Introductions
In AD 56 or 57, the apostle Paul spent the winter in Corinth. While the city's ports were closed, he had time to pray and write the letter to the Romans. When spring came, Phoebe, from Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth, was likely the woman entrusted to carry the letter westward to Rome. Most of the Christians in Rome had never met Paul, so the first thing they would hear is how he introduced himself.
In college, I realized that an existentialist philosopher named Jean-Paul Sartre had changed how we think about ourselves. He said, "Existence precedes essence." He meant that we start our lives with no predetermined outcome. We all must choose our own identities. We fight endless culture wars over these definitions; to take away someone's right to define their essence is to violate their rights. By contrast, Paul understands his identity in relationship to God. When he wrote to the Philippians, he told them that Jesus took on the form of a slave and that he and Timothy were slaves of Christ Jesus (2:7, 1:1). That is, he serves the one who served him first. If we read "slave of Christ" without remembering who Jesus was and what he did for us, then we invert the meaning. Paul sees this identity as a gift from God. It means he belongs to someone who cares about him. It's how he imitates Jesus. I often read Paul's letters as if he'd never read the Gospels. Even though they were likely written later, the early Christians talked with each other about what Jesus said. Matthew records Jesus teaching his disciples, "A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master" (Matthew 10:24-25). As the apostles reflected on the beautiful life that Jesus lived and how he served us, they considered it an honor to call themselves slaves of Jesus. Most translations soften it to 'servant', which makes sense given the historical connotations of slave. But Jesus himself didn't want us to relate to him with fearful obedience or to offload our decision-making to him. As he told his disciples the night before he was crucified for them, "I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father" (John 15:15). I know some Christian friends feel they can't act unless they've gotten "a peace from God" about what to do. Because they want to serve God, they feel stuck unless God has told them exactly what to do in a specific situation. But we already know God's will for our lives. God loves us, so we love God and our neighbors. When we know that Jesus is totally committed to our well-being, it is freeing to be totally committed to his service. Similarly, when Paul tells the Romans that God's grace has freed them from slavery to sin so they are now 'enslaved to righteousness' (6:18), he doesn't mean that they must be legalistic. Rather, he connects serving God to freedom, fruit, sanctification, eternal life, and the gift of God (6:22-23). Once we think of service as an honorable way to be like Jesus, we understand what Paul is talking about. He tells the Romans that "Christ became a servant" and honors Phoebe as "a servant of the church in Cenchreae" (Romans 15:8, 16:1; this probably also means Phoebe was a deacon in this church). When Phoebe arrived in Rome with Paul's letter, she was a living example of what he said about Christ and himself.
Why does being "a slave of Christ" feel like a bad thing?
What difference does it make that Jesus served us before he invited us to be his servants and his friends?
When you're not living as Christ's servant, who are you serving?
Find a comfortable place to sit. Then tell God, "I'm afraid of serving you because _____. But I can't think of anyone I want to be like more than Jesus. Help me to trust that you are worth serving."