Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything …
Summary: To understand the value of Paul’s words about slaves today, we need to understand the nature of being a servant.
If Paul’s words about slaves are going to have any value for us, we need a modern parallel for the word “slave.” In Part I, we have distinguished the spirit and the flesh.* We defined a slave as someone who owns their soul, but not their body. The body serves the will of the master. The soul that lives in the body is not in charge.
Let us move another step along this path and ask the question, “What is the difference between a servant and a slave?”
There is a passage in Leviticus 25:42 that reads, “Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.” (NIV) In the King James Version, it reads, “For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.” Both words, “servant” and “slave/bondmen” come from the same Hebrew word.
A servant is someone who performs duties for others. When you eat dinner at a nice restaurant, a server brings your meal. If you are wealthy enough to hire people to answer your phone and greet people at the door you have a servant. Even people who work for a public agency are public “servants.” So a servant can be someone who hires out their body (the flesh) to serve others. The only real difference between having a job, any job, now and being a servant in ancient Rome would be the amount of pay you get and the working hours.
For the purposes of Paul’s letter to Titus, if we work for someone else, we are a servant. If we hire ourselves out, we all fall into the same category; servant.
The things that Paul is going to emphasize for slaves is good advice for anyone who wants to hold a job. Of course, Paul is not giving job advice intentionally. He is helping us understand how we can better represent our heavenly Father to an unbelieving world.
*There was a great discussion that followed in the comment section about spirit and soul. Thank you to all who shared their thoughts on that topic!
Application: Humility demands that we acknowledge when we are only servants.
Food for Thought: How does thinking of people who work for a living as “servants” change your view of them?
Jesus said,..if you want to be great,..you must first learn how to serve,..there’s a lot to being a servant,..not everyone wants to do things for others,..some work hard at keeping things to themselves,..success isn’t a destination,..it’s a journey.
Being a business owner has taught me a lot about serving and that has brought in greatness to the fence company. Because of customer service this little fence company has been recognized as Oregons best contractor for two years in a row,..the North Clackamas Small Business Development Center is using Fix-A-Fence LLC as a success story for the year of 2020,..all because I have learned to serve the customer’s needs in fencing,..and that has been carried in from the time spent serving with the church I used to attend,..
God has a purpose for all of us,..being a great servant is one of them,..nothing wrong with striving for greatness, but first learning to serve is a must in any field of profession,..
Servant’s are an inspiration to me,..they give me ideas I can bring into my life for application if so desired,..that’s the great thing about God’s word to me,..there are plenty of life applications that inspire me to serve others in the way God has given me to serve.
Jesus said,..let your light shine before others so that they can see,..the light within in us needs to be inspiration for others to see so they can know how important serving really is,..and so they will come to serve others for themselves and become the greatness God has purposed them for.
John,
What a beautiful testimony! Thank you for sharing!! And congratulations on the recognition your business has received. I have a strong feeling that it brings glory to our Lord in many ways.
We are all servants to someone. If you are the POTUS you serve the people. If you are a CEO you serve your clients. Even people “on top” serve somebody. In fact, biblically, the higher your position the more people you serve. Jesus has the highest position yet on earth He served in the greatest manner. Mark 10: 42 – 45.
Rich,
What an interesting point! And so true. Jesus does serve in most people in the greatest manner. Thank you!
I would like to express my Thanks to all those who are servants.
I so would like to give praise and Thanksgiving to the example of servanthood the Lord Jesus Christ He served by teaching, discipiling, healing, doing miracles, casting out demons. doing His Father’s will, washing the disciples feet, offering Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us to mention a few things.
(Mark chapters 15 & 16, John 13 3- 17 ect).
If you have a Valentine, or Sweetheart it would probably be a good idea to serve them by expressing your appreciation for them 😊 by some means or in some demonstrable way.
May all enjoy your weekend,
Keep the Faith, love 💘 Him, love others, be Blessed and a Blessing,
Take Care, and Stay Safe.
Thank you, Jeff.
I appreciate your service in the name of our Lord, too!
👍🏻