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Cultural Relevance

Saturday, March 16th, 2013 | Author:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.  1 Corinthians 9:19  NASB

A slave to all – This verse is probably the bulwark of religious relevance.  We are taught that if we want to get the message out to the masses, we must embrace the environment of our pagan targets.  We don’t mean that we take on the morality of the masses.  We still hold on to Christian values.  But we have to be where the non-believers are if we are going to “save their souls.”  The problem, of course, is how we engage.

“In Acts 17:28 Paul debates with philosophers and quotes a local philosopher, Aratus from Phaenomena 5; in Titus 1:12 he quotes Epimenides; in 1 Cor. 15:33, he quotes Meander. (Hegg 40) but this Hellenism makes him no less Jewish in his own eyes or in the eyes of the Jews around him. He still declares that he, like James, still lives according to the law (Acts 21:24), has a zeal for Torah (Acts 22:3), declares himself to be a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), a Hebrew of Hebrews (Phil 3:4-6) and at the end of his life, recounts that he served God ‘the way my forefathers did…’  (2 Tim 1:3)”[1]

What does Paul mean when he says “a slave to all”?  Does it mean we accommodate to the cultural modes in order to gain entrance and acceptance?  Paul’s life says, “No!”  Paul knew his opponent’s positions.  He knew their thinking, their assumptions and their lifestyles.  But knowing is not accommodating.  Becoming a slave (doulos) is not the same as becoming a proponent or even a tolerant observer.  Paul never stopped living according to Torah.  But he understood the perceived reality of those outside Torah.

Some time ago one of my graduate students refused to take a class I offered on prayer because I assigned Henri Nouwen’s book, The Way of the Heart.  In his mind, Nouwen’s work was tainted by the fact that Nouwen openly admitted to homosexual feelings.  There is no evidence that I know that Nouwen ever acted on those feelings, but this student rejected Nouwen simply because he had the feelings.  I was reminded of Paul’s statement.  If I don’t know what the world looks like from the perspective of someone who struggles with homosexuality, what do I have to offer as consolation and forgiveness?  If my worldview of God’s order excludes even reading thoughts about prayer from a man who struggles, then point me to the monastery.  Paul knew his Greek philosophers and playwrights because he wanted to address their world.  But Paul didn’t change his practice one bit.  His foundation remained firm.  It had to if he was going to speak truth into the lives of those who were lost.

I am amazed when I encounter individuals who refuse any contact with non-Christian thought on the basis that the thinking of non-Christians can’t be true because the authors aren’t believers.  Any short course in the history of doctrine will convince you that believers are just as much subject to error.  The secret is constant renewal and review.  Keep going back to the text and asking, “Do I still understand this passage as I once did?”  Become a slave to all by understanding what they believe.  Only then can you ask the most telling question, “How’s that working out for you?”

Topical Index:  slave, doulos, 1 Corinthians 9:19


[1] Donna Dozier, Losing Your Religion, p. 14.

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What’s His Name?

Monday, November 26th, 2012 | Author:

 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion: Greetings.   James 1:1  ESV

James – If we’re going to study the work of someone, it might be useful to know the author’s name.  It might be useful to know the author’s heritage and past influences and culture.  Those kinds of things might tell us a lot about the author’s thinking and help us understand what he says (it’s too bad so few paid attention to this when Barak Obama wrote his books).  Unfortunately, when it comes to the work called “The Letter of James,” most of these useful insights are either ignored or lost in translation.  So let’s correct some of these and see what we can learn.

First, his name isn’t “James.”  In fact, the “J” sound, as distinguished from the Latin and the Greek “i,” didn’t appear until 1524 in Middle High German.  Our English sound for the letter J was acquired from the French.  Obviously, “James” didn’t exist as a name when this man wrote.  His name was Ya’aqov (Hebrew).  It has a meaning, supplied by the story of the Patriarch by the same name – the “heel catcher”, the one who supplants, who seizes.  Our author, Ya’aqov, carries a very famous Hebrew name that has a very long history.  And just like Ya’aqov (“Jacob”) of old, this author was at first someone who opposed God’s direction, found himself wrestling with the Lord and became a great pillar of the faith.  If we think his name is “James,” we are likely to miss the historical significance of his name.

