Philippians: How Are You?

This blog is about pages 138-139 in the book The Smart Guide to the Bible: Paul and the Prison Epistles.

In Philippians 1:1-2, Paul calls himself and Timothy “bondservants of Jesus Christ.” There are many characteristics of a servant or slave that can be applied to Christians. This book has a list, with Scriptures to back up each point. I want to explore these more and apply them to not only Christians, but my life specifically.

The first point is that an Old Testament servant or slave was the property of his or her owner. Romans 6:12-14 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” These verses tell us that Christians cannot be owned by anyone else except God. Sin can’t own us. We can’t own ourselves. Only God owns us. For me, this is comforting. I have felt myself a slave to sin before, and it’s the worst feeling in the world. But now that God has redeemed me and owns me, I am not a slave to anything or anyone but Him. And unlike sin, God is a gracious master that loves and cares for me.

The second point is that an Old Testament servant or slave obeys his or her master. Romans 6:16 says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” As Christians, our obedience shows our servanthood to Christ. If we are not obeying Him, we cannot call ourselves His slaves or bondservants.

The third point is that an Old Testament servant or slave is purchased. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “you were bought at a price.” God paid for us with the blood of Christ on the cross. Jesus died for our sins, and because of that, we are freed from sin and become servants to God. The fact that we were paid for with such a high price reminds me that God loves and values me. He could have just had me, but He was willing to pay a high price for me, His servant.

The fourth point is that an Old Testament servant or slave can gain freedom after six years of service. Romans 6:12 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” We are given free will. Serving Christ is a choice of the will and is a commitment lasting forever. We are free to turn to God or turn away from Him. He does not force us to follow Him. To me, this has always been so hard to understand. I forget where I heard it, but I have often heard that you can’t have love without freedom. It’s true. If we were forced to obey God, there would be no love from us to Him. We would be like robots. But when we do things right and obey Him when we have the choice to do otherwise, it is an expression of love from us to God. Yes, sometimes we do it out of obligation, but it gets to a point in our Christian walks that we aren’t doing things because we have to, but because we love God and want to please Him.

The fifth point is that an Old Testament servant or slave was the lowest in society. Matthew 20:26-28 says, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This means that in God’s kingdom, slavery to Christ indicates greatness. When we serve Christ, this makes us great in His kingdom. Even though the world may see us as lowly, that is not how God sees us.

The sixth point is that what an Old Testament servant or slave did was out of love for his or her master. Matthew 24:46 says, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” This shows that servanthood brings happiness. When we serve God in the way He intends, we will be happy. Even if the things He asks us to do seem like big sacrifices at the time, in the end the blessings that come out of that will be so much greater. And even if the blessings are not earthly or tangible things, just knowing that what we did pleases God should be reward enough. I know that when I finally do something that God has put on my heart, I feel this warmth inside that I can’t describe. It’s as if God is whispering to my heart, “Well done, beautiful daughter.” God is happy with those who do His will.

The seventh point is that an Old Testament servant or slave may or may not be promoted. Matthew 25:21 says, “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” As Christians, faithful service is guaranteed to bring greater opportunities. As we learn to listen to God in the small things, He will bring bigger and bigger things for us. I’ve seen this a lot in my own life. God started by giving me little things to do or say. As I listened to Him and learned to act on His calling, He started to give me bigger things. A year ago, if I looked at the things God has been doing and asking me to do, I would have been so afraid. God doesn’t give us the big things right away because He knows that we would be so overwhelmed. He starts small and “promotes” us when we obediently follow His voice.

The final point is that an Old Testament servant or slave can only be judged by his or her master. Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” As Christians, God is the only judge we answer to. I praise Him for this, because if I were judged by anyone else, I would fail. Sure, there are some people who think I’m a pretty good girl, but they all find fault with me at some point (and are not nearly as forgiving as God). God forgives me of my sins of which I’ve repented, and so I am alright with His judgment of me. He is good.