No, I don't think Jesus was implying being a servant is not as good as being a friend. The passages I posted above prove my point. Jesus called people "friend" who were anything but knowledgeable of "all things that I have heard of my Father". He also called people "servant" who were His closest friends. In fact, He referred to Himself in servant terms.

PS - The point is can we obey God as servants without it being slavish? Yes! We do it all the time in the sense we do not know all the reasons why God requires obedience thus we are forced to obey Him with less than perfect knowledge as to why. Such obedience is faithful not slavish. It is also well pleasing to God our Father.

He said, "I no longer call you slaves but friends." It's hard to believe a person wouldn't perceive being a friend is better than being a slave.

Jesus must have meant something by the comment. What do you think He meant?



This isn't the question. The question is if we can obey God in a non-slavish way without an understanding of His principles, or why we're doing what we're doing.



This isn't the question either. We're not talking about known "all the reasons" but "none of the reasons."

1. Because God said so is reason enough to obey Him unslavishly.

2. Jesus never once referred to His disciples as "slaves".

3. Jesus referred to Himself as a servant.

4. Just because a master shares certain info with a servant it doesn't mean he stops being a servant.

5. A master can consider his servant a friend but he doesn't stop being a servant.

God hasn't said we should be Him ignorantly though.



He said "I no longer call you slaves but friends."



Ok.



Jesus said I no longer call you slaves (or servants), but friends.



This is true, but a different topic.

Do you think obeying Him because He said so constitutes ignorance or slavish obedience? Please explain.


Post one place where He actually called them slaves. Nowhere in the NT did He ever call them slaves. BTW, do you make a distinction between slaves and servants?


He is the Servant of servants. Obviously there is nothing wrong with being a servant. Do you agree?


Do you think it means they stopped being servants? If so, why, then, did the apostles continually refer to themselves as "servants"? For example:

"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ."
"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ."
"Moses the servant of God."
"Likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant."
"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ."
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ."
"And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

And, do we dare add your name - Tom Ewall, a servant of Jesus Christ. Or, do you reject this title?


In another sense we become sons and heirs. "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. . . And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

But "until the time appointed of the father" we are servants. Even in the New Earth we will be a servant-son-friend.

I don't think we can obey God ignorantly. I think we need to understand something of His character and principles, as well as have a personal relationship with Him. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. It's not just a matter of intellectually processing a message, and performing some action.



I think this principle applies. God gives us evidence, and His desire is that we respond intelligently, not robotically or slavishly.

Jesus Christ said He no longer calls us slaves but friends because He has told us what the Father is doing, which establishes the principle that God would have us understand His purposes and activities that we may be His friends.



John 15:15 says "no longer do I call you slaves" (or "servants"), so there's a passage. If He's "no longer" calling them "slaves" (or "servants") then He was up until that point.



The Greek had one word for both English words.

Yes. It's an amazing thing, astounding really, that God conceives of Himself as a servant.



This is besides the point. The point in John 15:15 is that Jesus calls us "not servants (or slaves), but friends" on the basis of having revealed things regarding God to us.

Regarding myself, I wouldn't wish to make any claims, but let the Lord take care of that. I prefer to speak of Him.

Regarding the others, who referred to themselves as servants, this isn't something which should be done lightly. However, all of those you named proved their devotion to Christ, many being martyrs, all giving all they had for Christ, which is the spirit of servanthood, the same spirit God has, who has given all He has for us. Of course, you could say the same thing about friendship:

Do you think obeying Him because He said so constitutes slavish obedience?


Do you think He must give us sufficient evidence to obey a particular command every time He commands us to obey Him? Or, once we learn to love and trust Him, can He command us to obey a particular command without having to explain to us the reasons why? Would such obedience be slavish?


Are you telling me this is the only record we have of Jesus calling them slaves?


Do this mean you think the two different words mean the same thing in the NT?

Amen! This elevates the status of servant. BTW, would you feel comfortable referring to God as the Slave of slaves?


Do you think they stopped being servants because Jesus called them friends? BTW, throughout the Gospels Jesus called many people friend, did it mean they knew everything He knew because He called them friends?


Are you a servant of the Lord?


Do you think they referred to themselves as servants because they lacked enough information to consider themselves friends?