Comments on: Not a Servant, but a Bondservant

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:03:57 +0000

I rather tend to agree with the author’s definition and have heard it put this way before. It is actually very much in line with Paul, a servant to the most high God first, while concurrently in his ignorance of Christ, a persecutor to Him through His Son, the Christ. A real dichotomy. Just as slave and today’s definition of servant are different. A servant was a slave but in his slavery, he was a servant. As was I believe properly identified, the reference to the old testament whereby a slave could choose to remain of his own accord under the law, he gave his word. Which is of course a bond. Since this principle was of the law and Paul was a pharisee, would it not also be consistent that his (Paul’s) use of the word servant/slave/bondservant all be consistent? Considering context and time, wouldn’t the definition below respond to the author’s apparent intent as well as identifying with your correction? Which is correct, partially. I don’t think the author was trying to ‘enslave’ us to a word definition which was wrong. The key words below are ‘one who gives himself’. If I have mis-understood the intent of your written reply, my sincere apologies. But just as you have written to correct, if you are right, is it said in love, but if you are wrong and not in love, is it relevant? Paul also said, ‘ with me all things are possible, but few are beneficial’. It is important to test all spirits. But we are I assume all Christian brothers so we must do it in love perhaps as an inquiry, rather than an indictment?

Matthew 7:3

This ususally keeps me from commenting on things like this. Forgive my directness. I am sure your intentions were good but to non-believers who read these things it is just more amunition used to divide us further.

God Bless

1.) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition

2.) a slave metaph., one who gives himself up to another’s will; those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests
a servant, attendant

@Alastair -

By: Sidharth

Sidharth — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:37:58 +0000

Yeah, true. =)

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:36:34 +0000

Thank you for dropping by, brother Four* Pointer! Appreciate it.

That’s a great verse to remember too. AMEN!

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:34:13 +0000

Shalom, Shalene:

Thank you for visiting, the compliments and adding my blog to your links! I really appreciate it. Perhaps one day I’ll write what the inspiration is for the restart.

Thank you for the recommendation, Shalene. I’ve heard about that book by John Piper. In fact, it’s free to read on the Internet at the resource page at Desiring God dot Org. They’ve got quite a few good books there too.

Tried reading it but I’m not someone who can read a book off the computer screen so I will need to save some before I go get it (if it’s available in bookstores here, that is).

God bless!

By: Four* Pointer

Four* Pointer — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:38:08 +0000

Isaiah,

I remember finding a passage about servants/slaves in Deuteronomy a couple of years ago. Deu. 23:15-16–”You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him.”

I always remember this one when I think about how we have escaped from our old master (Satan) and have found refuge within the gates of our new Master, Jesus Christ, and Christ will never, NEVER send us back to our old master, if we truly belong to Him.

May we always remember we are a doulos to our Lord Jesus Christ!