Paul
told the church members in Corinth who were “servants”
not to “care for it”,
but if they were made “free”,
they were to “use it rather”.
In chapter seven and verse twenty-two of
First Corinthians, Paul declared
the church members who were “servants”
as “the Lord's freeman”
where we read:
For he
that is called in the Lord, being
a servant, is the Lord's freeman:
likewise
also he that is called, being
free, is Christ's servant.
The
verse begins, “For
he that is called in the Lord, being
a servant, is the Lord's freeman:”
Paul began
with the word, “For” which
means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “he that is called” or
“the person whether male or female who is uttered in a loud voice,
invited and given a name” “in the
Lord”
which means “in he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah”, “being a servant” which
means “in the state of a slave or bondman” “is
the Lord's”
which refers to “is he to whom a person or thing belongs, about
which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “freeman”
or “slave that has been released from servitude”. When the Lord
Jesus “calls”
a person into a relationship with Him, they become as “free”
from the world's servitude.
The
verse goes on to say, “likewise
also he that is called, being
free, is Christ's servant.” Paul
added the word, “likewise also”
which means
“equally and in the same way even and indeed” “he
that is called” or
“the person whether male or female who is uttered in a loud voice,
invited and given a name”, “being
free”
which means “in the state of freeborn, not a slave and manumitted”
“is Christ's”
which means “the anointed one, the Messiah and the Son of God's”
“servant”
or “slave or bondman”. While it is true that a person becomes as
“free”
from the world, they become as “servants”
to Jesus Christ when they yield their lives to Him.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we understand the “freedom”
that is obtained by a relationship with Jesus Christ, and yet, the
“service” that is realized at the same time. Rather than
being “servant” to the world and it's ways, the Christian
becomes the “servant” of Jesus Christ. Some of the people
who became Christians in Corinth were actually “servants”
for others in this world, and when they received Jesus Christ as
“Savior and Lord”, they in a sense, became “free” of
their bondage. Now their lives were to be dedicated to “serving”
Jesus, and when we receive Jesus, we become “free” from the world
and “servants” of the Most High God.
Next
time Paul tells the church members, “you
are bought with a price”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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