Ya’aqov (sometimes spelled Ya’akov) is the brother of Yeshua (cf. Matthew 13:55 and Acts 12:17).  He does not introduce himself with this prestigious relationship.   Rather than claiming authority based on sibling connection, Ya’aqov calls himself “a servant of God and of the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach.”  The word he uses is doulos, technically not “servant” but rather “slave.”  That alone is significant.  The man with the name “supplanter” describes himself as “slave.”   There could hardly be a more contradictory appellation.  But even this isn’t all that we find.  The order of words in Greek and Hebrew often reveal the emphasis of the thought and here the order is literally “God and the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach slave.”  Even in word order, a slave does not come first!

This man had every opportunity to take advantage of his unique status.  He had a distinguished name and an impressive relationship.  He was a leader in the assembly.  Yet he makes nothing of this.  In the first few words of his letter, we encounter complete humility.   The letter of “James” is often viewed as the most practical letter of the New Testament.  In fact, its emphasis on actions (“works”) seemed so opposed to “grace” that Luther and others wanted it removed from the Canon.  But the very first thing we discover about this man is his meekness, his submissiveness.  We who are struggling to be the hands and feet of the Messiah might take a lesson from the man who was his brother.  Perhaps before the first action step is taken we must find the place of humility.

Topical Index:  James, Ya’aqov, name, doulos, slave, servant, James 1:1

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A Popular Mythology

Saturday, November 12th, 2011 | Author:

“But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”  Matthew 23:11 NASB

Servant – Are you a servant?  Have you adopted the Christian virtue of being an enabler for others?  You might think you have.  After all, servant language is very popular these days.  From “servant-leadership” to foot-washing ceremonies, many of us attempt to instill a sense of humility in our practices.  But until we understand the culture of Yeshua, we probably won’t realize the full extent of His comment or the definition of “servant.”

First, a little Greek.  The word here is diakonos.  In a previous verse in Matthew, it is paralleled with doulos (slave).  This might lead us to think that servants and slaves are equal in Yeshua’s eyes, but that would be an exegetical mistake.  There is a difference between these two, but it isn’t the kind of difference we normally associate with “slave.” Our perception of “slave” has been altered by the history of abuse found in all pagan societies.  If we rely on the Greek text alone, we might mistakenly think of diakonos in terms of doulos, the description of someone who was owned by another.  In the Greek-speaking world, slaves were property.  Servants had some rights but not those of citizens.  In the pecking order, slaves were at the very bottom, servants were in between and citizens rested at the top.  It is the order that Yeshua reverses.  But He doesn’t do it from a Greek perspective.

In the Hebraic world, slaves were not property.  They were people with dignity, rights and worth, even if they were temporarily indentured to someone else.  In fact, under Torah no man or woman would be an indentured servant (slave) for more than seven years.  Furthermore, even those who were taken as slaves in war had specific rights and redress when they were not treated properly (this was especially true of women).  The same Hebrew word (‘ebed) describes both servant and slave.  It is worth noticing that this word is used to describe all the subjects of a king, the worshippers of God and a self-designation for humility.  Obviously, being ‘ebed did not mean being someone’s property.  None of this was true of the pagan world outside Israel.  When Yeshua speaks in Hebrew, He does not employ a Greek word that has connotations of property ownership.  To be a servant (or a slave) is to be under the authority of someone else.  But being under that authority doesn’t mean the person has no status, no rights, no dignity.  Quite the opposite is true.  The “servant of the Lord” is a designation of very high regard even if it describes someone who exhibits extraordinary humility.

Now that we know a little of the differences between the Greek and Hebrew, what conclusions can we draw about Yeshua’s statement?  First, we can set aside that false humility that we often see when people emulate servant behavior without voluntarily submitting to another’s authority.  The issue is not washing feet.  The issue is wholeheartedly following orders.

Secondly, we should notice that permanent servitude is always a voluntary act.  It is possible to be ‘ebed for life, but not because any rule, regulation or situation requires it.  ‘ebed for life is strictly a personal decision.  It is a decision to place the control of my life under the authority of another.  No man can force this upon anyone else, not even God.  But this is precisely what is needed in the Kingdom.  Volunteers, not conscripts.

Finally, since ‘ebed describes all subjects of the king, all worshippers of YHWH and all those who recognize their true status under God’s banner, the Greek equivalent diakonos actually applies to everyone who follows Yeshua.  We are all servants simply because we fall into that divine category.  The only question is whether or not we act like servants.  In the end, being a servant is not a matter of title.  It is a matter of behavior.  In fact, those who reach for titles have probably misunderstood what it means to be diakonos.  There is only one determination of the true diakonos (‘ebed).  Does this person treat others as God would treat them?  Hmm?  Sounds like the “Golden Rule,” doesn’t it?

