Series : Exploring Romans
Passage : Romans 1:1
The Greek word Doulos means bond servant or slave. In the first century, it is estimated that one in five people were slaves. This would have come about because a lot of these were conquered peoples who were therefore not born into Roman citizenship. So this is a practical application of a word which would have resonated and meant a lot to the people intended for this epistle. So slave or servant just puts you in a place of subservience to your master or lord because of their authority over you. The people reading this would have also witnessed slave markets where rich owners would purchase slaves and servants as laborers for their households.
Paul wrote the same to the Corinthians to emphasise as well how we are purchased by Christ 1 Corinthians 7:22–24. Paul describes himself as such an individual in Romans 1:1, and this is due to a few reasons. This is a recognition and declaration by Paul himself that Jesus purchased him outright by His work on the cross. He was paid for, signed seal and delivered by Jesus’ blood, and he completely submits to Him wholly without reservation. Paul is under no illusion about his status as Christ’s bond servant: he says as much in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and he invests and embraces his position of servitude with gladness and honour. It isn’t enough to serve. Paul is painting the picture that his life is no longer his own : his time, his thoughts, his will, all must now be conformed to Christ. You can say he is now completely beholden and possessed by the will of Jesus and he had given himself entirely to that end. He even declares in Galatians 2:20 and then even goes further by encouraging believers to be willing to forfeit their lives and he see that as a reasonable service, meaning to Paul it is not enough to live for Him, but to be willing to die for the mission as well. Look at Romans 12:1 (NKJV) – 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Here Paul is calling us to be all in for the mission and not to hold ourselves fast to a place where we first met Christ but also to go ahead and be open to, through the process of walking with the master, being changed by Him daily. See Romans 12:2 (NKJV) – 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Paul is going all in on Christ, withholding nothing, because a slave’s life was also in the master’s hands, remember the Children of Israel in Egypt, Daniel in Assyria or Joseph in Potiphar’s house. The difference here however is the drive behind the servitude. Paul is in indentured servitude by choice because of love and he decides to serve his master forever and never forsake him. Exodus 21:5–6 (NKJV) –5But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. In the same manner, he has declared himself tied to Jesus because of what His master has already proved He is willing to do for him. The other examples of servitude are against the will of the individual, for their usefulness to their masters only, without any reciprocated compulsion to love them just for who they are. Their masters would only protect and sustain them as long as it suited them, and it was profitable to have them around. Jesus has shown He sustains us even when we go against His will and plans for us because He is long suffering and loves us to the point of dying for our transgressions.
Called for a mission
Paul knew he was called for a purpose greater than himself; one great element of his epistles is that he would take every opportunity to declare it. He was an apostle, and he let it be known. We are all called to do something in the body of Christ. If we do not know it, we need to ask God and seek his wisdom – see James 1:5 (ESV). Paul tells us that to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, he says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” – Ephesians 4:7-8. So, each one of us, if we are in the body of Christ ought to trust that we have something that we have been given to be of use to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some have already embraced their gifts and callings and are thriving in them every day, while some have yet to discover what it is that they have been gifted with and others, though they know, refuse even then to work in their gifting for whatever reason. I am reminded of the parable of the ten talents when I think of the last group of people I mentioned – Matthew 25:16-20. Paul is unapologetic in who he is, and that would have made his load feel lighter because he embraced his calling. It probably was easier for him to reconcile what would happen to him later because he was accepted and was vested completely in the mission. See Luke 9:23–27 (ESV) – Jesus tells us that we should be clear which team we are on, that we should be clear and unequivocal in declaring to the world whose we are, even in difficult seasons and situations. We tend to distance ourselves from Christ when we are in dire straits sometimes, and that is not helpful. Paul’s example mirrors that of Christ, who was all in as the suffering servant, and we should endeavour to be the same as we walk on this pilgrimage with Jesus.
Set apart for purpose
Ephesians 1:3–6 (ESV)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
God says to Jeremiah before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you. He knew us all, and chose something for us all, then set us apart. What have you been set apart to do? Do you have a gift or something you know you are able to do which will bless others? What has God called you to serve and minister to those around you? Each of us is equipped in our own way to build up the church and edify the body of Christ. Paul declared himself a slave to Christ, all in and ready to serve. We too have now been called to such a time as this, to serve our almighty King, with all our hearts, and all our minds, and all our soul and all our strength. Will we answer the call and walk by faith?
Exhortation: Be intentional with Jesus
In Romans 1:1, Paul identifies himself from the onset, showing he is looking to build a bridge and create a relationship with the Romans. Offering a name to someone is both a sign of hospitality and a way of disarming someone wariness of strangers. He identifies himself in four distinct ways, through announcing his name (Paul), his position (bond servant/slave), his calling/gift (apostle), who He is representing (Christ Jesus) as well as declaring his mission (set apart for the gospel of God). Assuming all these things were true and correct, straight away the Romans would have had a clearer expectation of what the letter was about. If we are clear with people about our intentions in any area of life, whether it be relationships or work, we make any conversation much clearer because this can be a way to assess whether you are willing to have a conversation or not.
I used to work for a company calling people about renewing their life insurance. The people I would call already had a policy, that’s the only way they would have been on my list. I would introduce myself as a representative of the company and most times the response from the other side would have been curiosity. But sometimes I would get someone who would have cancelled their policy with this company and as a result they would be very annoyed that I was calling them and would request I remove them off the list. Both these sets of people were very familiar with the company, but they had comparatively differing reactions to the call.
Paul, like me, was just a messenger in a role to represent a much larger agenda. Announcing who we are and whose we are is important to ascertain the direction of every possible opportunity to represent Christ. Sometimes you are representing as a prophet, warning of a pending exclusion to certain benefits. Other times you are in the role of teacher/shepherd, doing your best to give information and educate those already attending. And other times you are in the role of evangelist, explaining why life insurance could be a good idea. And sometimes you could be in the role of apostle, establishing new things for these same people to give guidance and help them understand doctrine as well as terms and conditions. Your approach in each of these scenarios should be the same.
BE INTENTIONAL. Like Paul, announce yourself so that there is no confusion why you are there. I am reminded of all the stories when an angel appears: he would announce himself and straight away say ‘do not be afraid’, so that there is no confusion about why he is there. Always presume that people want to know why you are engaging them, tell them why you are initiating contact because it might save you time.
I also worked for a window company before the insurance job where we would cold call people on a telephone register to offer them double glazed windows and I got so used to calling people who would not say much for the first three minutes while I read my script, only to turn around and ask who I was, where I was calling from, and promptly declare that they were not interested.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, Declare Jesus from the beginning! The response from that declaration will draw the lines of the conversation you are going to have with that person and which role needs to be deployed. This is why Jesus gave gifts to men, so that when the time came, we would deploy correctly and effectively. If evangelism, sends an evangelist, if someone needs clarification, send a teacher and so forth. If there is need of healing, send someone with the gift of healing, and if there is need for encouragement, send an exhorter or someone who can stir up faith.
