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Romans 6:16 – Obedience by Submission

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Will

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Truth to Learn

We all obey whatever master we submit ourselves to.

Behind the Words

The word translated “slaves” is doulos, meaning “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of his or her master. It refers to a person who has no rights of his own; one who exists only as the property of someone else.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has made a number of points in the past five verses:

Count yourselves to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God
Do not let sin reign in your mortal body
Do not present your members as weapons of unrighteousness to sin, but present your members as weapons of righteousness to God
Sin will not have ruling power over you

We know what we should do, but sometimes we can’t figure out how to do it. In the current verse Paul is beginning his explanation of how to do it. In answer to his own rhetorical question, he uses a word picture that everyone in the Roman Empire at that time would understand: slavery.

The whole concept of slavery was well known because it was widely practiced. The Romans saw slavery as an integral component to developing and building its society. The institution of slavery permeated all of Roman culture. The Italian economy depended on abundant slave labor, with slaves constituting 40 percent of the population. It even reached a point in the third and fourth centuries after Christ when slaves outnumbered citizens five to three. At the time that Paul wrote this letter it was simply a way of life.

Slaves were considered property; they had no rights and were subject to their owners’ whims. If they did not obey their masters, they were subject to punishment, including beatings, although the killing of slaves was forbidden.

In light of this, now consider what Paul is saying about not letting sin reign in our bodies. He says, Don’t you know that the one whom you obey is your master and you are his slave? The difference for the Christian, however, is that we have already determined who our master is. He says we used to be the slave of sin, which produces death, but now we are the slaves of obedience as a result of our righteousness.

Paul says this in answer to his rhetorical question because the born again Christian is not the slave of sin since he or she has been declared righteous and, therefore, is now the slave of God. And God, as our master, wants us to produce acts of righteousness demonstrating the fruit of our salvation. Therefore, we can’t continue to live in sin because we are not under the Law (which produced sin) but under grace (which produces righteousness).

Application

Are you living the life your master wants you to live? The answer, of course, should be yes. But, the real question is, “Who is your master?” Who are you submitted to?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 1:1 – Our Master’s Slave

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Will

Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

Truth to Learn

All Christians need to recognize that they are God’s slaves.

Behind the Words

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

The words “called an apostle” are translated from kletos apostolos. Kletos is an adjective meaning “one who is called, invited, or appointed.” The word apostolos means “one who has been sent with a message.” Hence, Paul is saying that he was specifically called out by God and sent with a message.

“Separated” is from aphoridzō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” and horidzō, meaning “to define.” It means “to separate” or “to select to some office or work.” The Pharisees, the sect that Paul was part of before his conversion, got their name from this word. Paul is probably making a play on words here in the opening of this letter.

The word “gospel” is the Greek word euangelion, which is a compound word made up of eu, meaning “good” and a form of angellō, which means “to proclaim a message.” Hence, the word translated “gospel” really means “good news” or “a good message.”

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off his epistle (letter) in the manner which was customary for a teacher or person of authority, that is, by identifying who the epistle is from. Usually within the opening phrase, the writer and the intended audience were both identified. Paul deviates from this, however, by giving a thorough treatise on why he is the appropriate person to be sending this doctrinal letter. He doesn’t get to who this epistle is written to until verse seven.

You will notice that he uses his Greek name (Paul) rather than his Hebrew name (Saul). This is either because he wants to show that as a result of his conversion to Christianity he is a completely new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), or because he is the recognized apostle to the Gentiles and he is writing to Christians in the Gentile world of Rome.

He, like other New Testament writers, refers to himself as a slave. We Christians all need to remember that we have been bought with a price and we are no longer our own, but we are the property of our Master. That’s easy to forget when we wander through this life seeking our own satisfaction, but we need to remember whose we are and constantly submit our will to His.

The thing that I want us all to take away from today’s verse is the fact that even the great Apostle Paul recognizes and makes a specific point of the fact that he is not the master but the servant. Our sin nature, along with the lustful “pride of life” stimulated so strongly by worldly advertisements, is constantly trying to make self the master, not the slave.

Application

Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior not only receives salvation but, at the same time, gives Lordship to Jesus Christ. In other words, when we were saved from our sins, we became the permanent property of our Lord, and we should not be seeking our own desires and will but His. His will is that we obey Him and submit to Him.

