Slave: The Hidden Truth about Your Identity in Christ. By John MacArthur. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010.
John MacArthur has devoted his life to defending the Gospel. For over forty years this devotion has fueled his preaching, teaching, and writing. His many books on the Gospel have roundly refuted the errors associated with no-lordship salvation, easy believism, and pragmatism. Dr. MacArthur’s most recent book, Slave, stands in the same tradition as his previous works and is characterized by the same biblical fidelity, clarity, and precision that marked his earlier books.
MacArthur sums up the essential message of Slave when he writes, “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” (22).
While this message may not be popular today, it is thoroughly biblical. Unfortunately, however, due to a widespread mistranslation of the term slave in English translations over the past couple of centuries, the full implications of this concept have been lost to many Christians. Dr. MacArthur points out, “…the Greek word for slave has been covered up by being mistranslated in almost every English version—going back to both the King James Version and the Geneva Bible that predated it” (15). He adds, “Instead of translating doulos as ‘slave,’ these translations consistently substitute the word servant in its place. Ironically, the Greek language has at least half a dozen words that can mean servant. The word doulos is not one of them” (16).
Why, then, do so many English translations mistranslate this term? MacArthur suggests at least two reasons. First, because of the history of slavery in the West—particularly the brutality and racism that are associated with the concept—the word “slave” has become somewhat taboo in the English speaking world. Secondly, most translators use the word “servant” in place of “slave” because of the precedent set by the Latin translation. “But whatever the rationale behind the change,” MacArthur notes, “something significant is lost in translation when doulos is rendered ‘servant’ rather than ‘slave’” (19). It is this significant loss that MacArthur seeks to recover in the rest of his book.
I want to spend some time looking at two of the more “significant” insights that Dr. MacArthur discovers as a result of his study of the word slave. Although he does a masterful job analyzing the linguistical, historical, and cultural aspects of doulos, where he is the most helpful, I believe, is in detailing the practical ramifications that this one small word—slave—has for each and every Christian.
The first significant issue Dr. MacArthur takes up in this book is the effect that the concept of slavery has on the Gospel. The slave metaphor is used throughout the NT to describe the believer’s relationship to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Master; believers are His slaves. This means, “The gospel is not simply an invitation to become Christ’s associate; it is a mandate to become His slave” (19). In typical fashion, MacArthur challenges all forms of superficial Christianity that proclaim an unbiblical Gospel message. In particular, he issues a devastating blow to those who “attack the lordship of Christ over His church” (73). What he started in The Gospel According to Jesus he now finishes in Slave, putting the last nail in the coffin on any form of no-lordship salvation.
Dr. MacArthur’s case against no-lordship salvation is significantly strengthened by his discussion of the connection between the words kurios (“lord”) and doulos (“slave”). He explains, “Kyrios and doulos are two sides of the same relationship. To be slave [in the ancient world] was to have a master. And vice versa, a kyrios by definition was the owner of slaves. Thus, to confess Jesus as ‘Lord’ is to simultaneously confess Him as Master and ourselves as His slaves” (77). Furthermore, throughout the NT Jesus is called the “head” (kephale) of the Church (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19). This term unmistakably refers to Jesus’ exalted position as the “authority” of His people. Taken together, these insights clearly show that when the Bible calls upon sinners to “believe in the Lord Jesus [to] be saved” (Acts 16:31), it is calling upon them to humbly submit to the absolute and sovereign Master, Jesus Christ. Surely any Gospel message that fails to present the full implications of Christ’s lordship must be considered less than faithful.
A second significant gain that is made from studying the word slave is the perspective it offers on the doctrines of sovereign grace. In chapters seven to ten, Dr. MacArthur skillfully offers a fresh look at the five points of Calvinism using the slave metaphor. The doctrine of total depravity is defined as teaching that unbelievers are slaves of sin, utterly unwilling and unable to rid themselves of sin’s tyranny unless rescued by God. The doctrine of unconditional election teaches that God mercifully and graciously determined to rescue specific enslaved sinners whom He had fore-loved from eternity past. The doctrine of particular redemption teaches that God in Christ came to redeem—to buy back—His elect people from the slave market of sin by paying for their sin on the cross. This purchase was applied to God’s elect by the Holy Spirit who irresistibly called and regenerated them by grace. Once awakened by divine grace, elect sinners believed in Jesus Christ and “became slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18), “having been freed from sin and enslaved to God” (v. 22). As slaves of Christ, believers persevere in faith and holiness because God preserves them by His grace. What a beautiful and unique picture of salvation. We are not only saved by grace; we are slaved by it as well.
The material presented in Slave represents John MacArthur at his best. Having followed his ministry for quite some time now, it is evident to me that as he gets older his teaching keeps getting better and better. Slave is full of insights, solid research, and memorable illustrations from church history. This is an excellent book that should be read by all Christians. Without any qualms, I highly recommend this book.
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