Topical Index:  servant, slave, diakonos, doulos, ‘ebed, Matthew 23:11

 

 

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Who Is Free? (2)

Thursday, December 02nd, 2010 | Author:

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:17-18

Freed – Sha’ul echoes Yeshua.  How is a man set free?  By becoming a slave to righteousness.  Sha’ul contrasts freedom from sin with slavery to righteousness.  He writes to Gentiles who have embraced the faith of Israel.  They were once embroiled in the inner battle for personal liberty, deluded into thinking that their license was freedom.  Sha’ul splashes them with the cold, hard facts.  They were slaves.  But something happened.  They became obedient to the teaching they had been given.  Their obedience was a process of adopting rules and regulations about life.  They submitted themselves to an external authority.  What was the result?  Exactly the same as the promise Yeshua made to His followers.  They were free – to be slaves to righteousness.   The yetzer ha’ra was domesticated to the will of God.  They discovered the joy of no longer being held captive but rather being held in the arms of the Father.  Yeshua and Paul agree.  Freedom comes through obedience.

It seems so simple.  It seems so obvious.  But trying to overcome life-long habits of personal liberty is far from easy.  That’s why it’s important to notice that the verb eleutheroo is passive in this verse.  We have been set free.  Someone else did something that affected us.  We couldn’t do it ourselves because we were our own enemy.  Someone else had to lay the sword against the neck of our rebellion and rescue us from our own destruction.  We had to be the beneficiaries of another’s action.  Now that this has been accomplished, we are empowered and enabled to submit.  That’s all that’s left to do.  Submit.  Not calculate.  Not query.  Not investigate.  Just submit.  Submit to the teaching already delivered.  Just say to ourselves, “I might not really understand why it has to be this way and I might feel powerless and afraid, but God says this is how I should live and so I am just going to do it, no matter what.”  Abandon yourself to Him.  Oh, you probably won’t feel like doing that.  After all, we have trained ourselves to consume the liberty diet for a long time.  That’s why our self-centered egos are so fat.  We have been eating the “I deserve it” sweets for decades.  The first step is a new meal (every Semitic covenant is sealed with a meal).  God has set the table.  He has done the cooking.  The plates are filled with His word.  All we need to do is eat.  But the meals at God’s table are an acquired taste.  We have to learn to love them.

When I was a child, I ate like a child.  Candy and cookies tasted much better than spinach and oatmeal.  I wanted Trick or Treat everyday.  But then I grew to be a man.  I put away childish things.  I ate in order to live effectively.  I avoided those things that harmed me.  And over time, I discovered that I liked feeling healthy – and spinach wasn’t so bad after all.  God’s table works the same way.  Over time, it becomes our bread of life until one day we realize that we can’t live without it.  We learn what it means to be free – one bite at a time.

Topical Index:  freed, eleutheroo, eat, slave, Romans 6:18

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Gender Idolatry

Monday, November 30th, 2009 | Author:

“No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

Serve – Yeshua is pretty clear about divided loyalty.  No one, man or woman, can serve two masters.  The Greek word used here is douleuo, a verb that literally means to take the position of a servant, a doulos, a slave.  No one is able to accept slavery to two different authority figures.

Most of the time, we apply this famous verse to the issue of materialism.  We act as though the subsequent remark, “You cannot serve God and mammon,” is the only application of this verse.  But that is foolish.  Yeshua doesn’t restrict the principle to finances.  He merely makes one application of the general principle.  Divided loyalty doesn’t work.

Katherine Bushnell provides what I consider the final closing argument about the position of husbands and wives by applying this general principle to the case of marriage.  If no one can serve two masters, then it follows that no woman can serve two authority figures as the same time.  A woman cannot be in subjection to her husband and be in subjection to God.  The same general principle applies.  She will love one and despise the other; hold on to one and hate the other.  Clearly, Yeshua expected every follower to recognize the foolishness of this division and put loyalty to Him ahead of everything else.  This is no less the case in marriage.  A woman who serves her husband as a slave (douleuo) cannot be God’s slave, and a man who insists on a wife’s obeisance stands in opposition to the command of the Lord.  When Paul and Peter exhort wives to submit to their husbands, they simply cannot mean wives should act as their husbands’ slaves.  That would violate everything Scripture teaches about the proper relationships with the Lord.  If the principle is true about money, it is all the more true about relationships.

