"a slave of God" (NET)

Bondservant (1401) (doulos) (Click for more detailed notes on doulos)   The first four verses of this letter in the form of a greeting, are actually one long "truth packed" sentence. In the ancient world the sender "signed the letter" at the beginning not at the end as is the modern custom.

Wayne Barber says he wishes we still did like in Paul's day. Then Wayne says he could quickly determine whether he was going to spend much time reading the letter depending on his estimation of the sender. Paul is a sender that clearly deserves our attention. Saul was his Jewish surname and Paul (meaning "little") his Roman surname. In Acts Saul is the only name used until Acts 13, at which time "the Holy Spirit said "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." (Acts 13:2)  He undoubtedly used the name Roman (more "gentile") Paul because of his call to go to the Gentiles and because it (Paul = "little") expressed his attitude about who he was as a recipient of God’s grace (cf 1Cor 9:22, 1Cor 15:10; 1Ti1:12-17).

"Bondservant" (doulos) is the most abject servile term in the Greek to describe a slave who completely surrenders himself to the will and authority of another. Paul is saying that he has sold himself into slavery to His God and now his will was "swallowed up" in the will of his Master. Here the "Master" is "God" but in all the other uses he refers to himself as a bondservant of "Christ" (Ro 1:1, Gal 1:10, Php 1:1, click here for an interesting study of the 24 uses of "bondservant(s)" in the NT). He was bound to God and to Christ Jesus in bands so strong that only death could break them. Before salvation, Paul’s will was swallowed up in the will of Satan (Torrey's Topic "Spiritual Bondage") but in the death of his old man and his identification with Christ (Ro 6:3), the bondage to Satan was broken. As Paul explained in (Ro 6:22) believers have "been freed from sin and enslaved to God" and are no longer their own for they “have been bought with a price” (1Co 6:20), having being “redeemed not with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1Pe 1:18, 19). And because we no longer belong to ourselves, we “should no longer live for [ourselves], but for Him Who died and rose again on [our] behalf” (2 Co 5:15). He could have boasted of his unique calling as apostle to the Gentiles, who was granted full privilege and authority alongside the Twelve. He could have boasted of being “caught up to the third heaven… into Paradise” (2Co 12:2, 4), of his gift of miracles, and of being chosen as the human author of a great part of the Scriptures of the new covenant. He chose, rather, to identify himself foremost as a bond-servant of God. (Click note on doulos in 2Pet 1:1)

Donald Grey Barnhouse has this interesting note on "bondservant" paraphrasing truths found in the Old Testament:

"The early men of Israel had in their economic system set forth in the laws of Moses, regulations governing the man who got into debt. He became the property of his creditor, in very fact, his slave. But the slavery had a termination. When the 7th year rolled around, all of these slaves were liberated and could go forth once more as their own masters. Some of them, however, realized certain things about their own lack of ability to maintain themselves in the rugged economy of a cruel world. They remembered that when they had been their own freemen they had not eaten well, but that now, under kind masters, they were well-housed and well-fed. They looked toward their future freedom with some trepidation as they realized that they might soon be, once more, in a life of hunger and cold. No doubt there were some who sought to escape the bondage of hard taskmasters, but there were others who knew the kindness and love of their master’s heart. The Law provided a way for them to remain as slaves to their kind masters. Such a one could go to his owner and tell him that he desired to remain a slave. He would then be taken to the tabernacle where the priest would lead him to the doorpost and bored a hole in the lobe of his ear with an awl. From that time on he was the slave of his master. Wherever he walked, his ear proclaimed the character of his master." (cf, ""But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently,' Ex 21:1-6, see similar teaching in Dt 15:12-18) (from Man’s Ruin, Romans 1:1-32, God’s Wrath,  Eerdmans Publishing Company 1952)

Hampton Keathley adds this practical note regarding "bondservant":

"This is a clear illustration that the issue of our ability to be and do what God has called us to by way of our gifts, abilities, and opportunities is related to voluntarily living as bondslaves of God. Our problem is we too often want to call the shots; we want God to approve our choices. Let it be said that true freedom is not the ability to do as we please, but the ability to do as we ought by the grace and enablement of God. “No one ever becomes a successful servant of God until he chooses to make God’s will his own will. Paul’s will was not crushed but he imbibed the will of his Master as his own. Do we profess to be servants of God yet continue to insist on carrying out our own will for our lives?” Do we present our list to God for what we would like to do for life and ministry or for what we think is best for us and then ask Him to seal that with His approval? Living and serving as slaves of God naturally applies to every possible area of life—personal life, family, church, vocation, recreation, leisure, civic responsibilities, ministry, etc. As bondslaves who have been bought by the redemptive work of Christ, we belong to God (1Co 6:20; see note 1 Peter 1:18; 1:19). This means we are to be totally dependent on the Lord Jesus for both His supply and our calling and responsibilities in the world. This naturally leads to Paul’s next statement." (bolding added) (Reference)

