Slaves of Christ
A First-Century Understanding for Twenty-First-Century Christians
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
No one in the first century could imagine a world without slavery. Yet it was merely part of an entire social system of obligation in which no one was entirely free. Responsibility was built into their world, whether service to, or benefit from, those above them. These relationships defined them. Modern Christians have lost the sense of responsibility and obedience that is part of a relationship with Jesus. Their obsession with freedom and independence threatens their relationship with Jesus. They see slavery as the opposite of freedom, but the early Christians saw slavery to Jesus as the only real freedom. When Paul said Christians are slaves of Christ, he said it with joy. Moderns, who take that phrase as a metaphor for commitment, miss the point. It is a definition. It is a relationship that defines a person. As Luther said, a Christian is someone who has been "purchased" with the blood of Christ, "that I may be his own, live under him . . . and serve him." When modern Christians recover the meaning of "slave of Christ," they too can say it with joy.
Endorsements (2)
“Servants aren’t slaves. We all know this. But we may not know that Christians are called not to be God’s servants, but his slaves. In our contemporary world, this is an unsettling, even shocking idea. So, with steady patience, Pastor Gadeken confronts this hard truth and invites his reader to discover with him the rich freedom of living as the slave of Christ. This is a truth the church needs to hear and heed.”
“Don’t be fooled by Robert Gadeken’s easy, accessible style. Herein is a profound call to rethink Christian identity starting not from ‘who am I?’ but ‘who do I serve?’ Reaching back into the first-century context, Gadeken challenges us to consider, without flinching, what it would mean today if we embraced the reality of being slaves of Christ. This book is worth the time, both in the reading and the inevitable contemplation.”
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