This tells us that submission is not servility.  It is not about “who’s in charge here,” or “who’s the head (authority) of the house.”  Submission must be something other than a hierarchy of slave service.  We are all enjoined to submit to one another as unto the Lord, so whatever submission means, it must apply equally to both husbands and wives.  It cannot be about an authority hierarchy or it would fall under the two-masters indictment.

What does it mean to serve from an Old Testament perspective?  The Hebrew word is avad, the word for work, serve and worship. God Himself uses this verb when He instructs Pharaoh to let the people go so that they might serve Him.  Now we see the bigger picture.  My service to God is my work and my worship.  With this in mind, no husband can possibly insist that his wife serve him.  That would require the wife to worship her husband.  It’s time to stop this gender idolatry.  The partners in a new covenant redeemed marriage do not endorse or demand an idolatrous hierarchy.  They act as one on their way back to the Garden.

Topical Index:  slave, master, marriage, douleuo, avad, authority, Matthew 6:24

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Quality Control

Friday, July 24th, 2009 | Author:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh; but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

Serve – “How may I serve you?” When someone in a retail store asks that question, what do you think? You probably anticipate a sales pitch. You might reply, “I’m just looking,” in order to forestall further interrogation. Does all this commercialization taint your attitude toward Paul’s command for service? It might, but it shouldn’t if we see this verb in Greek. Why? Because the verb is not about an employee offering assistance in order to make a sale. This verb (douleuo) is about the service of a slave! Paul is not saying that we are to serve each other as if we were employed. He is saying that we are to serve each other as if we were slaves! That’s a big difference.

In the NASB translation, you don’t see the emphasis of being a slave. The verb is translated as if it were diakoneo, another verb for serving. But diakoneo puts attention on the work or the job, not on the relationship. If I serve as a diakonia, I serve voluntarily in order to accomplish a task. Once the work is done, my service has ended. A great many Christians take this approach toward community interaction. There are jobs to do in the church. We need volunteers. We won’t require more than just getting the work done.

This is not douleuo. The service of a slave is not voluntary. I don’t decide if I am going to do what the Master asks. I do it! Why? Because He owns me. It is the relationship of ownership that governs the assignments, not the tasks to be accomplished. So, Paul exhorts us to act as slaves of each other because love is the active expression of benevolence toward another at cost to myself. My Master has redeemed me in order that I may serve you. This is the basis of “love your neighbor.” I am not just doing a job. My relationship to you doesn’t end when the clock says it’s quitting time. You and I are bound together no matter what the circumstances because He owns us. So, let’s try this verse again. “but through love serve one another as slaves.” That captures it.

Now we get to ask, “How may I serve you as if you owned me?” I put aside my agenda, replacing it with yours. I do what is best for you, under God’s guidance, in order that you might serve Him with glorious satisfaction. My only hope is that I may bring God closer to you and let you experience His delight in you. I am here to make your life wonderfully godly.

Now, “How may I serve you?”

Topical Index: serve, douleuo, diakoneo, slave, employee, Galatians 5:13

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The Logical Implication

Monday, April 20th, 2009 | Author:

 

“therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them.”  Matthew 23:3

All – David called YHWH Lord.  King David put himself under the rule of his God, proclaiming that he was the slave of his Master.  Because David obeyed the commands of his Sovereign, he was able to seek refuge in the household of the Most High.  Masters care for their slaves.  Slaves are known by their fidelity and obedience.  That seems pretty clear, doesn’t it?  So, what happens when we apply the same logic to Yeshua’s place in our lives?

Here is a statement by our Sovereign Lord.  “Listen to the teaching of the Pharisees.  Do what they tell you.  Just don’t be a hypocrite.  Actually practice what they preach.”  Here are some of the implications:

1.     The Pharisees taught that both the written Torah and the oral Torah expressed God’s requirements for holy living.

2.     The Pharisees passed the oral Torah from one generation to another through personal training.

3.     Jesus tells his disciples to practice and observe all that the Pharisees teach.

4.     Yeshua endorsed both the written and oral Torah – and he upheld both in His actions.

5.     If we are servants (slaves) of our master Yeshua, we must follow His instructions.

6.     Yeshua instructs us to observe the teaching of the Pharisees.

7.     Therefore, we are to follow both the written and the oral Torah.

8.     In this way, we will be recognized as “zealous” followers of our King.

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?  If there’s an error in the logic, please point it out.  Yeshua does not say that the teachings are set aside.  He says that the hypocrisy that characterized some of the Pharisees must be eradicated, but we are to observe and do everything they taught.  That means scrupulous adherence to the written Word of God and the body of traditions that accompany it.

