“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus…” Romans 1:1 (NASB) For some of you, just reading the word “slave” brings a negative thought to mind. Many picture a slave as a person who is treated harshly, forced to obey unrealistic demands, and as a person who has a demeaning relationship with his master. For years, history showed us the berating relationship between a slave owner and his slave. On extremely rare occasions, television may have allowed us a fictional glimpse of slaves that were not the recipient of their master’s severe oppression and they were provided for, but we still viewed the association of “slave” as something negative and undesirable and if we were to honestly think about it now, we still do. Paul, James, Jude, Peter, and John viewed the association of bond-servant or “slave” quite differently; frequently describing themselves as bond-servants of Christ while their lives consistently reflected the same. After placing trust in Christ, they considered being a slave of Christ as something to be desired. They willfully abandoned their ambitions and rights, obeyed Christ at all costs, and realized that their lives were not their own, for they belonged to the Master whom they loved and had a relationship.
Do you willfully give Christ your loyalty, affection, ambitions, rights, and obedience? We are all slaves to something (Romans 6:15-23). If you a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been adopted by God. Are you a slave to righteousness?
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