His servants and protects them from danger.

Christians should know how they became a servant of God. We have been purchased by God. We have been redeemed by God. The Bible teaches us that all people are born in bondage to sin because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden. Sin means death. Sinners are separated from God and are under the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin. This death means that our minds are carnal and unable to think like God (Romans 8:6). The absence of God’s Spirit in us causes us to live a life filled with works of sin (Gal. 5:19-20). God loved the world so He sent His Son Jesus to die so that we can be free from our sins. Instead of being dead, we now have eternal life through Jesus. Let us consider three Scriptures.

The first passage is found in Exodus 20:2. “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (NASB). God defeated Pharaoh and took possession of the Israelites. The second passage is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (NASB). When we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, God saves us from our sins, and we become His property. Since God owns us, it is His responsibility to look out for our welfare. This is seen in Paul’s farewell charge to the elders at Ephesus. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28, NASB).

If you can grasp this truth, you are free from the bondage of sin, and you are free to serve God. The vices of sin no longer hold you captive to serve Satan, the evil one. You have been made righteous by God’s grace through your faith in Jesus, whose blood has redeemed you. You are free to serve God. You are free to do the works that God has called you to do. Servants of God are to serve under the authority of their God. Servants obey the commands of their God. People today are writing and saying that God asks us to do something, but God never asks us to do anything. God is sovereign and as Lord He commands only. God’s servants have the assurance that God will take care of them (Matt. 28:20). You are now God’s servant and you are to be committed to serving Him with your mind, body, and spirit. There is no shame, only honor in being called the servant of God.