AND AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST: apostolos de Iesou Christou:

"the envoy of Jesus Christ" (Barclay) 

Apostle  (652) (apostolos from apo = from + stello = send forth) refers to one sent forth by another. In secular Greek it was used of an admiral of a fleet sent out by the king on special assignment. At times in the NT apostle carried the broad meaning of one who sent as a messenger or delegate with instructions from a group or an individual (cf 2Cor 8:23, see note Philippians 2:25). In the present context Paul uses apostle in its more common specialized or restricted meaning to denote one whom Jesus chose, trained, and commissioned to be His representative. In Acts 1:21-22 the Apostle Peter delineates the necessary qualifications of this latter group: "Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."

Click here or here for more detailed discussion on apostle. (See Torrey's Topic "Apostle". Easton's Bible Dictionary summary of "Apostle"; ISBE discussion)

Thus an apostle was an ambassador  representing Jesus and possessing the authority and power of His Lord. Apostolos was a technical word in secular Greek used of one sent from someone else with credentials on a mission. Just after Paul's conversion, Ananias was fearful of Paul but Jesus informed him that Paul was "a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel" (Acts 9:15) From that day forward Paul was a man with a mission having been commissioned by Christ Himself, Whose will was made known in (Acts 9:15 22:14, 15, 21 26:16, 17,18). Paul further explained that he was "an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead" (Gal 1:1) . Paul was commissioned as Christ's "chosen instrument" (Acts 9:15) and ambassador to the Gentiles with a message of reconciliation (see note Romans 5:11, 2Co 5:18,19), a message that he "neither received...from man, nor was... taught, but ... through a revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal 1:12). In (see note Romans 1:5) Paul added that "through (Jesus Christ our Lord) we have received grace & apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake". 

Paul's obedience to his apostleship was a natural overflow of his submission as a bondservant to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In (Acts 22:10) we are told that the first words out of his mouth were, “'What shall I do, Lord?" Then, in recounting the events of his conversion and commission by the Lord Jesus to King Agrippa, Paul said,

"Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance." (Acts 26:19-20)

 Barnhouse adds that

"The secret of Paul’s greatness is indicated in the order of these two words. He was first a bondslave, utterly surrendered to the Lord, and then he was a sent one…thus he was willing to follow the Word of God and be not only the bondslave of Jesus Christ but the apostle to the Gentiles."

It is of note that Paul refers to himself as an "apostle" in all the so-called pastoral epistles, most likely because he is claiming authority to give instructions to facilitate the healthy functioning of the church. The authority of Paul's message did not derive from the messenger but from the Sender.

Hampton Keathley has an interesting thought on this passage writing that

"As believers in Christ, God has “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (see note Colossians 1:13; 1:14). We are not, therefore, of this world, but we have been left in this world as ambassadors and representatives of the Lord Jesus (Jn 17:15-19 2Cor 5:20). For this the Lord Jesus has gifted each of us (see note 1 Peter 4:10) and as He has gifted us, so He has called. What He has gifted us to do He has called us to do and vice versa. (Ed note: Click for chart on Spiritual Gifts) Thus, the apostle immediately identified his calling and the primary place where he was to exercise his service as a bondslave. He is “an apostle of Jesus Christ.” By the designation, “a slave of God,” he pointed to his personal relationship to God, but here he pointed to his official responsibility within the body of Christ according to the will of God (see note Romans 1:1; 1Cor 1:1 and 12:4-5)...While we do not all have the same gifts (1Co 12:29), in placing every believer into the body of Christ, God has gifted each one with different gifts for the mutual edification of the body of Christ and for the glory of God (1Cor 12:4-5). Building on the truth that we are to live as voluntary slaves of God, our need is to discern the gifts and the place of ministry to which the Master has called us and to use our gifts accordingly (see note Romans 12:3ff; see note 1 Peter 4:10)." (Reference)

Jesus (2424) (Iesous) is from the Hebrew Yeshu'a which means Yahweh is salvation. Jesus officially appointed Paul Luke recording the official announcement by our Lord Who declared

"He is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles kings the sons of Israel (Acts 9:15) "

Christ (5547) (Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint, consecrate to an office) refers to the Anointed One and thus is a title of the Messiah, the divine One (fully God) the Jews were looking for and of Whom the OT bore prophetic witness. Paul is clearly declaring that he did not teach and write by his own authority but by the dual yet totally unified authority of the Son, Christ Jesus, and God the Father ('by the will of God"). Thus whatever follows in this letter deserves to be heard and heeded.

Using this combined title, Jesus Christ, Paul affirms his full conviction that the human Jesus was also the Christ, the One about Whom the Scriptures foretold, the anointed Messiah, the Bringer of messianic redemption (cf Acts 3:20)

Note also that both Iesous and Christos are masculine singular genitive, the genitive case signifying possession, the point being that Paul regarded himself as the property of his Lord! Believers of every age should do no less, for as Paul explains...

