Absolutely Geoff. Slaves with good masters in a sense had great respect and well esteemed.
For us...
Jesus is a wonderful Master,
And yet we also are also to know this truth from Jesus deep in our hearts...
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,
Because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:15 NASB
Friends are equal (don’t get me wrong. We are not the Messiah! Or anything like that)... yet we are fully accepted and loved and valued for what we are in the relationship with Him.
Friends not slaves...
Masters (submitted to Him as our Great Master of course), alongside with Him who is and always will be our Lord, our Saviour and our GOD... in order to know His Father as our Father in love beyond all imagining.
Or read ‘masters’ as mature disciples of Christ. I think of the great saints... Apostle John. Polycarp. Rees Howells.
Great saints. All masters in Christ... all humble happy souls who blazed a trail of holiness, freedom and liberty for us in days bygone.
Hence...
Discipleship ‘training wheels’ gets us into motion to understand the boundaries of GOD...
Then on up the higher climb of adventure and liberty as friends with Christ as we mature to accept responsibility and become fit as ‘Masters of the estate’ GOD has for us in Christ as Paul reveals in Galatians.
When we can fully cycle in life, we don’t need the training wheels any more. For we have become free and ride anywhere we wish... safely. Then we see we have graduated from slaves to ‘freemen’ to masters in life.
Or put another way, we begin to discover we can ‘reign in life’ by abundance of grace the LORD lavishes on His friends...
“Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:17 AKJV.
Or in the same way as...
Kings and priests to our GOD (Revelation 1:6-9 NKJV) which I love and think about every day.
All through grace :)
For what is our life brother?
A few passing seconds on this earth...
Then we pass into the real life which the LORD has prepared and tested us in this life for.
Thank you Dave, that was really helpful. We see in Romans 1:1 Jude 1:1 James 1:1 that Paul, Jude and James consider themselves a slave to Yeshua and also in Rev 1:1 doulos is used twice. Knowing that scripture can never contradict itself, why do you think that is? Any wisdom you can share?
We are now 'slaves/bond servants' to Christ yet it is as Paul instructs in Galatians 3 the Law brings us to Christ to free us in Him (by becoming slaves to Him (lol!)
The answer is a few verses along in the same passage of Galatians I started with...
2The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,Father.”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4: 2-7 NIV
As you can see the key ‘transition’ highlighted by Paul is from ‘slave to son’ and because we are technically ‘brothers’ to our ‘big brother’ Jesus therefore in John 15:15 calls us friends because we are NOT His children… we are sons of His Father… and our Father too :)
To ilustrate…
I have two sons.
They are great friends. They have great fun together.
Always a sense of fun between them when they are together and therefore in a similar way we see two states alive and well in them—‘Brothers’ they are, but also a second state in them is just as real—Friends.
So it is with Jesus and us. He now does not call us slaves. If we are friends with Him through obedience (John 15:5).
And so back to the references you kindly brought.
Taking ‘doulos’ to address your 100% correct points, I think this is great explanation* gets to the heart of what it means as ’slave’ in the Greek NT…
“It literally means to be owned by someone for a lifetime.”
Thus of course we ever will be ‘owned by Jesus’ and Father…
For He purchased us.
He redeemed us by His blood. (Rev 5:9)
In the same way there is no contradiction.
We (through eternal gratitude of our hearts) will ever fall down at the feet of Jesus and gladly declare we are His slaves and bond servants forever.
He purchased us. Thus redeemed us.
Yet… more still RESCUED us.
Why though?
To free us :)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 NIV
Yet…
The same time as ’slaves’ we are—Kings. Priests to our GOD. Heirs. And… Masters.
Let’s look more closely at verse 3 from the Galatians 4 passage again to break this out.
“So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery…”
Or rather than ‘underage’ here you could say (with Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1) ‘a child’ ie. ‘When we were ‘a child’ we were in slavery.
So as we grow up then we ‘get with the program’ of instruction our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus wish to put us through—ie. The School of Discipleship, with our NEW Tutor—The Holy Spirit.
As we learn from Him, we move (IN EXPERIENCE and maturity) from… slavery to sonship, to mastery, to Kingship, priestly offices in prayer etc.
Think of it like this (which perfectly matches the words Paul uses and what He is driving at here)…
Think of the term ’slavery to Christ’ as a SIMULATOR for living.
It’s like the ‘training wheels’ to get us going in the right direction.
