[Supplement to Gospel Doctrine New Testament lesson 10]

The Hebrew and Greek words rendered “servant” in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible mean “slave.” ¹ In some of his letters, the apostle Paul introduced himself first as a “servant,” then as an apostle (Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1). The apostle Peter did likewise (2 Peter 1:1), while both James and Jude proclaimed themselves to be servants of Christ (James 1:1; Jude 1:1; see also Colossians 4:12).

To the Ephesian elders, Paul spoke of the flock that Christ “hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). To the Corinthians, he wrote, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

He explained that a slave who is converted becomes free through Christ, while a freeman becomes Christ's servant,” for, said he, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” To the Galatians, he wrote, “Do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

Origin of the Reference

Paul's teachings on slavery have their origin in the Law of Moses, where we read that the Lord purchased Israel (Exodus 15:16; Leviticus 25:42) and delivered them from their previous masters, the Egyptians (Deuteronomy 16:12; 24:18, 22). Like other peoples in antiquity, the Israelites possessed slaves, but there was a clear distinction between Israelites and non-Israelites sold into slavery. All Israelite slaves were freed during the sabbatical year that was celebrated every seventh year, while non-Israelite slaves could be kept indefinitely. ²

The mosaic code also made a clear distinction between a slave (Hebrew 'ebed , KJV “servant”) and a “hired servant” (Hebrew sakir, “hireling,” KJV “hired servant”). The slave, as part of the family, was allowed to eat the Passover meal and other sacrificial animals, while a hireling, often a non-Israelite, was not (Exodus 12:43-45; Leviticus 22:10). Both, however, were permitted to eat whatever was produced without human labor during the sabbatical year (Leviticus 25:6).³ While a slave was housed, clothed, and fed by his master, the “hired servant,” whether Israelite or a foreigner, received wages (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

With the coming of Christ, those who accepted his atonement could rise from their slave status. Paul wrote, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. ⁴ Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:4-7).

Progression

Christ himself declared that the disciple (student) could become as his master (teacher) and the servant (slave) as his lord (owner) (Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40). He also said that “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

Paul added, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage? (Galatians 5:1). The yoke of bondage to sin is heavy indeed, but to those who abandon sin, the Savior promised, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

As slaves of Christ, we owe him everything. All that we have, including the earth that he created, belongs to him and we are merely stewards. As such, we covenant to protect the Lord's property rights.

By our human nature, we are all, to varying degrees, unprofitable servants (Matthew 25:30; Luke 17:10; Romans 3:12). ⁵ King Benjamin told his people, “I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another — I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:21).

A slave owes service to his master. If he neglects to perform assignments given him, he is not worth (i.e., unprofitable) what the master paid to acquire him. Slave owners of antiquity purchased their slaves with earthly possessions. Christ has purchased us with his blood.

The price he paid is so high that we can never render sufficient service to equal this payment. But the Savior does not expect that we repay him, for none of us can recompense a sacrifice that is “infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:10, 14). King Benjamin explained that, “all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments” (Mosiah 2:22).

¹ The KJV Old Testament sometimes uses the words “manservant” and “maidservant.”

² The most detailed account of the law concerning slaves is found in Leviticus 25:39-55; see also Deuteronomy 15:12-18. A Hebrew slave could opt to continue in slavery if he wished to do so, but if he was sold to a non-Israelite, it was the duty of members of his tribe to purchase him from his master. The Jews of Jeremiah's time failed to obey the law regarding slaves and were cursed for their disobedience (Jeremiah 34:8-17).

³ The law of Moses required that every seventh year, the land would lie fallow. After seven sabbatical years came the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:2-15).

⁴ Abba is the Aramaic word for “father.”

⁵ Paul's epistle to Philemon is addressed to the owner of a slave named Onesimus, who was himself a Christian. He wrote, “I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me” (Philemon 1:10-11).