Roman law gave the slave owner absolute power and control.

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
December 13, 2009

Roman law gave the slave owner absolute power and control. 

“a slave of Christ Jesus”
 

The Greek word doulos means “slave”.

Point 1 was our Introduction: Whose slave are you?
 

A person is either
a slave to sin or
a slave to Christ!
 

“sin”
or hamartia in the Greek refers to that nature, power, and principle which is hostile to God.
It is that which challenges the reign or rule of God.
 

To live as
the slave of Christ Jesus is to submit to and honor the rightful authority
in your life and
in the universe!
 

Salvation, therefore, is an exchange of yokes.
 

1 Thess 1:9
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve [douleuo = to be a slave to!] a living and true God,
 

2 Cor 5:15
and He died for all,
so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
 

The most convincing evidence that you truly possess freedom is your willingness to surrender it to achieve a more worthy goal.
 

Our Lord became a slave
to free us from slavery to sin so that we might freely live as slaves to righteousness and slaves to Christ Jesus.
 

Point 2 was the etymology of the Greek word doulos.
 

doulos = a slave, bondman, man of servile condition. Metaphorically, one who gives himself up wholly to another’s will or dominion.
 

The word is sometimes used in a literal sense, and other times in a figurative (metaphorical) sense.
 

The New Testament often uses doulos
in a figurative, metaphorical manner, and does so in both a pejorative (negative) sense and a positive sense.
 

the old sin nature (slaves of sin, lusts and pleasures)
the cosmic system (slaves of men, slaves of corruption),
the kingdom of darkness (slaves to the elemental spirits)

In a positive sense, doulos is used in the New Testament to illustrate the relationship of humans to God.

doulos is used
for the apostles having Christ as master.

doulos is the
most abject, servile term used by the Greeks to denote a slave.
 

The word designated one who was born as a slave, one who was bound to his master in chords so strong that only death could break them, one who served his master to the disregard of his own interests, one whose will was swallowed up in the will of his master.

Murray Harris points out in his excellent book, Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for total devotion to Christ, that there are at least six other New Testament Greek words that may appropriately be rendered “servant”.

A servant gives service to someone.
A slave belongs to someone.
 

A slave (literal or figurative) is someone whose person and service belong wholly to another.
 

Subject to absolute ownership and control.
Absence of freedom to choose action [operational] or movement [geographical].
 

Point 3 was on the subject of metaphor in the Bible.
 

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing or experience in terms borrowed from another.
 

Ps 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
 

1. The topic, the item that is being described by the image to follow.

2. The image, that is, the metaphorical part of the figure of speech.
 

3. The point of similarity, which explains in what particular aspect the image and the topic are similar.
 

Ps 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
 

The word of God is the topic.
The image is light.
The point of similarity is that light makes it possible to see things that would otherwise be hidden.

It is best to limit the discussion to the one or two things that are clearly implied by the writer - especially when dealing with metaphor in the Bible.
 

A good metaphor gives you an “Aha” moment when all of a sudden the full impact of the comparison hits you. You “get it”.
 

God the Holy Spirit uses the metaphor of slavery as the image with points of similarity to believers in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
 

Points of similarity:

Exclusive ownership by the master
Total availability for service to the master
Complete dependence on the master

Points of difference:

Enforced obedience
Loss of freedom
Cringing subservience.
Abuse.
 

Point 4 will be the Isagogics, examining Roman and also Greek slavery in the ancient world.

We are going to learn about slavery in the Roman Empire of the First Century A.D.
 

We look primarily to Roman Law to gain our understanding of what physical slavery was all about in the first century when Paul wrote his letter to the Christians at Rome.

Greeks really loved freedom, and in fact saw having freedom as the very essence of being a citizen.
 

A human being who by nature belongs not to himself but to another person.
 

A human being belongs to another if he is an article of property as well as being a human being.
 

An article of property is a tool used to assist some function and is separable from its owner.

The slave must be represented by his master (or someone appointed by him).

The slave, particularly the fugitive slave, is subject to seizure and arrest.
 

The slave must do what his master orders.

The slave cannot go or live where he wishes.

The slave must be represented by his master (or someone appointed by him).

The slave, particularly the fugitive slave, is subject to seizure and arrest.
 

The slave must do what his master orders.

The slave cannot go or live where he wishes.

In the spiritual realm, we cannot be our own representative in legal matters, before the Supreme Court of Heaven. No, we have an advocate, and He is our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the natural realm, the one who must do what his master orders is the slave.
 

The gentle and kind Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, says that if we do what He commands us He no longer calls us slaves, but He calls us friends!
 

Even though we are His slaves and He is our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ never compels us to act under orders or unwillingly.