δοῦλος - doulos

James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

This little sketch shows a man driving a nail through the ear of his slave, literally nailing him to the door frame of the house. In this very physical act, the slave is voluntarily becoming a bondservant or doulos. This is a big concept in the Bible and worthy of some conversation. Since James introduces himself with exactly this word, we should see why James chooses it.

For the Hebrews, slavery was a fact of life. They spent centuries enslaved to other nations, as well as being slaves to one another in their own culture. People sometimes "sold" themselves to pay off a debt. If they chose to do that, their life as a slave lasted no more than 7 years. At the end of 7 years, slaves were released. But sometimes a slave would choose to remain with the family they were serving even after the 7 years had passed. They would become a bondservant, giving themselves as servant for the rest of their lives. This ritual would result in a permanent mark on their ear, symbolizing their desire to serve that family for the rest of their lives. This wasn't a tragic choice. It was made out of love for the family and a desire to serve them selflessly.

This is how James chooses to identify himself to his readers. He has willingly accepted his role as a servant of Jesus Christ, seeking to put His call ahead of his own wants and desires. Paul mirrors this idea in Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Learning how to completely surrender our entire "self" into the will of God can take a lifetime. In fact, it takes a daily surrendering of our will into the hands of God and giving of ourselves into a lifetime of service. That is a counter-cultural idea. It is in fact shocking! And I'm not going to kid you - it's hard! But it is the call placed upon every believer and just imagine what our world would look like if we all saw ourselves as a doulos of Christ.


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