In identifying himself as a slave of Christ at the very beginning of the letter, Paul intended that the Philippians—who had been struggling with issues of steadfastness amidst conflict (Phil. 1:27–30; 4:1), unity amongst believers (Phil. 2:1–2; 4:2–3), humility (Phil. 2:3–9), and joy amidst persecution (Phil. 2:17–18; 3:1; 4:4)—would be reminded that they too are slaves of Christ Jesus, and that this identity would inform their responses to those situations.
When I began to preach the book of Philippians several years ago, I noticed that Paul immediately identifies himself and Timothy as slaves of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:1). Now, most English versions translate this word as “servants” or “bond-servants,” but the Greek word is doulos, which is properly rendered “slave.”
In identifying himself as a slave of Christ at the very beginning of the letter, Paul intended that the Philippians—who had been struggling with issues of steadfastness amidst conflict (Phil. 1:27–30; 4:1), unity amongst believers (Phil. 2:1–2; 4:2–3), humility (Phil. 2:3–9), and joy amidst persecution (Phil. 2:17–18; 3:1; 4:4)—would be reminded that they too are slaves of Christ Jesus, and that this identity would inform their responses to those situations.
The essence of the Christian life can be described in terms of slavery to Christ. It is interesting to note that slave is a favorite self-designation for the apostles and other writers of Scripture. James claims this title for himself in the opening verse of his epistle (James 1:1). The same is true for Peter (2 Pet. 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1), and John (Rev. 1:1). In addition, Paul repeats that he is Christ’s doulos throughout his other letters, in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Titus. The term is used at least forty times in the New Testament to refer to the believer, and the Hebrew equivalent is used over 250 times to refer to believers in the Old Testament. We may safely conclude that the Lord wants His people to understand themselves in this way.
At its core, the essence of the Christian life can be described in terms of slavery to Christ.
Five Parallels
So what does it mean to be a slave in the biblical sense? In his excellent book, entitled simply, Slave, John MacArthur outlines five parallels between biblical Christianity and first-century slavery.
Exclusive Ownership
Slaves are owned by their masters. As Paul says to believers so clearly: “You are not your own. You have been bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Christians do not exist in untethered autonomy. We are not the masters of our fate nor the captains of our souls. We were bought with a price, and so we belong to the One who has paid that price.
