How should one serve Christ? What does such a service look like? Paul’s discourse upon this subject may surprise some for although Paul speaks in very practical terms; he does not layout a framework by which service is to be conducted. Rather Paul couches the doctrine of service in terms of service to the Lord Christ displayed in primarily three areas; service to the kingdom of God, service to the world at large and service to the body of Christ. For Paul it seems, true Christian service is manifest in one of these three areas and it is always carried out with the honor of Christ at the center. One other preparatory note must be offered before engaging in this brief exposition of the final five chapters of the book of Romans. Paul seems to return to a grammatical construct employed in the first section of his letter dealing with the depravity of mankind. In particular, Paul makes heavy use of the Greek participle in this final section to indicate that the services provided are not mechanical or inorganic. Rather, Paul’s exhortations to serve stem from the gratefulness and humility brought about by the changed nature during the regeneration and sanctification process. Although Paul certainly would affirm that God has every right to command His citizens in what they will and will not do, it seems to be of far greater value both in teaching and self examination to highlight the volitional operation of one’s loving and charitable spirit. This is by the way, the results of the indwelling Holy Spirit and to demonstrate this type of mindset is to exhibit the Spiritual fruit of repentance. In short, service is not done for service’s sake nor for spiritual profit. Rather, service is given out of love for the Lord and love for one’s brother as modeled by the Lord Jesus Himself. Before any other thing may be said about the doctrine of service, the Apostle Paul lays the foundation of what genuine service actually is. It is as if Paul anticipates his readers running too quickly to finish the reading of his letter before the tangible proofs of regeneration are explained. Structurally, Paul makes a comparison between the sinful, depraved nature of his audience prior to the regeneration brought about by God and their renewed, Spirit filled transformation after the work of Christ’s imputed righteousness. However, to move away from how one’s salvation is put into practice before the lesson is learned produces only a shallowness and weak faith; anemic and ineffective.
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