Paul opens his letter to the assembly of Messianic Believers in Rome with an introductory bio of himself. He writes:
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ (i.e., Messiah) Yeshua, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (i.e., Yah)…” (Romans 1:1; NASB). Other translations defer to using the term “servant,” such as the KJV. But when you actually look at the Greek texts, the term used is “doulos.”
A bond slave (i.e., the Greek term being “doulos,” the derivation of which is “dew” which means to tie, bind, ensnare, capture), which denotes serving, subject to. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, a doulos is a slave, bondman, man of servile condition. Metaphorically one who give himself up wholly to another’s will. The Thayer’s then goes to great lengths to describe doulos as one who is in the service of Christ, extending and advancing the cause of Christ among men and that the terms is particularly applied to “apostles.”
Paul proclaimed himself a slave of Messiah. Can we honestly say that about ourselves today?
The concept of being a slave, in the classic sense, should not be diminished in not just this passage, nor in the hearts and minds of those of us who are true disciples of Yahoshua Messiah. To simply infer that a bond slave (i.e., a doulos) is one who works in the service of Christ, I believe, cuts the power and force of what Shaul was likely saying to his readers “off at the knees.”
I contend that most modern-day commentaries (most of which are denominationally-driven) downplay the seriousness of what Shaul is describing of himself. Simply being in the service of Christ carries with it a much lesser sense of servitude, so to speak, than simply being in the service of Christ.
Here’s what I mean by that. In my working years, I was in the service of various organizations such as the U.S. Navy and the County’s Sheriff-Department. I would never describe myself as being a slave to either vocation. I had full oversight of my work; I determined the course of my career; I determined the quality of work I performed; and I determined when my work with them would begin and when it would end. If I chose to “serve” either vocation below the level of that organization’s requirements or expectations of me, I would be subject to substandard performance appraisals and possibly termination. However, I remained in control of my destiny with that organization, not to mention that once I was off-duty each day, I was free to do whatever I desired to do. I could have a family life apart from work; I could have a hobby; I could purchase the things I needed or wanted. I could request time off and when granted, I could travel and do whatever I chose to do.
When we look at the concept of slavery, a few things come to mind:
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Slaves have no say whatsoever regarding their comings or goings or what their tasks and chores will be each day. They are entirely subject to the commands and desires of their master.
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Slaves receive all of their clothing, food and shelter from their master.
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Slaves own nothing, materially speaking.
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Slaves possess no identity beyond that of their master.
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Slaves are subject to punishment at the hands of their master if they disappoint their master.
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With few exceptions, the life of a slave one a difficult and challenging one.
So when we consider what we know of slavery-level servitude throughout the centuries and what we know of the post-conversion life of the Apostle Paul, to me it’s not too difficult to understand how Paul saw himself in the vocation that he had dedicated the rest of his life to. The moment he set his pen to paper under the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit and wrote that he was a “slave” (CSB, NET, CJB, NAB) or a “bond-servant” (NASB and DBY), he was declaring to the Roman Assembly of Messianic Believer, and by default all who would read his writings, he was establishing as an eternal fact that he no longer an independent person. Indeed, he was establishing as fact, before the eyes of every reader and in the hearing of every receiver of his read epistles, that he answered solely to Yeshua Messiah. He was not mincing words here. He was not in any sense insinuating that he “worked” in the field of ministry or that he was doing this as a gig or side hustle, to borrow a popular phrase to describe a part-time job or endeavor.
Essentially, this former Jewish Rabbi or better, Pharisee (Acts 23:6) and likely member of the Sanhedrin Council in Jerusalem, had abruptly walked away from his former life of privilege, prestige and favor for a life of arduous servitude unto Yeshua Messiah. It was as if Paul had fallen upon extremely hard-times and sold into slavery; coming under the oversight of a strict master who required everything of him, including his very life. And quite frankly, this is exactly what happened to Paul. Paul no longer had control over his life:
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He went where his Master, Yeshua, directed him to go, even when he knew it would cost him his freedom and place his physical well-being at risk.
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He preached and taught that which his Master gave him to preach and teach.
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He wrote epistles to his charges under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach HaKodesh).
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He held absolutely no ambition for himself, but held high expectations for the net gain of souls that would result as a result of his work in the Gospel of the Kingdom.
So what does this have to do with us you may be wondering? Well, many in our Faith Community consider themselves servants of Yeshua Messiah. Yet I contend that most of us are completely in the dark as to what Paul means by being a servant–a slave–a bond-slave–a doulos for Yahoshua Messiah. Oh, we may see ourselves as proficient, dedicated workers in the Faith–uncompromising Messianic/Torah teachers and expositors of the Word; diligent students of the Bible; faithful supporters of Hebrew Roots ministries; or even loving and compassionate attenders to the poor. We may be holy rollers speaking in tongues and setting our fellowships on fire each Sabbath; possess the amazing gift of prophecy and even have undeniable faith that moves mountains. But is having and being any or all of these indicative that we are slaves to Yeshua Messiah. Sadly no. I submit that many of us, despite the many great things we may be doing for the Kingdom, are nothing more than hired-workers for the Kingdom. Our work in the kingdom ends when we feel ready to quite. If we don’t want to do something or go somewhere that the Spirit has required of us, we simply don’t do it or we simply don’t go where we are supposed to go. If the work that we’ve been tasked to do doesn’t quite meet our sensitivities and preferences and desires, we pass.
For most of us, the servitude that we truly have towards YHVH places us in the driver’s seat and Yahoshua in the backseat. The work of and life in the Kingdom is about Him, first and foremost. Father makes the rules and dispenses the instructions “jump” that we are obliged to respond with a resounding “how high Father?!” (Listen or read our post entitled “Operating Effectively as a Disciple of Master Yeshua Today.“)
Master instructed: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37; NASB). And then Master instructed that any who would follow after Him must deny him/herself (that is, put him or herself to death), take up his/her stake “daily” (i.e., not just when it suits them) and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Indeed, this is often seen as a foreign concept in most Messianic circles. Many of us focus our servitude on man-made traditions, teachings and doctrines. Some of us focus our servitude on the acquisition of knowledge while the rest of us simply go through the motions of living a life of Torah. And I would submit that this is simply not good enough. (Listen or read our post entitled “Living a Life Beyond the Norm.”)
Sadly, many will be shocked when that great day comes and Master separates His chosen, sold-out workers from the seasonal, hired-servants-temporary workers and sends them packing, not to enter His eternal Kingdom (Matthew 7:21-23).
So I ask, how do we see ourselves in the work of the Kingdom of YHVH? Are we simply seasonal workers in the service of Yeshua Messiah, or are we slaves–sold-out–bought and paid for “douloi” whose lives are no longer our own, but belong to solely and completely to YHVH our Elohim? I say we take Paul’s pronouncement to heart and be that which we’ve been called to be.
Faithfully