“This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Today we begin Philippians, so invite your friends to read along with us through this series! In reading this letter from Paul to the church in Philippi, we will be challenged to assess our attitudes. Philippians is a book of the Bible I turn to when I need an attitude adjustment. Take time to open yourself to what God might speak to you through this series.
Even in these first two verses that may seem like a basic greeting, I am put straight to my knees. Paul introduces himself and his mentee, Timothy, as slaves of Christ Jesus. Slaves. That’s a complicated word for a lot of reasons. In this case, we are talking about voluntary slavery. We are imagining presenting ourselves to Jesus and offering ourselves to him fully. There is a transfer of ownership. Do I trust Jesus enough to embrace an identity of slavery to him?
We certainly don’t think of slavery as being set free. But think of it this way: if you are not a slave to Jesus then you are a slave to Satan. There are two kingdoms, and one of them is going to own you. When I just talked about a transfer of ownership, I thought about how I own myself and choose to surrender my life over the Jesus. Far from it! Satan wants us to think that we have a choice: me or Jesus. The option of Satan or Jesus is a whole lot more clear cut. When we present ourselves to Jesus and ask to become his slaves, we are asking him to take us from an evil master. When he does, he gives us grace and peace as Paul mentions. Jesus sets us free. I want to be so chained to freedom that I can’t escape it. Jesus is that good.