In Galatians 1:10, the apostle Paul says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” It is important for us to consider why he calls himself a “servant of Christ.”
Paul says this in the context of rebuking the Galatian churches for considering a distortion of the true gospel from false teachers. Apparently, these teachers had accused Paul of trying to please men by not requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised and observe other aspects of Jewish law. In response, Paul gives the Galatians reasons that he is not a man pleaser.
The first reason is that the gospel is from God, and the peace that God offers in it is grounded entirely in the work Christ did in taking away our sins and delivering us from the present evil age. The gospel is a manifestation of God’s grace, a gift given for the glory of God (verses 3-5). The pure gospel displeases man because the cross testifies of the depravity of men and leaves no room for any man to boast. “Jesus paid it all” shuts the mouths of all men.
The second reason is that Paul calls down a curse from heaven on the false teachers (verses 8-9). He has no charity toward a teaching that uses Christ’s name but diminishes his work and the glory of it. Paul elsewhere teaches very plainly that the wrath of God is coming on the world because of the sins of men and that the only refuge is the blood of the Lamb.
The third reason is that Paul is a servant of Christ (verse 10). We don’t often think of this being an offense to man, but it is. If you can contribute your good works to your justification before God and pay some of the way, then you can also dictate the terms of your service and the reasons for it. Man’s pride endeavors to maintain his autonomy and an empty confidence in himself. In Psalm 12, we read that those who boast say, “Who is master over us?”
Paul teaches that the grace of God led him to being a servant of Christ. What was his boast? The cross of Christ. What were his motives? Thanksgiving and love. In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul considered himself a steward of the redeemed life that God had given him in Christ.
The title “servant of Christ” is an ennobling title. The prophet Isaiah foresaw the perfect servant of God: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). This is our comfort, that Christ, in whatsoever he did in our redemption, is God’s servant. He was appointed by God to the work; he left heaven, veiled his majesty, and voluntarily took the form of a servant. Love abased Christ; his life was entirely given to obey God, even to death on a cross.
The service Christ rendered to God was accepted by God and given to us that we may present it to God for our place with God. Is it not a shame that the Son of God humbled himself to save sinners, but men boast in themselves rather than humbling themselves in wonder at such amazing grace as God has given in Christ?
The Lord Jesus said that the truth will set you free. The believer is freed from the wrath of God, from the curse of the law and damnation, and from the fear of death. He is also freed from the power of sin and the devil, so that he may be abased before the love of Christ and become his servant. Free servants such as Christians are must fight with corruptions and temptations, but they live by the promise, not by their merits.
The Lord Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will be my servant also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” He means that we must die with him, become altogether his own, and pursue desires of grace rather than sin. The greatest honor is to serve Christ, and the greatest promise is to be honored by the Father. You see here the infinite goodness of the Lord: delivering sinners by his grace and commanding them to be his servants, that they may be blessed forever before God.
