Servants of God - what does this mean in Orthodoxy? To know this is the duty of every person who lives with unshakable faith in his heart. The question of what a servant of God means in Orthodoxy, we will try to reveal in as much detail as possible within the framework of this article. The topic is difficult from a religious point of view. But it is very important for understanding Christian dogma and human experience. So let's get started.
Son of man
The figure of Jesus Christ is fundamental not only for Christianity, but for all mankind as a whole. The letter to the Corinthians says that he became poor for us. In the epistle to the Philistines we can read that Christ destroyed, having devastated himself, took the form of a slave, humbled himself. Son of man, Lord, Lamb of God, Eternal Word, Alpha and Omega, Retributor, Lord of the Sabbath, Savior of the world - these are the epithets and many others that are applied to Jesus. Christ himself calls himself the way, the truth, and the life, and despite such majestic names, he took on the form of a servant, being the son of God. Jesus is the servant of God, Christ is the son of God.
Christians are servants of God
What does a servant of God mean? At the mention of the word"slave" there are associations with inequality, cruelty, lack of freedom, poverty, injustice. But this refers to the social slavery that society has created and fought against for many centuries. The victory over slavery in the social sense does not guarantee spiritual freedom. Throughout the history of the church, Christians have called themselves the servants of God. One of the definitions of the word "slave" means a person completely surrendered to something. Therefore, a servant of God means a Christian who strives to surrender himself entirely to the will of God. And also the observance of his commandments, the struggle with their own passions.
Does every Christian deserve to be called a servant of God? Referring to the definition above, of course not. All people are sinners, and only a few manage to devote themselves entirely to Christ. Therefore, every believer in the Almighty is obliged with reverence, humility and great joy to call himself a servant of God. But human pride and ignorance often take over. The spoken word "slave" and all the associations associated with it sometimes overshadow the end of the epithet we are considering. In our understanding, the exploitative and arrogant attitude of the master towards his servant is natural. But Christ breaks this pattern by saying that we are his friends if we do what he commanded us.
“I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I called you friends,” he says in the Gospel of John. When reading the Gospel of Matthew or during a service in an Orthodox church while singing the third antiphon, we learnfrom the words of Christ that the peacemakers will be blessed - they will be called the sons of God. But here we are talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, any Christian is obliged to honor only Jesus Christ as the son of God. That is why a servant of God and not a son of God.
Slavery social and spiritual
Any slavery means a restriction of freedom in a person, in his entire being. The concepts of social and spiritual slavery differ as much as they are connected. These concepts are easy enough to consider through the prism of earthly we alth or financial well-being, in modern terms.
Slavery to earthly riches is heavier than any suffering. This is well known to those who have been honored to be freed from it. But in order for us to know true freedom, it is necessary to break the bonds. It is not gold that should be kept in our house, but that which is more valuable than all worldly goods - philanthropy and almsgiving. This will give us hope for salvation, liberation, and gold will cover us with shame before God and in many ways will contribute to the influence of the devil on us.
Slavery and freedom
The most precious gift of God to man, the gift of love is freedom. Of course, the religious experience of freedom is so unknown to people, so difficult is the experience of the law. Modern humanity without Christ still lives like the ancient Jews under the yoke of the law. All modern state laws are a reflection of the natural. The most irresistible slavery, the strongest shackles, is death.
All human liberators, rebels, ardent rebels remain only slaves in the hands of death. It is not given to understand all imaginary liberators that without the liberation of a person from death, everything else is nothing. The only person among mankind rises to death - Jesus. As for each of us, it is natural, normal to "die", for him - "I will rise again". He was the only one who felt the strength in himself, necessary to conquer death by death both in himself and in all of humanity. And people believed it. And, though not many, will believe until the end of time.
Liberator
The truth will set us free. This is what the Evangelist John tells us. Illusory freedom is a slave rebellion, a bridge organized by the devil from social insignificant slavery, which we call revolution, to the future totalitarian slavery of the Antichrist. The devil no longer hides this face in the historical period that we call modernity. Therefore, right now, to perish or be saved by the world means to reject or accept the word of the liberator before the oppressor: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be truly free” (Jo. 8, 36). Slavery to the Antichrist, freedom in Christ - this is the future choice of humanity.
What the Bible says
So is a person a servant of God or a son of God? The concept of "slave", which came to us from the Old Testament, is very different from the modern understanding of this term. In ancient Israel, kings and prophets called themselves servants of God, thereby emphasizing their special purpose on earth, and also expressing the impossibility of serving anyone but the Lord God.