Guard rails if you like.
Or…
Like the simulator Air Force Pilots train in before they are allowed to ‘fly free’ once they pass out of flying school and can fly real jet fighter planes.
Here’s the crux of the whole matter.
In a simulator…
The pilot simulates ‘real life’ flying up in the clouds at high speed. Combat. Dangerous manoeuvres etc. Take off. Landing. Emergency reactions etc.
It is all experienced there in the simulator.
And does it all in… safety.
Inside a simulator.
Then when the pilot graduates he gets to fly free… yet is still and ever under the authority of his tutors (the Air Force).
By this stage and subsequently as they watch his progress over time they show and reinforce their trust in him… by promoting him higher and higher.
They know he doesn’t need a simulator any more.
His flying is free.
Yet (key) still extremely disciplined.
By this stage he in fact is now…
A Master.
He’s gained mastery.
And so too with us.
Slavery—Sonship—Mastery—Co-Heirs with Christ—Heirs of GOD.
Progression of character. Of maturity. Of Christlike nature. Or as Paul puts it that “we may grow up into Him who is the head—Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
Lastly an earlier passage in Galatians sums it all up way better than I can…
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:23-27
Cool eh :)
Once we pass out of simulator training (and flying school) we get to ‘fly free’ up HIGH with Him forever, Yet… always submitted to Him as our eternal Master, trainer LORD and saviour and One who ‘owns’ us (ie slaves) forever… yet He set us free.
And of our own free will we stay prostrated servants of His forever.
It is because of the accomplishments of Jesus Christ that we have become in truth what the scripture declares in 1 John 4:17. What we believe about ourselves, our identity in Christ, is due to what we really believe about salvation and what Christ accomplished. Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
2 Corinthians 5:16, 17 From now on, therefore, we regard no one (including ourselves) according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)
Being a slave to a good master in 1st century Judaism was a good life for the poor. As a spiritual slave to Yeshua, we have a great Master.
Absolutely Geoff. Slaves with good masters in a sense had great respect and well esteemed.
For us...
Jesus is a wonderful Master,
And yet we also are also to know this truth from Jesus deep in our hearts...
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,
Because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:15 NASB
Friends are equal (don’t get me wrong. We are not the Messiah! Or anything like that)... yet we are fully accepted and loved and valued for what we are in the relationship with Him.
Friends not slaves...
Masters (submitted to Him as our Great Master of course), alongside with Him who is and always will be our Lord, our Saviour and our GOD... in order to know His Father as our Father in love beyond all imagining.
Or read ‘masters’ as mature disciples of Christ. I think of the great saints... Apostle John. Polycarp. Rees Howells.
Great saints. All masters in Christ... all humble happy souls who blazed a trail of holiness, freedom and liberty for us in days bygone.
Hence...
Discipleship ‘training wheels’ gets us into motion to understand the boundaries of GOD...
Then on up the higher climb of adventure and liberty as friends with Christ as we mature to accept responsibility and become fit as ‘Masters of the estate’ GOD has for us in Christ as Paul reveals in Galatians.
When we can fully cycle in life, we don’t need the training wheels any more. For we have become free and ride anywhere we wish... safely. Then we see we have graduated from slaves to ‘freemen’ to masters in life.
Or put another way, we begin to discover we can ‘reign in life’ by abundance of grace the LORD lavishes on His friends...
“Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:17 AKJV.
Or in the same way as...
Kings and priests to our GOD (Revelation 1:6-9 NKJV) which I love and think about every day.
All through grace :)
For what is our life brother?
A few passing seconds on this earth...
Then we pass into the real life which the LORD has prepared and tested us in this life for.
Then what shall we be?
What shall we do then?
It will be interesting to see for sure!
Bless you for sharing Geoff!
Dave.
Thank you Dave, that was really helpful. We see in Romans 1:1 Jude 1:1 James 1:1 that Paul, Jude and James consider themselves a slave to Yeshua and also in Rev 1:1 doulos is used twice. Knowing that scripture can never contradict itself, why do you think that is? Any wisdom you can share?
Thanks Geoff.
There's no contradiction :)
We are now 'slaves/bond servants' to Christ yet it is as Paul instructs in Galatians 3 the Law brings us to Christ to free us in Him (by becoming slaves to Him (lol!)
The answer is a few verses along in the same passage of Galatians I started with...
