What did Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude mean when each referred to himself as a “servant of God”? During my writing of a commentary on James, I faced this question. Here are some of the things I learned.
To answer that question, we must also ask another question. Should we view the word servant or slave (doulos in Greek) against its Graeco-Roman background or against its Jewish background? It is clear that doulos in the Greek world referred to a slave. But in the OT, when it applies metaphorically to a follower of the Lord, it is used in a more noble context. It is often a synonym for a prophet. Check out these references:
The expression “my servants the prophets” appears 17 t. in OT (2 Ki. 9:7; 17:13, 23; 21:10; 24:2; Ezra 9:11; Jer. 7:25; 25:4; Eze. 38:17; Dan. 9:6, 10; Zec. 1:6; Am. 3:7). The word used in the LXX is douloi.
In the following verses “servant” and “prophet” appear together:
1 Ki. 18:36 Elijah: “I am your servant”
2 Ki. 14:25 “His servant Jonah … the prophet”
Then there are the Isaianic references to the prophet as a “servant”:
Is. 20:3; 44:26; 49:6 (see Acts 13:47).
The LXX occasionally uses words in addition to doulos to describe Moses, Joshua and David (therapon, huperetes, pais). These words consistently translate the one Hebrew word ebed (Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1; 22:2, 4, 5; 24:29; Jer. 33:26; Ezek. 37:25). This title of honor associated with a leader who speaks with authority to God’s people lies behind the use of doulos in a similar way in the NT.
The word doulos is used in the NT as a title for the following honored servants:
Paul: only twice Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1 (but see Gal. 1:10)
Epaphras: Col. 4:12
Apostles: Jas. 1:1; 2Pet. 1:1; Jude 1
John: Rev.19:10; 22:9 (sundoulos).
Other references in the Apocalypse to “servants of God” also refer to the OT prophets (Rev.10:7 and Rev.11:18). See also Moses in Rev. 15:3.
All this supports the idea that the meaning of the title, “servant of God,” lies more in the noble tradition of God’s representatives in the OT than in the humble tradition of Graeco-Roman “slaves.”
There are a few NT passages where the word “slaves” (douloi) refers to believers in general and is not limited to prophets/apostles (1Pet. 2:16; 1Cor. 7:22; Eph. 6:6). These passages clearly draw on the Greco-Roman role of doulos as slave. While these uses of doulos should caution us against dogmatism in the matter, the idea that the self designation douloi in the NT refers to the NT apostles in the line of the OT prophets should at least be considered. The idea of ownership by another is still implicit in doulos, but the focus in the expression “servant of God” is on the prophet’s identity and role. The intertextual role of the doulos in the OT should not be overshadowed by the extra-textual role of the doulos in the first century world.
In my research I also discovered that no Apostolic Father ever referred to himself by the term “servant (doulos) of God.” Why did this title disappear from being used as a self-designation after the NT? Could it be because the early fathers recognized the title as describing OT prophets and NT apostles and they did not view themselves as equal to these “servants of God”?