God doesn't want puppets but does he want slaves?

[TurtleHare]

You often hear Christians say that God doesn't want puppets, am I right on this, but no on really brings it up that God wants us to be his slave. Now is that because it is too offensive to talk about or is it because they can't defend how slavery was defined back then and well no one wants to talk about slavery these days as it's that taboo subject anyway but I wanna say to all you slaves out there be it known that God loves ya!

 

[psalms 91]

And we love Him and that is what it is all about. In Jesus day there were slaves and servitude and there was what was called a love slave where after their period of servitude they stayed as slaves because they were happy and were called love slaves

 

[Cassia]

Didn't they just get their ears pierced?

 

[Brighten04]

IMHO, Our Father does not want slaves. He wants obedient sons. Now being an obedient son may feel like slavery. But knowing that our Father knows what is best for us should cause us to be as obedient to His will as Lord Jesus was when He walked the Earth and say Not my will but thine be done.

 

[psalms 91]

Didn't they just get their ears pierced?

And stayed with them for life, not because they had to but because they wanted to. We all need to be love slaves to Christ. Not because we have to but because we want to. It is that close personal intimate relationship that God desires from each of us, He wants to communicate with us, He loves us, He wants us to grow close to Him

 

[Josiah]

People will CALL Him "Lord" but they don't mean it. Because that makes us His slaves. Yes, it is a willing and loving thing... but He is the Lord, we are the doulos.

 

[MoreCoffee]

God has children. not slaves nor puppets.

 

[Cassia]

Doulas still means male slave but Jesus tells His disciples to call Him friend, as one who is of the bridegroom and not the friendthereof who would call Him doulos imo. But that would be a technecality until it was brought to bear on a difference between the bride and the newman

 

[user1234]

In some ways we're all that ... Sons, brothers, friends, servants, slaves, saints, prophets, priests and kings and on and on and so forth, right? But I still just feel like a sinner.
Saved by grace, yes, but still just a sinner in need of God's grace, mercy, forgiveness and love every day.

 

[Lamb]

The bible uses language that applied historically to the people when it was written. We DO see that we are slaves but also sons. We see that we are adopted. We see that we are His Church. We are His sheep. There are so many ways for God to just let us know this...we're His And we're loved.

Speaking of His love, recently I went on a small, forgotten Christian forum and found that trolls said bad things in the chatbox. I typed out some things about God loving us over and over until their chats disappeared. I felt it was my duty

 

[Brighten04]

In some ways we're all that ... Sons, brothers, friends, servants, slaves, saints, prophets, priests and kings and on and on and so forth, right? But I still just feel like a sinner.
Saved by grace, yes, but still just a sinner in need of God's grace, mercy, forgiveness and love every day.

You feel that way because you have not forgiven yourself of your sin. That is sometimes hard to do, especially when the enemy pushes guilt on you. But the word of God says you are forgiven. It says if you confess your sin, He is faithful to forgive you of your sin and faithful also to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. The enemy wants you to feel worthless , but Lord Jesus thinks you are so valuable that you are to die for. How can you think less of yourself than God thinks of you? As far as the East is from the West has He placed your sin. He is your Heavenly Father. He loves you.

 

[Brighten04]

The bible uses language that applied historically to the people when it was written. We DO see that we are slaves but also sons. We see that we are adopted. We see that we are His Church. We are His sheep. There are so many ways for God to just let us know this...we're His And we're loved.

Speaking of His love, recently I went on a small, forgotten Christian forum and found that trolls said bad things in the chatbox. I typed out some things about God loving us over and over until their chats disappeared. I felt it was my duty

You stepped up into that forum shining the light of love and the enemy had to flee! HA! Praise God sis. Yes that was your duty! LOL!:rotfl:

 

[user1234]

You stepped up into that forum shining the light of love and the enemy had to flee! HA! Praise God sis. Yes that was your duty! LOL!:rotfl:

Yes, Lämm did good, but can we expect any less? She makes it great to be here, knowing she's running the show so well while taking that kind of stand for Jesus.

You feel that way because you have not forgiven yourself of your sin. That is sometimes hard to do, especially when the enemy pushes guilt on you. But the word of God says you are forgiven. It says if you confess your sin, He is faithful to forgive you of your sin and faithful also to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. The enemy wants you to feel worthless , but Lord Jesus thinks you are so valuable that you are to die for. How can you think less of yourself than God thinks of you? As far as the East is from the West has He placed your sin. He is your Heavenly Father. He loves you.

Yes you know, I know that, ... I know it's true, and I'm often saying that to others, ... even to some folks who continually doubt my sincerity, and even accuse me ... (Of what, I'm not sure, what would be my motivation to tell someone Jesus loves you and paid for your sins, except the love of God and His truth, however feebly I may grasp or try to share it?) It sure would be easier to just withdraw any hand of friendship and say 'you know what...' to the persons.....

But as for myself, though, I really don't hear what you said it very often at all, not in a personal sense, really, and I do struggle with applying to myself those truths ..... Plus, I know (not fully, but enough) of my own depravity, (like Paul said, wretched man that I am), and the struggles I have, even as a christian, that it's just hard to think of myself in any other way ... It's hard to accept a gift I know I don't deserve, but I know I don't stand on my own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ, ..... still, it's nice to hear that reminder and encouragement of reassurance, so thank you. Very much.

 

[Brighten04]

Yes it is good to be reminded. Just this morning I reminded a young lady of who she was and whose she was. She had done something really detrimental to herself and landed in jail. How does a person get two D.U.I.'s in one night? Anyway reminding her that God loves her and wants the best for her gave her some encouragement. Sometimes we forget about how much He loves us.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Paul refers to himself as "the slave [or servant] of Christ" many times in his letters yet his reference to himself and others as "servant of God" (or of the gospel etcetera) in no way abrogates his status as a son of God created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing good works. The idea of slavery to God is also presented as an alternative to slavery to sin and unrighteousness. Being servants of God and not of the flesh is one more way that the idea of service and slavery is presented. Yet these things speak more of what the faithful do in this world than of their status in relationship with Christ and God. The faithful are the children of God as the holy scriptures say but the children are no different from slaves while they are children with this one exception the children inherit and are always in the house while slaves are not inheritors and do not always remain. Consider the language applied to Moses and the faithful by Paul when he writes

Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also 'was faithful in all God's house.' Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honour than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the boldness that belong to hope.
Heb 3:1-6​

 

[Cassia]

Yes it is good to be reminded. Just this morning I reminded a young lady of who she was and whose she was. She had done something really detrimental to herself and landed in jail. How does a person get two D.U.I.'s in one night? Anyway reminding her that God loves her and wants the best for her gave her some encouragement. Sometimes we forget about how much He loves us.

You are a blessing Brighten :hug:s Your posts are a delight!

 

[user1234]

You are a blessing Brighten :hug:s Your posts are a delight!

 

[atpollard]

Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

What is the above passage teaching about being a Christian? It must be important for you to make its font size 4 and bold and italics yet you offer no explanation for why you think it relevant to this thread.

 

[atpollard]

I like bold italics for scripture.
Size 4 is because my iPad makes all the fonts on this site so small that I need to squint to read them.

The actual verse was posted because everyone kept making references to it (like don't they wear an ear ring, or they chose to be a slave) but nobody ever bothered to quote the actual verse in the bible that talks about it. I really don't understand how anyone can have post after post in topic after topic in a section called Christian Theology (theoretically, the study of the Christian God) and not a bible verse to be found in any of the conversations.

I offered a verse without commentary to balance all of the commentary without verses.