Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. (1 Peter 2:16)
In the Bible, God’s chosen people are referred to as servants and slaves. When Moses met God at the “burning bush” he referred to himself as a servant (Exodus 4:10). Later in their relationship, God used some interesting wording when He said, “My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household” (Numbers 12:6–8). In both of these cases the Hebrew word ebed can also be translated as bondman. The word bondman means serf, or slave.
In Hebrews 3:5, there is a quote of God’s statement about His servant Moses that comes from Numbers 12:6–8. In this case, the Greek word therapōn was used, and is defined as, “a menial attendant.” In Revelation 15:3, Moses is referred to in the Greek as doulos, which in English means a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency)[1].
What about Christians? Over and over, the apostles of Jesus referred to themselves and other believers as slaves. Here are some examples from the Holman Christian Standard Bible: “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1); “Simeon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1); “The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His slaves what must quickly take place. He sent it and signified it through His angel to His slave John” (Revelation 1:1).
Jesus Christ is Lord, and we are His slaves. That does not mean He will treat us harshly except when He disciplines us (Matthew 11:28–30; Hebrews 12:5–11). Our slavery to Jesus should not be seen as something negative. We are told to have the attitude of Jesus, who emptied Himself to take the form of a slave, becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name …” (Philippians 2:9–11).
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SUMMARY • God’s chosen people are called slaves of God
• Jesus’ apostles referred to themselves and other believers as slaves
• Jesus took the form of a slave and was obedient to His Father God
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FOOTNOTES
Definitions of the Hebrew and Greek words mentioned herein are from the, “Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words” taken from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. Published in 1890; public domain. ↑
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RBG Devotional 13–2: The Slave: Attitude Of Jesus Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. 22-Jun-21, 17:56 |