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2015, 160p, LDS Non-Fiction
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
Who is your master: sin or the Savior? This well-researched book explores the cultural and political background of slavery during the time of Christ and what it implies for our modern-day commitment to the Lord. Thought-provoking and insightful, this book will strengthen your relationship with and faith in the Savior.
This is one of those books that isn't very long but is full of meat so it took me a while to read through it. I am by no means a scripture scholar and have plenty more to learn.
The author starts by explaining the origin of the term "slave" and how prevalent slavery has been throughout history. The title of the first chapter is "Servant Versus Slave in the New Testament" and he defines the original Greek words that were used in the New Testament that will give us new perspective as we begin to understand the servant/slave relationship.
Later in the book, he discusses the slavery of sin and how it robs us of freedom and destroys our possibility of eternal life. When we are enslaved to sin, we become slaves of Satan and feel despair and hopelessness. As we willingly accept Christ's invitation to follow him, we become free and begin to feel joy, hope and so much more.
The author shares plenty of scriptures which discuss the servant/slave relationship and I enjoyed his commentary on them. There's a Scripture Index included at the very end, along with a Bibliography and 32 pages of Endnotes.
This book is thought-provoking. I learned more about service, sacrifice and my personal relationship with Christ. I feel like I'm still digesting what I learned from the first course and know that I will learn more each time I read it!
When the author first contacted me to read his book, this is what he shared with me and I think it will give more insight into what you can expect from this book:
LDS people generally identify strongly with the idea of being servants of the Lord. Yet, where the KJV of the Bible reads ‘servant of Jesus Christ’ the original Greek in which the New Testament was written invariably reads ‘slave of Jesus Christ’. Although latter-day saints believe the Bible as far as it is translated correctly, most fail to understand the servant/slave translational nuance. This significantly limits the understanding of the original message of these important passages. Since the early saints truly considered themselves slaves of Christ, we as latter-day saints have much to learn from this perspective.
This book teaches the New Testament message that men are transformed from being slaves of sin, to slaves of Christ as they are redeemed by His atonement. It illustrates how frequently the New Testament equates conversion to the gospel to becoming a slave of Christ. It chronicles the many instances in which the early apostles and gospel narrators referred to themselves in this way. It also reviews the extensive Hebraic tradition, which held that man was the slave of God, and numerous instances where theme of slavery is found in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Anciently slavery was a condition that was worse than death, and associated with utter hopelessness and loss of control. Yet enslavement to Christ was paradoxically esteemed to be an essential element of conversion that brought joy, freedom and eternal life. By illustrating this metaphor from the context in which the New Testament was originally written, my book helps the reader gain new perspective into their relationship with their Redeemer, and more completely surrender their will to His.
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