Are you a servant or a slave to Jesus Christ?

As Christian believers, we know that we serve Jesus Christ. However, should we seek to become slaves to Jesus Christ? Is there a difference? The Bible makes it clear that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to God. 

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 

Romans 6:16-18 (NLT)

The word, slave, has a negative connotation, particularly in today’s politically correct and woke world. Yet, in the ancient world, during the time the New Testament was written, slaves were part of the culture and social hierarchy of the Roman Empire. There were also servants and there is an important distinction between the two. A slave lived with their owners, in the same home. A servant was a hired hand and did not live with their owners, returning to their own homes in the evening. Thus, there was a far more intimate relationship between the slave and their owner. The slave was entrusted with the care of the family’s children. They were far more loyal than a servant who was only as trustworthy as the money they were paid. The slave’s owner had absolute power over them and while some slaves did run away, it was unusual, with most slaves choosing the safety and security of their relationship with their master.

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

John 8:34-36 (NLT)

As believers, we serve Jesus Christ. Yet, we can be more than servants. We should welcome the opportunity to be slaves to Jesus Christ. It is not the evil and denigrative relationship when mankind enslaves and exploits others. It is slavery that paradoxically sets us free because we are now co-heirs with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Servant or slave. 

We are both when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and become sons and daughters of the Living God. 

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.