In trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer “slaves” but “servants,” because we serve a risen glorified Christ who is now seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven—a position of divine power and authority. There is absolutely no greater honor to serve the One who did so much for us on the Cross. It is indeed an unsurpassed joy and great delight to do anything for our Lord and Master, which is an essential part of holy living.
Prior to salvation, we were “dead in trespasses and sins” with our allegiance to Satan, who is the “prince of the power of the air.” In his letter to the Church at Ephesus, The apostle Paul wrote: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). Paul is bringing to our attention the desperate state we were in – helpless and hopeless – before our conversion. Note the statement is written in the past tense, beginning “And you were dead,” meaning “spiritually dead”—living as if Jesus Christ did not exist, and submitting to the dictates of Satan. Sin brought destruction and ruin to the human race. But God intervened and did what no one else was capable of doing by providing the tremendous change with His “method of salvation” to bring about deliverance from this hopeless condition.
Paul continues, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us , even when were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). What a transformation! Mercy, love and grace are some of God’s divine attributes. Through His love, God “gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.” God also had mercy on us by withholding from us that which we deserved, that is, His judgment. He also extended his grace by which we are saved (verse 8). Grace is God’s “unmerited favor” to us.
From a slave to a servant is the greatest thing that ever happened to us, because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. We must always bear in mind who and what we are in Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and glorious resurrection. C. H. Spurgeon preached, “We are risen with Christ and therefore our affection should not be set on earthly things; we are dead to the world, and therefore, we must not, and cannot live in sin. Christ is our life, and therefore, we must walk after His example” (“All for Jesus!” Sermon # 1205).
I invite you to come with me to the Cross, for a moment. Let us, in faith, contemplate Jesus, as “son of man” who suffered, bled, and died on that Cross for you and for me. You see, God knew that in order for us to be reconciled to Himself, Christ must die. The Bible tells us, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Can we then, with finite minds, fully grasp what God did in making His sinless, spotless Son to be sin for us. Jesus was the only perfect man who ever lived, and who committed no sin. There was never any sin in Him. However, if sinful man must be made right with a holy and righteous God, then this sinless Jesus must be “made sin” and shed His own blood. The Bible declares, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). This means that without exceptions, the shedding of Jesus’ blood was required for man’s forgiveness.
The Apostle Peter gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ sinless character and writes: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:22,23). Peter also reminds us that we are not redeemed with perishable things such as silver or gold, “but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19). May we be inspired to rejoice in our great salvation procured for us by Jesus on the cross. And count it an honor and privilege to be a Servant of Jesus Christ.
The Christian is saved to serve. And we must serve the Lord willingly and gladly. Paul wrote to Colossians, “Whatever you do, work heartily; as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Note, in the Christian life, we ought to work for our Lord and Master with willing and obedient hearts and minds. William MacDonald writes, “Whatever is done should be done heartily (literally “from the soul”) as to the Lord and not to men. In every form of Christian service as well as in every sphere of life, there are many tasks which people find obnoxious. Needless to say, we try to avoid such work. But this verse teaches us the very important lesson that the humblest service can be glorified and dignified by doing it for the Lord. In this sense, there is no difference between secular and sacred work. All is sacred” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 2015). The key is, as long as the task is done wholeheartedly and with the intent that it brings glory of the Lord, the Lord will reward, as the following verse tells us. … “From the Lord you will receive your reward.”
What more could any dedicated Christian expect than to know that we have been transformed and exalted from a “slave of sin and Satan” to be a “Servant” of the Lord Jesus Christ. A great motto for a Christian is “I am a Christian. I serve the Lord Christ.” We serve and adore our Lord, no matter the costs and sacrifices involved. We serve Him when we talk about Him with others. We serve the Lord when we “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12). We serve the Lord with our hearts, our minds, and our strength because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This means that when He calls, we will answer the call. Where He sends we will go. What He says we will do. We serve a risen glorified Savior who is now seated at His Father’s right hand in heaven, ever living to make intercessions for us. Let us be totally “All for Jesus” and serve Him with gladness and gratitude. The God of grace be with you.