Can this be right?  Do you think that Yeshua will say to us, “I never knew you,” when we protest that we did all kinds of wonderful things in His name, but simply didn’t follow His direction in this case because we decided that it wasn’t for us?  Who’s the slave and who’s the Master?

Do you even know what the Pharisees taught, or have you swallowed the Christian “tradition” that the Pharisees were the enemy?  It certainly doesn’t seem as though our Master thought that way, does it?

Oh, yes, and by the way, the Greek word here is panta, and it really does mean “all.”

Topical Index:  Matthew 23:3, all, panta, traditions, oral Torah, Torah, slave

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James in the Psalms

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

You have said to YHWH, “You are my Lord, I have no goodness except in You.”  Psalm 16:2    

Said – The Hebrew verb amar is fairly common.  It is used in all kinds of situations where the next phrase is a quotation.  Since Hebrew has no punctuation, it’s a useful little verb, showing us who said what.  But that isn’t the only thing that amar does.  The second implication of amar is particularly important in this context.  Amar not only introduces a quotation, it also implies that the speaker’s words are followed by actions.  This is James’ letter found in the Psalms.  What you say is what you do.  If you claim to have faith, your life must demonstrate that claim in actions.  In Hebrew, the only people who say something but do not do it are liars.

“You are my Lord.”  Adonai atah.  The phrase is not simply a declaration of belief.  It is an obligation to action.  If YHWH is my Lord, I am obligated to follow His direction.  I do not live according to my own rules.  I do not make it up as I go along.  For YHWH to be my Lord, I must be His servant.  I wait on His instructions, follow His commands and live according to His decisions. 

While we don’t give it much thought today, in other ancient cultures such a declaration would have been considered repugnant, insulting and unconscionable.  Nothing was more humiliating than to be a servant (slave) of someone else.  Outside Israel, freedom from dominion by another was considered absolutely essential to human existence.  The Greeks would have vomited at the thought that the path to spirituality was through servitude.  If we really think about it, we probably find the same revulsion in our society.  When governments and politicians extol the virtues of freedom, they are not expressing the Hebrew point of view.  They are endorsing Greek values . . . freedom at any cost.  They do not realize or understand that freedom at any cost is destruction, both to society and individuals.  There is no freedom in this world.  Jesus’ insight into the necessity of serving one master or the other does not find much credence in contemporary worldviews, but He is right.  Believers are never called to freedom.  They are called to slavery – to acknowledge that “You are my Lord.”  Unless we preach slavery, we will never know comfort, security and fulfillment.  We will be like the false prophets who cried, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace.  We cry “Freedom, forgiveness and fortune instead of “Adonai atah.”

David appeals to God for preservation.  He may do so only because YHWH is his Lord and Master.  A Master takes care of a slave.  No such obligation exists between a Master and an employee, much less a stranger.  The role the Master plays is contingent on the submission and fidelity of the slave.  Too many times we hear “Christians” cry “Lord, Lord,” but they do not do what the Lord says.  They are not His slaves.  They do not use the Hebrew verb amar because their words are not followed with actions.  And from a Hebrew point of view, they are not confused or carnal.  They are simply liars.

Topical Index:  amar, slave, freedom, Lord, Psalm 16:2

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Rush Hour

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | Author:

“They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.”  Nehemiah 1:10

Rush Hour

Servants -  Life can be terribly frantic, can’t it?  There are days when it just seems that you will never catch up.  In fact, one of the systems of this world (those things Paul tells us not to be conformed to) is speed.  There are a few powerful spiritual amnesia narcotics in the culture and the rush hour rate of life is one of them (prosperity tends to the another).  Maybe that’s why God requires a Sabbath rest.  He has to force us to see that life is not about how fast we can keep going.  It’s wonderful that the first thing Adam did after his creation was rest, not work. 

We need to have this perspective when we come to the word eved in Scripture.  It’s the word that means “servant” or “slave.”  Of course, slavery in the Old Testament is not the same as the kind of human degradation that occurred in the rest of the world’s history and is still occurring in the world today.  In this verse, avadeikha (Your servants) is really a humble self-designation before the Lord.  We are His servants.  We bow before the King of the universe.  We belong to Him, not simply as His loved, adopted children, but also as His slaves.  It is only our cultural heritage that makes this term seem onerous.  We must overcome that cultural revulsion, for being a slave of the great I AM is the most wonderful role we could ever have.

