Are You a Servant - Or a Son?

Many times, we hear Christians talk about how they “serve the Lord”.  We also hear that when we become Christians, we must not only make Jesus our Savior, but also our Lord, which is another way of saying “Master”.  At the same time, we also believe that we are children of God.  So which is it - are we servants, or sons?

Galatians 4:4-6 answers this question for us:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

As Christians, it’s time that we stop being double-minded.  Are we sons and daughters of God, or are we servants?  Have we already received God’s abundance of grace (Romans 5:17), or do we have to continually work to deserve good things from Him?  What kind of Father do we think we have?   Is He a good Father who takes great pleasure in giving us good things?  Or is He a harsh and stern Father who wants us to suffer “for our own good”?  It’s time to settle this in our minds once and for all - after all, how can we ever make a difference in the world when we are not even sure of our relationship with the One who has created us to make a difference?

The Bible refers to us as God’s “little children” (I John 5:21, Galatians 4:19, I John 2:12, I John 3:7, I John 3:18, Matthew 18:3).  Little children are not supposed to serve their parents. The job of parents is to serve their little children.  In fact, my husband and I just spent two days looking after our 20-month old grandson Noah, and believe me, not once did he bring me a glass of water, fluff my pillow for me, or rub my feet.  But, I did do all of those things for him!

Jesus did not come to Earth, die and be raised from the dead so that we could serve Him.  He came so that He might serve us. (Mark 10:45)

Why does this matter anyway?  Because someone who is a son can expect quite different outcomes from a person than someone who is a servant.  When a servant does wrong, she can expect to have something withheld, or even worse, experience punishment.  The child of a Good Parent, on the other hand, could expect to be gently corrected when she does wrong, but would never be concerned about losing her position in the family.

That is what grace is all about, after all.  The pure, unadulterated gospel is completely about God’s grace given to us, through his Son Jesus.

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NKJV)

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)

These scriptures make it clear that the gospel is grace, that grace is Jesus, and the gospel is all about Jesus!  The true gospel of Jesus declares that God is not mad at you.  He has given you blessing, favor and goodness that you did not deserve, do not deserve, and will never deserve.  He has freed you from the requirements that say you must earn goodness. Jesus paid for all of it already.  Because of this, you are now a bonafide child of God.  Accept your true position as a daughter of the King, and expect good things from your great Father!

 

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