Servant

I have decided to focus on Servant for the 2025 year. So I decided to also begin the first message/essay of 2025 about the word servant. My focus will be on the biblical meaning of the word. 

I like what the Biblestudytools.com offers in an explanation from Walter M. Dunnett. 

[Dr. Walter M. Dunnett served as Assistant Rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, IL. Born in Tayport, Scotland, Fr. Dunnett received his B.A., M.A., M.Div. from Wheaton College, S.T.M. from Luther Northwestern Seminary, D.W.S. from the Institute for Worship Studies and his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He also served as a college professor in Bible and New Testament Greek for 40 years. He was ordained as Priest in the Episcopal Church in 1992 and served as Priest Associate at Church of the Messiah in Minnesota (1992-1997) and has been at St Mark’s since 1998. Dr. Dunnett has written several books on the Old and New Testament along with The Interpretation of Holy Scripture: Issues, Principles, Models: An Introduction to Hermeneutics.]

Dunnet notes: “In the New Testament, doulos [dou'lo"] is frequently used to designate a master's slave (one bound to him), but also a follower of Christ (a "bondslave" of Christ). The term points to a relation of absolute dependence, in which the master and the servant stand on opposite sides, the former having a full claim, the latter having a full commitment. The servant can exercise no will or initiative on his or her own.

Doulos [dou'lo"] is applied to several Old Testament worthies, including Moses (Rev 15:3) and the prophets (Rev 10:7). Paul (Titus 1:1) and James (1:1) both refer to themselves as servants of God; Paul also calls himself the "servant of Christ" (Rom 1:1; Php 1:1).”

For many the idea of being bound to any other is objectionable at least. Therefore, the struggle to join oneself to Christ as a servant is an extremely difficult choice to make. It requires a true transformation. As a black man the idea of calling anyone master was so deeply engrained in me as a sign of weakness and inferiority. I always experienced a moment of hesitation whenever confronted with the concept that I was to renounce all rights and choose to be a servant of Christ. My natural environment made it impossible for me to set aside the historical context of slavery. I had very little concern for proclaiming myself a follower of Christ, or even a child of God, that was easy. But something within me caused me to stumble over the idea of being a servant, especially as Paul puts it a bond servant of Christ. As I stated it required a true transformation in my understanding. I had to come to the realization I was not deserving of the title of child of God. Even my best efforts did not come near to making me worthy to be a child of God. My heart itself was prone to be moved with pride for any good that I would do. As though it was my abilities that brought about the good. I am not sure of when it became clear to me that nothing I could ever do would be good enough, to be as righteous as Christ Jesus.  But I am sure that many of the men and women that God put in my life helped me to see how far short I was of being right enough, good enough to be a child of God. What then can I aspire to? If I can never attain to the place of a child of God what is my relationship to the God of the universe? I am so grateful to the Lord of Grace for impressing upon me the message of grace and salvation. I grew up in the church hearing the scriptures being preached. But never hearing the message of salvation. Once the message became clear (1971-72) that all of my righteousness was like filthy rags in the sight of the Lord, I had to reevaluate how I viewed myself before God.