What does it mean to be eved before the Lord?  Well, for one thing, it means that the Lord’s reputation is at stake in me.  When I place myself under His ownership, He takes responsibility for me.  When I confess that I am His servant, I imply that He acts as my protector and provider.  His honor is involved in my well-being.  Therefore, I am justified in calling on Him to uphold me.  He cares about His slaves because He is benevolent (but never forget that He is also the King).

So, what implications can we draw from this?  First, we should notice that those who are not His slaves cannot expect His protection and provision.  They don’t belong to Him.  This is what Yeshua meant with the phrase, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”  Anyone in that group isn’t His.  What right do they have to ask for His help?  None!  His honor is not at stake in their lives.

But for those who do belong, life is very different.  That doesn’t mean that life always works the way we want it to.  It means that the circumstances of our lives are under His command – for His purposes.  There are no accidents in the lives of His servants. Furthermore, we don’t have to worry about how crazy life might be.  We are not in a hurry.  We are in obedience.  Rush hour isn’t part of our day.  We are called only to obey His directives, not to make it all happen.  The secret to a life of shalom is listening before acting.  The master doesn’t expect the slave to know the game plan.  He only expects the slave to carry out his orders.  So, relax.  Life comes according to His terms.  Do what He says.  That’s enough.  All the rest is a reflection of His honor – and He won’t be insulted!

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Ignoring The Obvious

Thursday, December 11th, 2008 | Author:

Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  May it never be.  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience, resulting in righteousness? Romans 6:15-16

Obey – What is the name for a Christian who doesn’t obey the Word of God?  No, it’s not “carnal.”  Louis Sperry Chaffer made up that moniker about sixty years ago.  The apostles had a different name for a person who claims Christ as Lord but has no outward signs of transformation.  They called this person a liar!  If that seems too harsh for you, it’s time for you to re-read the Scriptures.  Faith without works isn’t immature or deficient.  It’s dead!  It’s as good as being in the grave.  Paul uses another metaphor of the same thing – slavery.  If you want to know the truth about someone’s claim to be a follower of the way, examine his behavior.  You’ll know right away whose slave he is.  It’s obvious, isn’t it?

You’ll notice something else about Paul’s use of the slave metaphor.  I don’t stop being a slave just because I become a Christian.  Being under grace does not remove the need for obedience.  I am not free to follow my own heart.  Grace redeems me from the consequences of sin in order that I may become an obedient slave.  Being an obedient slave doesn’t save me.  God saves me.  But He saves me so that I can be the obedient slave I was supposed to be.  In other words, grace makes obedience possible.  God doesn’t deliver me so that I can go to heaven.  God delivers me so that I can be His slave.

Paul’s metaphor focuses on the Greek word hypakoe.  Yes, it means “to obey,” but there is something in this verb that we should notice.  It comes from the root word akouo that means “to hear.”  Now you can see the connection to Paul’s Hebraic background.  When Paul says that we are slaves to the one we obey, he uses a word that recalls the Shema.  To hear and to obey are the same word in Hebrew.  What Paul suggests is that our behavior demonstrates who we are listening to.  We might say what we believe, but we do what we really value, and it is in the doing that our true allegiance is shown.  The apostolic writings are filled with this concept.  In fact, it’s impossible to miss – if you read what the text actually says rather than ignoring what doesn’t fit the carnal Christian modification.  There are no fence-sitters in the Kingdom.  I am either aligned with God’s will, striving to be obedient because He has rescued me, or I am a slave to another voice.  I am either listening to (and obeying) God or I am listening to (and obeying) some other master.  There is no middle ground.

Too often our preoccupation with entry passes at the pearly gates clouds the obvious requirement of obedience.  We get confused because we know that salvation is not a matter of meritorious effort.  But we forget that grace has a purpose, and it’s not catching the train out of here.  Just as God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt in order that Israel might serve Him as a royal priesthood, so we are delivered from bondage in order that we might serve Him as a holy nation.  That part of the plan has never changed.  It’s just become more obvious over the last five thousand years.

There is a fine line between grace and obedience.  Effort doesn’t save us, but once saved, effort is the name of the game.  You and I get to walk that fine line, maintaining our status as slaves of the Most High God by listening and obeying.  We are privileged to be His.  Now we get to show it.

Topical Index:  Slave

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