The servant of God in ancient Israel isa title that could only be awarded to kings and prophets, through whom the Lord himself communicated with the people. Considering slavery as a social component, it should be noted that in ancient Israel, slaves were almost full members of the family of their master. It is noteworthy that before the birth of a son to Abraham, his slave Eleazar was his main heir. After the birth of Isaac, Abraham sends his servant Eleazar with many gifts and an assignment to find a bride for his son.
These examples clearly show the difference between slavery in ancient Israel and slavery in ancient Rome, with which the concept of this term is usually associated with our contemporaries.
In the Gospel, Christ tells the parable of the vineyard. The master created a vineyard, hired workers to work on it. Every year he sent his slaves to check the work done. It is noteworthy that hired workers work in the vineyard, and the slaves are the attorneys of their master.
The concept of a servant of God in Christianity. Women of the Old Testament
The concept of "servant of God" appears in the Old Testament history. As we discussed above, it meant the title of kings and prophets. Women, like most men, did not have the right to call themselves such an epithet. However, this does not beg for the female personality.
Women, like men, could participate in religious Jewish holidays, make sacrifices to God. This indicates that they were personally accountable to the Lord. It is important that a woman could directly address in her prayer toGod. This is confirmed by the following historical examples. Thus, the prophet Samuel was born through the prayer of the childless Anna. God entered into communion with Eve after the fall. The Almighty communicates directly with Samson's mother. The importance of women in the history of the Old Testament cannot be overestimated. The actions and decisions of Rebekah, Sarah, Rachel are of great importance for the Jewish people.
The role of women in the New Testament
“Behold, the servant of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:28-38). With these words, the Virgin Mary humbly answers the angel who brought her the news of the future birth of the son of God. And so, for the first time in the history of mankind, the concept of "servant of God" appears. Who, if not the Virgin Mary, blessed among women, is destined to be the first to assume this great spiritual title? The Mother of God is glorified throughout the Christian world. The Mother of God is followed by the servant of God Elizabeth, who immaculately conceived John the Baptist.
A striking example of this title are those who came on the day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Sepulcher of the Lord with incense, aromas for ritual anointing of the body. Historical examples confirming the humility and faith of truly Christian women are also found in modern history. Wife of Nicholas II Alexandra Feodorovna and his daughters canonized as saints.
Slave in prayer
Opening the prayer book and reading the prayers, we cannot help but notice that all of them are written from a male perspective. Often, women have a question about whether it is worth using feminine words written from a male person. Mostsurely no one could answer this question like the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church. Ambrose of Optina argued that one should not worry about the petty accuracy of the rule (prayer), one should care more about the quality of prayer and peace of mind. Ignaty Brianchaninov said that the rule (prayer) exists for the person, and not the person for the rule.
Use of the term in worldly life
Despite the fact that every Christian considers himself a servant of God, it is undesirable to call yourself that in everyday life on the advice of Orthodox priests. Not that this is blasphemy, but, as we have already discussed above, every Christian should treat this epithet with reverent reverence and joy. This must live in the heart of the believer. And if this is true, then no one will prove anything to anyone and declare it to the whole world.
Appeals "comrade" in the days of Soviet power or "gentlemen" in the period of Tsarist Russia are clear and logical. The conversion and pronunciation of the words "servant of God" should take place in a proper place for this, whether it be an Orthodox church, a monastery cell, a cemetery, or just a secluded room in an ordinary apartment.
The third commandment is strictly forbidden to take the name of the Lord in vain. Therefore, the pronunciation of this epithet is unacceptable in a comic form or as a greeting and in similar cases. In prayers for he alth, repose, and others, the words "servant of God" are followed by the spelling or pronunciation of the name of the person praying or the one who is asked for in prayer. The combination of these wordsusually either heard from the lips of a priest, or spoken or mentally read in prayers. After the epithet "God's servant", it is desirable to pronounce the name in accordance with the church spelling. For example, not Yuri, but George.
Testimonies of God's servants
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). Today, many people in the church are trying to determine by the signs how close the second coming of Christ is. Such a sign, for example, can be observed in the return of the Jews to Israel. But the Lord, by the above words, makes it clear that the most striking sign of his second coming is that the gospel will be preached to all nations as a testimony. In other words, the testimonies of God's servants (their life proofs) prove the reality of the gospel.
Slaves in the Kingdom of Heaven
Despite human sinfulness and the desire to take a dominant place in the universe, Christ once again shows his mercy and philanthropy, taking the form of a slave, being at the same time the Son of the Lord God. It destroys our entrenched erroneous stereotypes about greatness and power. Christ tells his disciples that the one who wants to be great will become a servant, and the one who wants to be first will be a slave. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
