The Bondservant

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:6,10

The church walks a fine line between existing within, and ministering to, the culture that surrounds it and capitulating to the pressures from that culture. Just as Jesus came on His Father’s business into this world, and, more specifically, into the Jewish near-Eastern context He sought (and succeeded) in drawing the unrighteous and sinners near without being Himself drawn in. Such should our mission be as well--- to live within, and witness to, the society around us without having our identity and mission in Christ compromised. The balance is tenuous indeed--- focus too much on separating ourselves from the world and we risk becoming inappropriately isolated and disconnected from those we are called to love; conversely, if we allow ourselves to become complacent, we compromise our commitment to Christ, who called us out of our old lives of willful indulgence and hedonism into a new life of authentic surrender. We should strive, like Daniel exiled in Babylon, to honor our God without compromise yet also without antagonism; to bear witness by our devotion rather than our division. It is not that we engage with culture that is at issue but rather how we engage culture. We must taste with discernment, judging always the contents and purpose and placing them beside the standard of Jesus Christ. There are times in which we must stand, and stand firm for Christ against evil, indignity, or oppression to be sure but we must always be kept in check by the love which is ours through the Father who loves and has compassion on lost sheep and lost men alike.

We, too, should always be on guard for the cracks and fissures that sometimes appear in the foundation of our lives. They begin often innocently as playful indulgences or insipid doubts--- thought experiments really, but, like persistent dripping over centuries erodes caverns; these frivolous sins and doubts erode our commitment to Christ. All sin springs forth from a desire for the control to satisfy our wants and passions. Here too, even the most stalwart saint is vulnerable to minute and fleeting indulgences that create an avalanche of sin and doubt. How many of us who frequently serve the Lord today will persevere to the last? How much of our earnest devotion will burn away like the dew in the heat of the day?

Paul speaks to those in the Galatian churches who had traded their true Christ for cheap substitutes; false Christs with no power to save. He scolds them for their fickle faith which ran to serve the convenient; the expedient gods. They had warmed to the musings of teachers of style rather than substance. The appeal of social godliness (i.e. following the Mosaic Law) had trumped their devotion to the freedom of Christ.

In contrast, Paul challenges those who claimed that he was striving to please men rather than the Lord. In defiance, he states: If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. What was true in 1^st century Palestine is true today. We must remain in constant submission to Christ, determining with whom our allegiance lies. While we live in, and engage with the world, our souls must ultimately choose (not once, but continually) what our purpose will be. The desires of this world are not always cloaked in self-indulgence but even the altruistic desire to affect change or give meaning is vapid compared to the complete fulfillment we find in surrender to Christ. It is His purposes which give us meaning and freedom. Any attempt, even if well intentioned, of finding meaning apart from Christ is futile and sinful. Each of our actions and decisions is born either from a desire to serve men (this present existence) or to serve the Lord. If we claim ourselves to be Christ’s slaves we must abandon our claim on the temporal, fleeting results of this earth. This does not mean abdicating our place in, or responsibility in helping to bring the kingdom of God to a hurting world. It simply means that we serve as ambassadors in this world rather than citizens tied closely to its successes or momentary pleasures. We are a royal priesthood in Christ Jesus.

Let us today decide whom we will serve.