The Exalted State of Servanthood
- Ronald J. Chewning
- Sep 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 2
Martin Luther, the author of the Reformation which we celebrate the end of October, wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” Perhaps those two sentences appear at first to be contradictory. What Luther was trying to help us understand is that we, as Christians, are called to freedom from an obligation to serve, but that we are called to the freedom to serve joyfully.
This call to joyful servanthood is understood and often scoffed at, simply because we have confused servanthood with servitude. Servitude conveys the idea of bondage and even slavery. Servanthood, on the other hand, connotes voluntary service, joyful giving of ourselves, a willing choice to help others, and selfless commitment.
One who is involved in servitude serves unwillingly out of a sense of fear and has no hope of entering into a different state, while one involved in servanthood lives in an exalted state, a healthy and uplifting climate of helping others. Even though challenges must be overcome and problems may abound, the joy of servanthood is the overriding experience.
How do we get from a state of servitude to a state of servanthood? This transition is made when we properly understand the Word of God which clearly defines servanthood by explaining Christ’s purpose in coming to Earth: “ . . . the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus has lived the perfect life of the servant in our places, so we no longer are constrained to try to “measure up” to what God expects. The Law never saves, never enables us, only shows us our shortcomings.
When we look at Christ, though, and how He lived His earthly life and what He has done for us, we are freed to respond with heartfelt, sincere, loving service to those He has placed around us. The acts of service we render are the same; the motivation and attitude are what make the difference. Through Christ, we are elevated to the exalted state of servanthood.
Ronald J. Chewning
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