bondservant – Ministry of Grace Church

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1 Peter 2:16 – Free to Submit

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Will

as free, yet not having freedom as a cloak of evil, but as bondservants of God.

Truth to Learn

We are free from the penalty of sin, but we are God’s servants.

Behind the Words

The word translated “free” is eleutheros, meaning “unrestrained” or “able to move about freely.” It is used primarily in reference to a person who is not a slave (not owned by anyone) but free to go where he pleases. It is expressed here in the nominative case, which ties it back to the word translated “submit” is verse 13.

“Having” is translated from a form of echō, meaning “to possess” or “to hold.”

The word “cloak” is translated from epikaluma, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “over” and a form of kaluptō, meaning “to cover.” Hence, it means “that which covers over.”

“Evil” is translated from kakia, which means “badness” or “that which is evil.”

The word “bondservants” is translated from doulos, which refers to “a slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another.”

Meaning Explained

Peter now touches briefly on a subject that was the root of one of the earliest heresies of the church and which is still misunderstood today. That heresy was called antinomianism, which literally means “no law-ism.” Some in the early church believed that since we have been set free from the penalty of sin, we can live however we want, since all of our sins have been forgiven. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we are free from the law of commandments contained in ordinances and free from sin, this is true. Being free from sin does not mean that we are free from all laws (as Peter just pointed out) nor does it mean that we are free to sin.

To be a free man and not a slave (or servant) in the first century was a very privileged position. It meant, as the word eleotheros implies, that one was free to come and go as one pleased. Peter’s use of this word, however, is in reference to the bondage of the Law of Moses. Many of the early converts to Christianity were former Jews who were bound heavily by the Law and who have now been set free from that as well. Peter is warning that this freedom is not to be used as an excuse to do evil things.

According to Greek grammar, the word “free” (literally, free ones) is tied back to the word “submit” in verse thirteen. So, what Peter is telling his readers is that Christians are to voluntarily submit to the civil authorities even though we have freedom in Christ. We are not to use that freedom to resist authority or to do evil deeds. Instead, we are to do good deeds in submission to the authorities over us, because our freedom from the penalty of sin also means that we are permanent slaves of God.

Application

Our Christian lives are not to be characterized by “being free to live like the Devil,” rather they are to be characterized by voluntarily subjecting (submitting) ourselves and our will to the one who purchased this freedom for us.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:6 – Jesus, Our Boss

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Will

not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Truth to Learn

We are to work at our jobs as if our boss was Jesus himself.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “eyeservice” is ophthalmodouleia, which is composed of ophthalmos, meaning “eye” and douleia, meaning “slavery” or “service.” Thus, this word literally does mean “eyeservice.” Ophthalmodouleia implies work that is being done only when someone is watching or work that is done only for appearance sake.

“Men-pleasers” is from anthrōpareskos. This word is made up of anthrōpos, meaning “man” and areskō, meaning “to be agreeable” or “to be pleasing.” This word describes the action of those who try to gain favor with others. The implication is that they are focused on pleasing other people instead of focusing on pleasing God.

The word “bondservants” is doulos, the same word Paul used in the previous verse, meaning “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

Meaning Explained

Yesterday we learned that Christian slaves are to be obedient to their masters and they are to serve their masters with singleness of heart. In other words, they are to listen attentively to their masters, doing what they are told without attempting to deceive. In addition, based on what we learned yesterday, we can safely say that this message applies to anyone who works for someone else, anyone who has a boss. In 1Peter 2:18, the Apostle Peter tells us that we are to submit (under-rank ourselves) to our bosses:

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

Between Ephesians 6:5, 6 and 1Peter 2:18 we can learn a lot about how we are to perform at our jobs. First of all, we are to listen attentively to our bosses, learning what we can from them and obediently doing what they ask (or tell) us to do. Second, we are to serve them with singleness of purpose. Third, we are to do our work for them as if we were doing the work for our Lord Jesus Christ, as His slaves. Fourth, we are to always be diligent at what we do, not just when someone is watching us, but at all times. Fifth, we are not to perform our jobs just to impress someone. Finally, we are to have a submissive attitude with regard to our boss. And we are to do so not just for the gentle bosses we might have, but to the harsh bosses as well. Incidentally, the Greek word translated “harsh” in the 1Peter passage above literally means “crooked.”

Whatever job we might find ourselves in, we need to recognize that God has placed us under the authority of our boss. Therefore, in a very real sense, we are doing our job for the Lord. We need to perform our work as if Jesus Christ was working right beside us. And – our Lord deserves the full credit for any success that we might have.

Application

Do you have a lousy boss? If so, remember that God has placed you under his (or her) authority and you need to perform your work for him (or her) as if Christ himself was your boss. Can you do that? Is so, you might be surprised at the results.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:5 – Obedient to Masters

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Will

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be respectful and obedient to their bosses.

Behind the Words

“Bondservants” is from the Greek word doulos, which refers to “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

The word translated “obedient” is hupakouō. In verse one of this chapter, we learned that this literally means “to hear under.” As used here it means “to listen attentively and obey.”

The word “masters” is translated from kurios, meaning “a person who is in a position of authority over you.”

“Fear” is from the Greek word phobos, which is related to the verb phebomai, which means “to flee from.” In Greek writing, Phobos has several nuances of meaning including: honor, respect, reverence, fear, or terror.

Tromos is the word translated “trembling.” It generally refers to “trembling of the body as a result of extreme fear.” When combined with phobos (as it is here), it is a reference to “great timidity or profound reverence, respect, or dread.”

The word translated “sincerity” is haplotēti. This word is derived from a (a particle of connection or union) and the base of plekō, meaning “to braid together.” Thus, haplotēti refers to the characteristic of not being divided, but being a single unit.

Meaning Explained

In the Roman society in which this letter was written, slaves made up between twenty and forty percent of the population. Bond slaves were considered legal property of their owner and they had no rights within Roman society. Most slaves were owned by individuals, but some were owned by the Roman people. Some of these public slaves did menial work while others did skilled office work such as accounting and secretarial duties.

A person became a slave in one of three ways: people who were defeated and captured by the Roman army, a Roman father had the right to sell his children into slavery, or a person could voluntarily surrender himself into slavery. In addition to bond slaves, there were household servants (Greek word oiketēs) who worked within a household but were not owned by the master of the house

The Apostolic teaching of the first century does not declare that slavery is wrong; however, within the church all members are considered equal. Paul’s teaching here and in Colossians 3:22 was specifically directed at bond slaves, but the Apostle Peter says the same thing to household servants in 1Peter 2:18.

Both Paul and Peter taught that servants and slaves were to be respectful and obedient to their masters, recognizing that they were under the authority of their master in the same way that all Christians are under Christ’s authority.

Application

All Christians are to be respectful and obedient to those who are in authority over them. Whether your boss is kind or mean, honest or devious, being sincerely obedient to him or her is the same as being obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,