Are you a submitted slave today?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:1 – A Slave’s Greeting

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Will

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion: Greetings.

Truth to Learn

With salvation comes humility, not pride.

Behind the Words

The word translated “slave” is doulos, meaning “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another.” This word is often translated as “bondservant.” There are other words in the Greek language for a servant: oiketēs, meaning “a household servant” and misthōtos, meaning “a hired servant.” A doulos, having no legal rights, was of the lowest order in society during the first century.

“Lord” is translated from the Greek word kurios, which means “one who is supreme in authority.” And the word “Christ” is translated from christos, meaning “anointed one.” This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word translated Messiah. James is making a very clear statement as to who Jesus is; He is the Supreme One (God) and He is the anointed one of God, a statement of both His deity and His humanity.

The word “dispersion” is translated from the Greek word diaspora, which means “a scattering or dispersion.” This is most likely a reference to the dispersion of the Jewish Christians following the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts chapter 7).

The word “greetings” is from the Greek word chairein which means “to rejoice” or “to be full of cheer.” In the first century this was a common greeting among friends.

Meaning Explained

This is the beginning of an exciting journey with James, one of Jesus’ half-brothers, or perhaps his cousin (see the introductory notes). Notice, however, that he doesn’t claim to be Jesus’ near relation or even one of Jesus’ apostles, rather a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that’s humility! He actually had quite a bit to boast about if he had wanted to. In Galatians 2:9, James, Peter, and John, were referred to as the “pillars” of the church. He was called “James the Just” because of his devotion to righteousness, and he was the elder, or bishop, or pastor of the original church in Jerusalem. He had plenty to boast about. Instead, in the opening of his epistle (letter), he introduces himself as simply an indentured slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we have to ask ourselves, was this letter written to Jews or to Christians? As you will discover from reading the book of Acts, most early converts to Christianity were Jews who had been brought up to obey what we today refer to as the Old Testament. Because of this, many considered Christianity as simply a sect of Judaism. James 2:1 makes it clear, however, that he is writing specifically to Christians (those who hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ) and not to all Jews:

My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. (James 2:1)

Application

Do you have much to boast about by way of who you are or what you have accomplished? As sinners saved by God’s grace, we should all recognize that we are nothing more than God’s humble slaves. He owns us. He is our Master!

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,

Romans 6:22 – Set-apart to Him

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:22

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Truth to Learn

God has set Christians apart and has given them eternal life.

Behind the Words

Throughout this chapter Paul has been making a play on words between “death” and “holiness.” Have you noticed? It’s not so obvious in English, but it is in Greek. The Greek word for “death” is thanatos, which, as we’ve mentioned before, carries with it the idea of separation. Separation of our soul from our mortal body is physical death, whereas separation of our soul from God is spiritual death.

The Greek word for “holiness” is hagios, which means “to be set apart from common use to or for a special purpose.” This is the same word that is also translated “sanctified.” Do you see the subtle difference? Death is separation from something while holiness is being set apart to something. Spiritual death is separation from God; holiness is being set apart to God.

Meaning Explained

This verse is Paul’s answer to the previous two verses and all three taken together are a summary of what Paul has been saying for this entire chapter. In verse twenty Paul said:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Before we were saved we had no choice but to obey sin because we were its slaves. In answer to that he now says:

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God …

As born again Christians we are free from the bondage of sin and have become the slaves (the personal property) of God himself. We are no longer owned by sin, but we’re not free to just do as we please either because we are now owned by God; He is our master and we are to submit to His will.

In verse twenty-one Paul said:

What fruit did you have … For the end of those things is death.

The fruit of the sin of our former way of life was death (separation from God.) In this verse he says:

But now … you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

The fruit of our salvation now is holiness (being set apart to God for His use), which results in eternal life.

Now let me tie this all together. Throughout this chapter Paul has been saying that before we were saved, we were slaves to sin and we were separated from God (we were spiritually dead.) Now that we have received His gracious gift of salvation we are set apart to God (we are spiritually alive for eternity).

Application

When we fully comprehend what Paul is saying in these verses. it should produce in us the greatest praise for Him because of what He has done. Hallelujah!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 6:7 – Freed by Death

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:7

For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Truth to Learn

The death of our sin nature freed us from the bondage of sin.

