J. T. Smith
Louisville, Ky.
The person who does not stop to consider just whose servant he is --ought to do so. Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad" (Matt. 12: 30). We either stand with Christ as His servant, or we are the servants of Satan.
Consider the Word "Servant"
The word "servant" is from the Greek word doulos which literally means, "A slave, a bondsman--one who gives himself up wholly to another's will" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, P. 158). The word is used 125 times in the King James Version of the New Testament, and is translated "servant" 118 times, "bond" 6 times, and "bondman" 1 time. Hence, we are slaves or bondsmen of Jesus Christ.
Why Are We Slaves of Christ?
We have been purchased by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). The position of one who has been purchased is not that of doing his own will, but the will of the one who paid the price for his freedom. In this case, the benefactor is Christ. We therefore belong to him. Paul said, "And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15). Paul also said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). Considering the fact that Christ paid the purchase price (his blood) for each one of us, we can understand why he expects us to serve him with our bodies, our souls, and our strength. N0w, since I "have been translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son" (Col. 1:13), I am to "walk as a child of light" (Eph. 5:8). I should no longer walk in darkness but in light in order to have fellowship with God and those who walk in the light (1 John 1:7).
What Happens When I Sin?
Since I am a member of Christ's spiritual body, if I yield my body to sin I become a servant d sin (Rom. 6:16-18; John 8:34). Not only is that true, but since I, and every other Christian, am a member d Christ's spiritual body, when I sin that much of the spiritual body of Christ sins. Hear Paul! "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:15, 19-20). We need to consider the position we place the spiritual body of Christ in when we sin.
Conclusion
Now, what have we learned? We are Christ's slave. He purchased us from the bondage of Satan with the only price God would accept--his own blood. Hence, our redemptive price has been paid; the purchase has been made. We are now the bondservants (slaves) of Christ. What he bids us, we will do. And, besides all this, the grace of God will allow the blood of Christ to continue to cleanse us, because of who we are, when we sin (1 John 1:7). But remember, if we accept the purchase price, we are His slave.
TRUTH MAGAZINE XIV; 50, p. 8
October 29, 1970