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1Cor 6:19-20)

(Jesus) gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (see note Titus 2:14)

FOR THE FAITH OF THOSE CHOSEN OF GOD AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH: kata pistin eklekton theou kai epignosin aletheias: (Jn 10:26,27; Acts 13:48; Eph 2:8; 2Th 2:13,14; 1 Ti 1:5) 

"For" is the preposition "kata" which can mean according to but can also be used to express the goal or purpose (“for the purpose of", "to further") and finally can be translated in the sense of “with reference to, with respect to.” Scholars differ on their interpretation of Paul's intended meaning but most favor the idea that Paul's apostolic mission was for the purpose of or the furtherance of Christian faith and knowledge. For example, the following translations favor the idea of "for the purpose of" translating this as: "for the faith" (NIV), "for the sake of the faith" (NRSV ), "for building up the faith" (Weymouth) "to further the faith" (NET ), and finally "for the faith" (NASB).  Several things suggest that kata is best understood here in the sense of purpose for it is keeping with the overall ministry and mission of Paul's apostleship and the preaching of gospel, as well as his call to build up the body of Christ, and establish churches sound in the faith. As an apostle, Paul’s mission was to promote the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth.

The faith (4102) (pistis) (see study of this phrase "the faith) can be interpreted as reference to the faith necessary for salvation, as used by Paul this way in Romans where he teaches that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (see note Romans 10:17).

Others favor "the faith"  in this verse refers to the general body of Christian doctrine, as exemplified by Jude's call to the "called, beloved...and kept" (Jude 1:1) to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints " (Jude 1:3, similar meaning in Acts 6:7, Gal 1:23, 1Ti 4:1), the latter example clearly not referring to an act of faith or believing exerted by the saints, but the to the Christian faith or that body of truth which we call the doctrines of Christianity and which are contained in the Word of God, and which in many contextual uses is synonymous essentially with the gospel. Generally when the latter meaning is in view faith is preceded by the definite article in the Greek which is not present in this case even though the English translation is "the faith". You will have to decide for yourself from the context which interpretation you favor. (Click for explanation of the phrase "the faith (pistis)" as it refers to the body of Christian doctrine)

Chosen (1588) (eklektos from eklegomai = to choose, select or pick out for one's self ) (Click here for more on eklektos) meant those who were selected out of a number, BUT it does not imply the rejection of those not chosen (cf the other similar uses of eklektos in note Romans 8:33, see note Colossians 3:12, see note 2 Timothy 2:10).

Although any illustration of this precious divine truth will fall short picture the process of separation that is utilized in retrieving scrap metal. Salvage yards use giant electromagnets to lift and sort scrap metal. When the magnet is turned on, the magnetic force draws all the metal containing iron, but has no effect on other metals like aluminum, brass, copper, etc. In a similar way, picture God’s elective will irresistibly drawing to Himself those whom He has predetermined to love and forgive, while having no effect on those whom He has not. The word chosen or election in every secular use express the idea that a part has been claimed from a greater quantity, by an independent act of decision for a particular purpose, that the remainder has been passed over, but not that the remainder has been actively rejected. For more discussion on this "touchy" topic see notes in this site on Romans 9-11. The term chosen (or "elect") is virtually always used by Paul believers, of those who have accepted the gospel message and which emphasizes their security before God.

Expositor's adds

"God's elect" are those who have responded to God's call through the gospel. The expression embodies a true balance between the divine initiative and the human response. Although surrounded with mystery, the biblical teaching on election is for believers and is intended as a practical truth. It assures faithful, struggling believers that their salvation is all of God from beginning to end." (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing)

See Sermon on Election by C H Spurgeon

Griffin comments that

The doctrine of divine election firmly establishes the believer’s eternal security. God has not left the believer’s assurance of salvation captive to changing feelings or faltering faith. Rather, the faithfulness of God demonstrated in His divine election secures the believer’s salvation in the will and purposes of God Himself. (T. D. Lea and H. P. Griffin, Jr. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, page 265)

Hiebert adds that

although surrounded with mystery, the biblical teaching on election is for believers and is intended as a practical truth. It assures faithful, struggling believers that their salvation is all of God from beginning to end. (Titus and Philemon. Moody. 1957)

Knowledge (1922) (epignosis from gnosis = knowledge gained by experience + epi = here used to  intensify the meaning) (Click word study on epignosis) refers to a full, precise knowledge thus signifying a more complete, more thorough, larger knowledge than that found in gnosis.

Epignosis also implies not just "knowing" the truth but implies a more intimate and personal relationship the truth.  Epignosis is thus a knowledge laying claim to personal involvement in the truth.

Of the truth (225