The Mystery of Total Devotion
Review of Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ. by John MacArthur, 2010, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Royce Francis, 22 October 2015, Fundamentals of the Faith Book Review
In Slave, John MacArthur asserts that our English Bible translations obscure one of the most important truths of the Christian faith: that we are slaves of Christ. This truth was the linchpin of ancient Christian witness, however the word “slave” and its derivatives appear relatively few times in almost all English translations of the New Testament. Other translations (e.g., Filipino, French, etc.) do not share this bias. Why could this have happened? Does it make a difference?
MacArthur spends little time discussing the technical reasons why this could have happened. In summary, he argues that early English translations, even aiming for literal translation, relied on the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. In Latin, the word for slave, servus, can also be translated into English as servant. He does not suggest a theological bias in choice of translation.
This is, however, a mistranslation of the Greek word, doulos, which is the word that is often translated into English as servant in the New Testament. MacArthur refers to numerous Bible dictionaries and commentaries to argue that in the Greek, the word doulos does not have an ambiguous meaning. Moreover, its meaning always means slave or bond-slave. This word was used intentionally and frequently due to its powerful and accurate illustration of the truth of life in the Kingdom of God:
When the apostles used slave imagery, both in their preaching and in writing the New Testament, they were fully aware of what it meant in terms of both Jewish history and Roman culture. From the standpoint of Israel’s history, to be a slave of God was to identify oneself with those who stood at Mount Sinai and with noble intentions proclaimed, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 24:3) Moreover, it was to be aligned with notable men of faith, such as Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets–spiritual leaders who exemplified wholehearted submission to the will and word of god. From the standpoint of first century culture, slavery served as an apt picture of the believer’s relationship to Christ–one of complete submission and subjugation to the Master. In both cases, to be a slave was to be under the complete authority of someone else. It meant rejecting personal autonomy and embracing the will of another. The concept required no great explanation because slavery was commonplace and had been for many centuries. (p.35)
There are major practical reasons that the slave metaphor makes a large difference. Here are a few characteristics of a slave, or the life of a slave, that have parallels in the believer’s life in God:
- A slave does not choose its master. Rather, the master always chooses the slave;
- A slave has no rights apart from what its master grants;
- A slave is the exclusive property of its master;
- A slave must punctiliously execute the will of its master when commanded;
- A slave’s reputation and regard derives from the respect and reputation of its master;
- A slave enjoys the protection and provision of its master;
- A slave’s life rests on the approval and satisfaction of its master.
The most important of these is the truth that the slave never chooses its master. For believers, we understand that God pursues us and inclines our hearts towards Him. More importantly than this, Jesus has bought us with His life, and our ownership has been transferred from the Adversary to Jesus. All people are slaves–the question is who is our owner. Thus, the slavery metaphor is important because it helps us to understand our new position as the property of Christ. Our status as Christ’s property now defines our lives, as MacArthur points out:
Each slave owner defined the nature of his slaves’ lives. For their part, slaves had only one primary objective: to please the master in everything through their loyal obedience to him. (p.29)
and;
Like all slaves in the ancient world, their lives were characterized by the ideas of total dependence, the foreiture of autonomy and the sense of belonging wholly to another. (p.34-35)
At this point it is worth mentioning that John MacArthur surely exposits the slave-son paradox that is true of the Christian life. However, his exposition of the slavery metaphor is so important because slavery is such an apt descriptor of the totally revolutionary and disruptive change in our lives that occurs when we become believers in Christ. For example, MacArthur quotes J. Albert Harrill,
The experience of enslavement was [a] perfect [illustration] for an ancient audience. Like a slave, the [Christian] convert experienced the violent psychological force of personal upheaval, the social dishonor of turning away from one’s family and traditional culture, and the natal alienation of losing one’s whole past identity–getting a new name, having to learn a new language and worldview, and forming new kinship relations.
How we are challenged to examine ourselves and see that we do not claim our own name, but that we seek to honor our Master! I am also astonished by how much this illustration is reflected in the experience of Christians outside the Western world. Many must lose everything they know in order to become believers. We are called, when we properly understand the doulos imagery throughout the New Testament, to examine ourselves so that we can be sure to devote ourselves fully to the service of Christ. This is because:
We were bought with a price; therefore we are no longer under the authority of sin. Instead we are under the exclusive ownership of God. Christ is our new Master… We will receive Christ’s name because we will forever be His exclusive possession. (p.44-45)
Next, a slave has no rights apart from what its master grants, and the slave must punctiliously execute the will of the master. In other words, a slave’s principal concern is not their own will, but the will of the master. All rests on the satisfaction and approval of the master. Clearly, this is the nature of the believer’s life. All rests on our master’s will, as our chief concern should be to do the will of God. Our chief goal is to hear: “Well done my good and faithful doulos.” When we seek our own will, we violate the master’s rights and deserve punishment or death. Thus, the slavery metaphor is important because it motivates us to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness above all things.
Now, while the slave metaphor seems to be mostly about the believer’s obligations, the believer does obtain privileges from being the slave of God. MacArthur shows how this notion would have been clearly understood by his audience during Roman times. There are two main ways in which the believer benefits as a slave of Christ: the slave enjoys the protection and provision of the master; and, the slave enjoys the reputation and renown of the master. Slaves in Roman times often enjoyed much greater physical security (i.e., provision of food and shelter, etc.) than their free counterparts. Not only this, but the provision of their physical security was not their concern. In addition, Roman slaves also enjoyed prestige derived from the prestige of their master. While this is of little consolation to the slave of a poor master, the slave of a wealthy or highly-regarded master was also very highly-regarded. The trusted slave of a highly-regarded citizen held a very influential position, and their status was such that they were sometimes allowed to marry free women. As slaves of the Creator, we enjoy His provision, and while we are not regarded more highly than the Master, we enjoy the privileges of association with His household. Indeed, it is better to dwell in the courts (doorways) of our Master’s house than in the tents of the wicked. Even the least of our master’s servants enjoys renown among the heavens.
Now although the main topic of the book, especially in the first 3/4ths, is the slavery metaphor, the book does not stop there. Instead, MacArthur discusses the slave-son paradox. While we are the slaves of Christ, we are also co-heirs with Christ and have been adopted into God’s family. This is such a remarkable image, especially in light of Roman law on adoption, that the believer cannot help but be encouraged by his sonship in the Kingdom of God.
In Roman times, the adoption process consisted of several specific legal procedures… First, the process completely terminated the adopted child’s social relationship and legal connection to their natural family. Second, the process made them a permanent member of their new family… Once the adoption was complete, the new son or daughter was then completely under both the care and control of the new father. The previous father no longer had any authority over his former child.
This passage shows that our sonship is an amazing miracle. All our prior debts, status, and obligations have been permanently terminated and replaced with the riches and privileges of membership in the family of God. His will controls us, and He has complete care and authority over our lives. While we belong to God as slaves, the New Testament also teaches us that we belong to Him as sons and heirs.