Romans 1:1 (NKJV)

“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ…”

My primary identity is not as a child of God or a minister of the gospel or a professional, or male or female, or by any nationality or educational pedigree. My first and truest identity is that I am a bondservant of Jesus Christ. While this title may not sound nice, yet in the truest of sense, it is the most honorable and most noble of descriptions. After introducing his name, Paul immediately introduced his primary identity in life; a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

People would prefer to be called, “children of God”, and indeed we are His children, but remember that a child has the freedom to decide if he wants to obey his parents or not. A child can decide to become a prodigal and change his name. A child can choose a path contrary to his father’s wishes. All these can happen with children, but never with a bondservant. A bondservant is bound as a lifetime servant to his Lord and Master. NLT translates bondservant as “slave.” Again, while this terminology may seem derogatory, Paul, understanding whom Christ was to Him, “made himself a slave” of Jesus as a voluntary response to His awesomeness and blessedness. The real question therefore is whether it is possible to be a “child of God” and a “slave of God” at the same time?” And the answer is an emphatic, YES.

“Lord Jesus, my greatest honor is to be Your bondservant. You have called me Your child, but in addition to that, I willingly submit myself to You as Your slave. I thank You for redeeming me and I, without restraint or compulsion, respond in total submission to Your Lordship. Amen.”