Behind the Words

The word translated “slaves” in the previous verse is the Greek word douleuō, which is the verb form of doulos, meaning “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. It refers to a person who has no rights of his own, one who exists only as the property of someone else.” Therefore, douleuō means “to be a slave.”

The word translated here as “freed” is the word dikaioō, which means “to justify” or “to declare righteous.” The word is expressed in the perfect tense. As we pointed out a couple verses back, the perfect tense in Greek refers to completed past action with a resultant state of being, where the emphasis is on the resultant state of being. The word following dikaioō, however, is apo, meaning “from.” When used in this way, the word dikaioo refers to our having been “freed from something” with the emphasis on the resultant state of being (we have been and, therefore, are now free from sin).

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that since our old man (our sin nature) was crucified with Christ, we should not serve sin. He is telling us that previously (before our salvation) we were not willingly serving sin but we were under bondage as a slave to sin. We had no choice but to obey our sinful lusts because of our sin nature. That is, we had no free will when it came to deciding whether we would obey our sinful nature or not, we had to!

Now that we have crucified our sin nature, however, we no longer have to be subject to sin. That’s what Paul is saying in the current verse, “he who died (our old man) has been freed from sin.

So, the point that Paul is making is, since our old man was crucified with Christ and is now dead, we are no longer forced to be a slave to our sin nature or to sin. We are now freed from that slavery. Do you see the point? We no longer have to obey our sinful impulses. We now have a choice. That is, we can choose to obey God or to obey our sin nature. Before we were saved we did not have this choice.

Does that mean that we always choose to obey God? Unfortunately, the answer is no. All too often, we choose to obey our sin nature instead of obeying God. That, as Paul taught us in the previous chapter, is where grace comes in. Even though we follow our own desires instead of God’s moral law, we have been declared righteous and we need not fear the wrath of God. But … we should not continue in our sinful ways. Our sin nature has been crucified so we have a free will to choose good over evil.

Application

This entire chapter of Romans is about recognizing that we are freed from the slavery of sin. We have a choice every day whether or not we will voluntarily submit ourselves to God. If we don’t submit to God then we will be submitted to sin, there is no middle ground.

Whom do you want to be submitted to?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 1:1 – Our Master’s Slave

Posted on July 8, 2009 by admin

Romans 1:1

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

Truth to Learn

All Christians need to recognize that they are God’s slaves.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “bondservant” is doulos, which means, “a slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another.”

Meaning Explained

Application

Are you a submitted slave today?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

2 Peter 1:1 – Humble Greetings

Posted on March 24, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:1

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Truth to Learn

Peter humbly greets all Christians who read this letter.

Behind the Words

“Servant” is translated from the Greek word doulos, which means “a slave.” It represents one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. It is a person who has no rights of his own, one who exists only as the property of someone else.

The expression “who … have received” is translated from a single Greek word lachousin. The root of this word is langchano, which means “to receive by casting of lots.” The implication is that it is something received as a gift, not as something which was earned.

“As precious as” is translated from the Greek word isotimon, which is made up of isos, meaning “similar,” and a form of timos, meaning “value or honor.” Hence it means “equally valuable.”

Meaning Explained

Peter opens this letter in a similar manner to his first letter, though with a couple of differences. He announces himself not simply as Peter (petros) but as Simon Peter (simeon petros). Simon (or Simeon) was his given name, but Peter (petros) was the name that Jesus gave him:

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter … (Mat 16:17, 18a)

Peter introduces himself in this letter first of all as a servant then as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. This is similar to the way that the Apostle Paul introduces himself:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— (Romans 1:1)

Though he had every right to call himself an apostle, it is out of humility that he sees himself first as a slave of God, then as an apostle.

The letter is written to “those who have received a faith as precious as ours.” This is a reference to the fact that the saving faith of non-Jewish believers is just as effective and priceless as the saving faith of Christians who have come out of the Jewish faith. It appears from this statement that this letter may have been sent specifically to encourage and build-up the Gentile converts to Christianity.

The end of this verse is sometimes translated, “righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” This has been used by some to try to prove that Jesus Christ is separate from God. However, a more accurate rendering of the Greek is, “righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ,” which makes it clear that Jesus is both our God and our Savior.

Application

Whether you were brought up in a Jewish family, a Christian family, a family of some other faith, or a family of no faith, this letter is written to you if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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