"Christian" Cannibalism Or Sacrificial Service Series

REGULATION

BUT Continually serve another through love.

This is a present tense imperative or command to slave. It is a word that always indicates some kind of compulsory service.

Slaves were completely subject to the master.

Slaves continually subordinated their desires and needs to the desires of the master.

Slaves worked without the motivation of special compensation.

Slaves operated according to the master’s agenda and dream.

Slaves could only effective serve one master at a time.

Christ Himself came to serve not to serve. Paul encourages us to do the same.

Philip. 2:1-4 Romans 15:1-3

Be continually serving one another as a slave.

Will you use you newly granted freedom and power to serve the flesh and self or serve one another? Verse 14 explains why.

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU WILL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

This a future tense verb looking to the one who truly experiences divine transformation not human conformation. This regenerated person will truly (prophetic?) love their neighbor as themselves. This kind of love is the core of the transformed life. It is the foundation of God’s character. If we are sons of God… If we are being transformed to the nature of Christ… If we are partakers of the divine nature… Then we will love like God loves.

Since the law is an expression of God’s character… Since God is love… Then loving our neighbor as ourselves is a fulfillment of the Law. And who is our neighbor? According to Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan, anyone who God puts in our path with a need we are able to address. We are instructed by God to make ourselves available as slaves to one another. Concerned for the needs of other before us. Serve without expectation of special recognition or compensation. Serve without selfish motive but for the growth of others.

APPLICATION

I can’t help but stop here and contemplate the gravity of this instruction. My assumption is that we don’t go out and try to do this in order to be acceptable to God. If we do that, we have fallen into the same bondage that Paul was trying to warn against. I understand God to say that if we are by faith allowing Him to transform us into the image of Christ, then we will love like Christ loved. If we are soaring in the heavenlies rather than groveling in the dirt, serving one another will be a core value. Is it our core value or is being served our core value? Are we more concerned about how we feel, our fulfillment, our reputation, our comfort, our enhancement, our happiness, our healing, our success, our advancement, our emotional welfare, our place in the church than we are about the needs of those around us? If we cannot wholeheartedly declare, “YES!”, I would not suggest working harder but waiting more intently and crying out to God for His transforming power to love like Christ loved. Failure to love like Christ is a failure to employ the wings of love that come with salvation. We have failed to sow to the spirit and have returned to living on the ground with our wings folded. Sacrificial love characterizes the people who soar in the heavenlies. Voluntary slavery to the needs and development of others marks the saint living by faith.