Press Release — Christians. Children of God. Citizens of heaven. Lights to the world. The Bible uses a host of words to describe followers of Jesus, but the word – the metaphor – used to describe believers more often than any other is also one that has been virtually obscured in the English New Testament translations—slave.
In his new book, Slave: The Hidden Word That Reveals the Riches of Your Salvation (Thomas Nelson, January 2011, ISBN: 978-1-6025-5408-5), best-selling author and pastor John MacArthur asserts that the word “slave” has been covered up by Bible translators in favor of the softer term, “servant.” He shows how this mistranslation has contributed to much of the confusion in evangelical teaching and practice.
Although the word “slave” (doulos in Greek) appears 124 times in the original text, it is correctly translated only once in the King James Version. But why have modern English translations consistently mistranslated a word that carries so much importance? MacArthur explains in Slave that stigmas attached to slavery in western society play a part, as well as cultural and historic influences.
“Whatever the rationale behind the change, something significant is lost in translation when doulos is rendered ‘servant’ rather than ‘slave’,” says MacArthur. “The gospel is not simply an invitation to become Christ’s friend or associate; it is a mandate to become His slave. True Christianity is not about adding Jesus to my life. Instead, it is about devoting myself completely to Him—submitting wholly to His will and seeking to please Him above all else. It demands dying to self and following the Master, no matter the cost. In other words, to be a Christian is to be Christ’s slave.”
As shocking as it is profound, God’s Word teaches that true freedom can only be found in slavery to Christ. MacArthur encourages readers not to view the biblical meaning of “slave” in negative terms. Slavery to Christ not only means freedom from sin, guilt, and condemnation, it also means freedom to obey, freedom to please God, and freedom to live unbounded for a Master who loved us and gave Himself to redeem us.
Purchase the book by clicking here
