… and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Summary: Paul sees himself as a servant which poses the question, “A servant of what?” As we review what Paul has written so far we find clues that help us understand his thinking.
Paul wraps up this section of his letter by telling us he is a servant of … what? The Gospel? Yes, he definitely serves the Gospel by faithfully preaching it and defending its integrity. But there is something else in this part of the letter that he might be pointing to.
A few verses earlier, Paul gives us this description of the Gospel message:
“For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
In this passage, Paul paints a picture of the real world we live in.
We like to think of our “world” as a world of things we can see, feel, and touch. It is a world of day and night, flowers and trees, and animals. In short, our world is consistently the same from day to day. There is a great deal of comfort in knowing that gravity doesn’t randomly stop working or that the sun doesn’t go out occasionally.
As comforting as the predictability of this world is, there is a larger world that we cannot see with our human eyes. The kind of eyes needed to see the invisible realm require spiritual insight and a measure of faith.
This spiritual realm contains everything we see in this world, plus it includes the two invisible realms that Paul mentions. The first is the “dominion of darkness,” and the second is the “kingdom of the Son.” John’s Gospel account describes the Son of God as “light” (See John 1:1-9). Combining John’s metaphor with Paul’s, we can think of the two realms as the “dominion of darkness” and the “kingdom of [Light].”
Of course, “light” and “darkness” are metaphors, too. Anytime we talk about the invisible realms, we have to rely on information that has come from there (John 6:46). Fortunately, the Bible contains enough information so that we understand what Paul is talking about.
Like the Israelites who argued with Jesus about never having been slaves (John 8:31-47), people of this world often claim that we are not slaves of darkness. Unfortunately, outside the Kingdom of Light, there is no freedom. People who live in darkness die in darkness, a slave to their selfish nature. Paul, on the other hand, freely chooses to be a servant of the Light.
Application: Choose the Light!
Food for Thought: What does it mean to be a servant of the Gospel?
2 Timothy 1: 6 – 14: So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel, 11to which I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day. 13Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
2 Timothy 2: 3 – 4: Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.
Based on these passages from Paul to Timothy, to be a servant of the gospel (and serving Christ by being a servant of the gospel) it includes making it a priority, being committed to its advancement, to be willing to suffer for it, to guard it as an entrusted treasure.
Thank you, brother.
I especially like this verse:
“He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel…“
What does it mean to be a servant of the Gospel?
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” Mark 10:45.
As believers we have received Jesus Christ and live our lives dying to self as we grow in Christ, allowing Him to minister to those around us.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.
Thank You, Ron!
Serving God and serving others. I like your summation of serving the Gospel! It matches closely with Jesus’ summation of the two greatest commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40)