2The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,Father.”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4: 2-7 NIV
As you can see the key ‘transition’ highlighted by Paul is from ‘slave to son’ and because we are technically ‘brothers’ to our ‘big brother’ Jesus therefore in John 15:15 calls us friends because we are NOT His children… we are sons of His Father… and our Father too :)
To ilustrate…
I have two sons.
They are great friends. They have great fun together.
Always a sense of fun between them when they are together and therefore in a similar way we see two states alive and well in them—‘Brothers’ they are, but also a second state in them is just as real—Friends.
So it is with Jesus and us. He now does not call us slaves. If we are friends with Him through obedience (John 15:5).
And so back to the references you kindly brought.
Taking ‘doulos’ to address your 100% correct points, I think this is great explanation* gets to the heart of what it means as ’slave’ in the Greek NT…
“It literally means to be owned by someone for a lifetime.”
(Pastor Dennis Jacob: https://www.recorder.com/A-history-of-slavery-41316876#:~:text=Doulos%20is%20a%20Greek%20word,in%20the%20New%20Testament%20scriptures)
Thus of course we ever will be ‘owned by Jesus’ and Father…
For He purchased us.
He redeemed us by His blood. (Rev 5:9)
In the same way there is no contradiction.
We (through eternal gratitude of our hearts) will ever fall down at the feet of Jesus and gladly declare we are His slaves and bond servants forever.
He purchased us. Thus redeemed us.
Yet… more still RESCUED us.
Why though?
To free us :)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 NIV
Yet…
The same time as ’slaves’ we are—Kings. Priests to our GOD. Heirs. And… Masters.
Let’s look more closely at verse 3 from the Galatians 4 passage again to break this out.
“So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery…”
Or rather than ‘underage’ here you could say (with Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1) ‘a child’ ie. ‘When we were ‘a child’ we were in slavery.
So as we grow up then we ‘get with the program’ of instruction our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus wish to put us through—ie. The School of Discipleship, with our NEW Tutor—The Holy Spirit.
As we learn from Him, we move (IN EXPERIENCE and maturity) from… slavery to sonship, to mastery, to Kingship, priestly offices in prayer etc.
Think of it like this (which perfectly matches the words Paul uses and what He is driving at here)…
Think of the term ’slavery to Christ’ as a SIMULATOR for living.
It’s like the ‘training wheels’ to get us going in the right direction.
Guard rails if you like.
Or…
Like the simulator Air Force Pilots train in before they are allowed to ‘fly free’ once they pass out of flying school and can fly real jet fighter planes.
Here’s the crux of the whole matter.
In a simulator…
The pilot simulates ‘real life’ flying up in the clouds at high speed. Combat. Dangerous manoeuvres etc. Take off. Landing. Emergency reactions etc.
It is all experienced there in the simulator.
And does it all in… safety.
Inside a simulator.
Then when the pilot graduates he gets to fly free… yet is still and ever under the authority of his tutors (the Air Force).
By this stage and subsequently as they watch his progress over time they show and reinforce their trust in him… by promoting him higher and higher.
They know he doesn’t need a simulator any more.
His flying is free.
Yet (key) still extremely disciplined.
By this stage he in fact is now…
A Master.
He’s gained mastery.
And so too with us.
Slavery—Sonship—Mastery—Co-Heirs with Christ—Heirs of GOD.
Progression of character. Of maturity. Of Christlike nature. Or as Paul puts it that “we may grow up into Him who is the head—Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
Lastly an earlier passage in Galatians sums it all up way better than I can…
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:23-27
Cool eh :)
Once we pass out of simulator training (and flying school) we get to ‘fly free’ up HIGH with Him forever, Yet… always submitted to Him as our eternal Master, trainer LORD and saviour and One who ‘owns’ us (ie slaves) forever… yet He set us free.
And of our own free will we stay prostrated servants of His forever.
Because we want to :)
The Law was our ’tutor’ to bring us to Christ.
And then He made us free.
Bless you Geoff!
Sorry for the delay Dave, and thank you for your wonderfully thoughtful response. This has been so helpful.
Bless you Geoff :)
It is because of the accomplishments of Jesus Christ that we have become in truth what the scripture declares in 1 John 4:17. What we believe about ourselves, our identity in Christ, is due to what we really believe about salvation and what Christ accomplished. Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
2 Corinthians 5:16, 17 From now on, therefore, we regard no one (including ourselves) according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)
I love it when a plan comes together!!!