A Bondslave of The Lord Jesus Christ

The Bible says in Romans 1:1 LITV, Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God. 

Here we see Paul wrote as a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul here does not exalt his apostleship to the Christians in Rome, but Paul humbled himself. Noticed Paul is first a slave (bond slave) of the Lord Jesus, and second a called apostle. For Paul to be a called apostle, he first needed to be called as a bond-slave. When we (Christians) look at ourselves as a bond-slave, it will humble ourselves before the living God, because we are bond-slaves, and the Lord Jesus is our Master. 

I want to focus on the word, “slave”. The word “slave” is the Greek word, “doulos”, and the basic implication of this word-described one who is bound to another. Paul the apostle was connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “doulos” can be translated, as some translations do, a bond-slave. Paul the apostle was humbled when he said, “a slave of Jesus Christ.”

In the Old Testament, there was a law about being a bond-slave. This is found in the Book of Exodus 21:1-6. The Bible teaches in Exodus 21:5-6 that a bond-slave is a slave who has been set free, but loves his master, refuses to go free, and remains with his master to serve him forever.  The servant, without force, and with joy, serves his master because He loves him. Paul understood this wonderful truth that sets you free. The bond-slave of Jesus Christ is free indeed. Paul understood that true liberty is being a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus, His Master, and our Master. The Lord Jesus had set him free, and that freedom was in the Lord Jesus. Paul loved his Master and he would never want to be separated from his Master, the Lord Jesus, but to remain with His Master, and serve Him forever. 

This is true for every true believer. Anybody who professed to believe in Christ, but walked away from Him, was never saved- for a true bond-slave has been saved by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and will serve Him forever.  A true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus is saved by grace and kept by grace. All true believers are bond-slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible in 1Corthians 7:22-23 LITV says, For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ. 23, You were redeemed with a price; do not become slaves of men.

Notice what Paul wrote, "For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ", and then he wrote, "You were redeemed with a price."  Paul is referring to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us with a price, which was Christ laying down His Life for us, and because He did, believers have been set free, and no longer slaves to sin and the devil, but a slave to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, who treats us and loves us perfectly. Christians have been set free to love Him because He first loved us, and to serve Him, and to rejoice in Him forever more. To be a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ means to be completely and entirely for the service of our Lord, which means in all that we do. 

There will be times when a true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ will let their Master down, but when they do, they are displeased, and have no pleasure in what they have done because their desire is to please Him, their Master Jesus, in all things. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31 LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. 

Never forget brothers and sisters in Christ, we are a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same as Paul was. We are to be humble as Paul was, like we see here in Romans 1:1, when he began to write this letter. A bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ is to delight in his Master's Word, which is the Bible, to serve Him and obey Him in the way they are to live as Christians according to the Word of God, and to please the One they serve, just like with Paul the apostle. 

What a wonderful thing to know the Lord Jesus, and to be His bond-slave, and to want to serve Him and obey Him and glorify Him, because we love Him, the One who made us His own because He first loved us by His grace. May the Lord help by His grace as we serve Him, our Good Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.