The Freedom of Slavery

One of issues always important for Christians to consider is the tension that exists between effectively witnessing to the pagan world around us, while not allowing that world to infiltrate the Gospel. It is crucial that we find ways to make the gospel relevant to those around us; but equally crucial that we don’t allow the culture to dictate values to the Gospel. 

In some ways, the bridge that spans the first century and the twenty-first century needs to be a one-way bridge. We strive to bring the gospel to our own culture, but carefully work to avoid allowing modern culture to infect that message before it gets here!

In some ways, this seems to be the issue at stake in I Corinthians 9:19-23. It is a great text that speaks to the heart of the apostle Paul and perhaps speaks with equal passion to the need you and I have to be sensitive to the cultural boundaries in which we live.

What initially catches my attention in this text is that Paul adamantly declares himself to be in a “state of being free” in reference “to all things.” Yet, in the spirit of being Christ to the world, he makes a volitional choice “to become a slave” to all. He emphatically adds “myself” to the sentence to remind us of his own need to make a decisive move in his life that has as its purpose “to win more.” 

The structure of this paragraph is such that it keeps the careful reader of the text focused on the idea of “in order that I might win more.” Six times he uses a Greek conjunction that most often denotes purpose – often translated in order that. The first five of those six phrases, the same verb is used – a verb whose basic meaning is “to win.” In the sixth phrase, which summarizes his point, he changes verbs from “to win” to the common New Testament verb for “to save.” 

In the final verse Paul speaks to motivation again – “for the sake of the gospel.” Then in a kind of “this is my heart” statement, he speaks of the joy of it all by saying “in order that (same conjunction!) I might become a participant in its blessings.” 

Structure is crucial. If you look at the beginning, he gives up “being free” and “makes himself a slave.” If you look at the end, it is that very willingness to become a slave for the sake of the gospel that gives him joy in life. That’s not exactly the normal idea our religious culture attaches to sacrifice –but it is Paul’s.

Between “the beginning” and “the end” – there is the litany of “I became” statements that speaks to the nature of what it means “to become a slave” and to the purpose of that “slavery” which is “to win some.” 

I’m wondering today . . . how can this text become my own testimony?

When Yahweh Is King

When I read the story of the changing of the name of Joseph a Levite from Cyprus, I can’t help but wonder about my own life. If the people who know me best and saw my faith being worked out on a daily basis decided to change my name, what would it be? In the case of Joseph the Levite from Cyprus, his name was changed to Barnabas, and Luke adds in his Acts 4 :36 record, “which means ‘son of encouragement.’” For me, that’s a pretty sobering question – and one that often causes me to think about how I am “working out my salvation,” to borrow language from Philippians 2:12, 13.

Those kinds of questions lead me to think about all the names mentioned in the Bible. Had I lived during the days Scripture was being written, would my name be there? There are some remarkable people whose names play an important role – people like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Sarah, Deborah, David, Solomon, Peter, James, John, Paul, Phoebe, the Mary list, Timothy, John Mark, Titus, . . . Those are people whose lives and ministries we remember because of their greatness.

But – do you remember Malchijah, son of Rechab? If you do, you must have an incredible knowledge of biblical names! I don’t ever remember a Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Sunday Night Youth Group, or even summer camp lesson about Malchijah! If he were mentioned in my college and graduate school Old Testament classes, I must have been absent or not paying attention. But . . . he is mentioned in Scripture and in a positive way.

I’m not trying to start another “Prayer of Jabez like cottage industry” here, but I’m pretty impressed with Malchijah. According to Nehemiah 3:14 – he “repaired the Dung Gate; he rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolds and its bars.” (NRSV) Just a sentence is used by Nehemiah, a sentence in the midst of some pretty impressive accomplishments (the next person mentioned repaired the Fountain Gate!) to tell me that Malchijah repaired the Dung Gate. Think how his kids might have felt at elementary school “tell me what your Dad does” day.

If his culture were like ours – even in the church – they likely associated value with function. And while we all want the local sewer system to work well, we tend to see being a sewer worker with less than positive acclaim. Yet he did what God called him to do – and his name is in Scripture. Not a glamorous job by any means – but an answer to God’s call in his life.

There probably were no signs with flashing lights out front announcing that Malchijah successfully completed his task. But in God’s economy, value and function are never linked. What gave him value is simply that he responded to God’s call in his life. It wasn’t what he did, but who he was. His name, by the way, means “Yahweh is King.” Apparently when “Yahweh is King,” even building a Dung Gate is a noble task!

Unusual Politics

Years ago, I remember my practical ministries professor in college, Orval M. Morgan, saying that years in which presidential elections were held were difficult years to keep the church on mission. I suspect that if he were still living, he would still say the same – perhaps even more. To merely say that this year’s (actually more than a year) political process has created tension would be to grossly understate reality. And it is far from over.

So, as Christians, how do we balance our absolute allegiance to Christ as Lord on the one hand, with all of those reminders that believers should “submit themselves to governing authorities,” (Romans 13), “honor the emperor,” (1 Peter 2:17) and Jesus’ own words when He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” (Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25)

Of course the very apostle who urges the Roman Christians to “submit to the governing authorities” would himself be put to death because he would not obey the Roman demand to call the emperor Lord. (See F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, pages 441 ff.)

I understand that I nor anyone else has an easy answer to the challenge. Knowing exactly what the role of a believer who has declared that Jesus and only Jesus is Lord should be in modern western culture and its governments is a hard, but important, question.

But in re-reading William Robinson’s The Biblical Doctrine of the Church, recently, I discovered some very thoughtful advice that can, perhaps, at least set some of the parameters for us as we think about the next five months of presidential politics. His comments are in a section where he says of the church, “She is in the world, not to conform to the world, but to redeem it.” (page 115) That in itself could change to focus of lots of people were it taken to heart. But, Robinson goes on to say of the church:

• “It is clear that the church herself cannot take political shape and become another political entity over against the state.” (115)
• “It is also clear that the church cannot take national shape. She cannot become the handmaid of the nation to serve her national pride.” (116)
• “It is further clear that the church has to struggle for a Christian civilization, which it must be recognized is something quite different from the life of the church herself. A Christian civilization may be described as one in which the main principles of the Christian ethic are actualized, and in which Christians themselves are able to take on the full disciplines of the Christian life without interference from the state..” (116)

Though Robinson’s book was published in 1948 – it sounds remarkably relevant and remains something worth reading! Perhaps that suggests something about the author’s understanding of the Christian gospel and his faithfulness to proclaim it.

Whatever happens in these tension filled days of political discourse, may we all remember that when all is said and done, the church is here “to redeem” the world!