For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

The biblical servanthood described in the preceding chapters is not servitude. The dictionary defines servitude as "The condition of a slave or serf: a state of subjection to an owner or master." While most Old Testament references would fall under that definition, Jesus changed it all with his declaration, "I am among you as one who serves,"(Luke 22:27) a definition he acted out as he washed the disciples' feet in the story told by John. (John 13: 1-11) It is this latter meaning that is described in this book as biblical servanthood, the Christian lifestyle.

Back in the Old Testament story, at the end of the period described in the book of Judges, The people came to Samuel and asked for a king. Samuel prayed about it and heard God say that such a request was a denial of God's kingship. Yet, God said, go ahead and give them their king. However, you must warn them of the consequences. Those warnings included, "...and you shall be his slaves,"(l Samuel 8:17) meaning, of course, that they would have no freedom. The people did not listen to either Samuel or God, and Saul became Israel's first king. Thus it has been ever since: when people long for the supposed security of power vested in another they end up as slaves to that power, often literally, always subjectively, and always lacking the freedom that comes with responsibility (stewardship).

Of course, royalty is not a problem in our society. We do have our ways, however, of seeking security by submitting to a power other than God. Our most dramatic example is the minority of our people living in the drug culture. Many more of us are alcoholics. Poverty is an enslaving force. Beyond such overt powers are the covert ones which tempt all of us to worship and serve a false god. Consumerism, and the debt it creates, enslaves many. Workaholics usually have misplaced priorities. We can be enslaved by our passions, our apathy, our narrow mindedness. In the face of such powers, God calls us to serve our Lord Jesus, looking to him for the freedom which only he can give.

Biblical servanthood involves an absolute refusal to serve any power other than God, and, thus, a willingness to join in the struggle for justice and freedom, attributes of God's vision of shalom. In a society such as ours, this does not imply a lawless attitude. The power to establish justice and freedom which we freely give to government is not a power to be worshipped. In a very real sense, our government is subject to the power of the people. Yet, the temptation to use power wrongly always exists, and thus the biblical servant stands ready to serve God and oppose oppression wherever it is found...