Living Unto Christ 

By Arthur J Licursi

Exodus 21:5-6 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: ⁶Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

1 Cor. 7:20-24 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. ²¹Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. ²²For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. ²³Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. ²⁴Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

2 Cor. 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us…15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

 

Consider the example and illustration we have before us in Exodus 21:2-6 above. No doubt this is that to which Paul refers when he writes 1Cor 7:20-24 and 2Cor 5:14-15. A Hebrew man in the Old Testament may have bought and kept a servant (slave) to serve him. A bought slave had to serve the master for six years. In the seventh year, the slave could go free. However, if the slave said he loved his master and preferred to not go out free, the master would bring him to the judges and to the doorpost, where they would bore his ear through with an awl (a piercing tool). Then the slave would serve his master forever.
 
God has saved us and bought us with the blood – such that our life is no longer our own to do with as we please – that is our living should not be unto our self but unto the Lord. He did not purchase us with anything corruptible, but with the precious blood of His Son.

 

Many Christians feel that they have to serve God for their conscience' sake, out of debt – this may be somewhat true, but this is not our motive in walking with the Lord. When we see the Lord's preciousness, we will voluntarily and willingly consecrate ourselves to Him, just as the slave accepted the piercing of his ear with his master’s awl. When we tell the Lord that we are willing to be His slave, He will take us to the door and the doorpost, and He will bore our ear through with an awl.

 

You may recall that the “doorpost” is the place where the blood of the Passover lamb was applied (Exodus 12:7). Having seen the demonstration of God’s love by the offering of the blood and life of His dear Son Jesus, as the lamb, who died and shed His blood for us, we grow in love for Him. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. We have no love apart from His love first deposited into us. Thus we first must receive His love, in receiving the person of His Son. It is only then that we may truly love the Lord and choose to be His slave forever. Because we now know that He loves us so much, we are willing also to serve Him forever. In seeing this, we then are constrained by the bands of love, we have no choice but to declare our love for the Lord, who has loved us, saved us and freed us!

 

It is after we recognize the love and care of the Master that we willingly receive Him as Lord of our life. The mark of our willing servant-hood is not a physical pierced ear, but that we are bound to abide in union with Him. In order to enjoy the fruit of our union with Him we must have ears to hear Him, thereby we are led by His voice. Today the Lord is so close at hand – He, as the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2a), indwells every believer’s spirit, but only some will permit themselves to be led by Him. Those who are led by Him, Paul tells us, are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Otherwise, we remain children of the lord. Jesus said all who are of the Lord do hear Him. John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. This hearing and willing acceptance of His leading, is the mark of the willing servant of the Lord; they have been made willing and bound to the Lord as result of receiving the life and work of the Lord, not of their own doing.

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