James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.
James 1:1, NKJV
Bondservant isn’t a term we use often in our modern language. Slave and servant are synonyms to this term. Interestingly, James begins his letter by calling himself a bondservant of God and Jesus Christ. Why would he do this?
Some historians estimate that one-third of the Roman population in the first century lived as bondservants. That’s a huge chunk of the population. Bondservants were a very common part of that time period and were completely understood by the readers of the New Testament letters. No doubt, when James, Jude, Paul and Peter addressed themselves as bondservants to the Lord, it could not be overlooked and it should not be overlooked today.
A bondservant lived a life of service to another. They were most likely property of another Roman citizen and had no choice but to stay in this service.
These men who followed Jesus held that same extreme position, that they could never leave their master for another. The difference is that they chose this level of commitment.
True obedience to Jesus is for life!
Their message was freedom from sin and a choice to be a slave to Christ forever. Trading the master of sin for the Master of Jesus!
If you identify yourself a christian/Christ-follower/believer, are you also able to call yourself a bondservant to Christ?