slaves

Romans 1:1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ or a bond-servant (NKJV; NASB)
Nearly all of the Apostles and thereby authors of the Epistles identified themselves as servants: John (Rev 1:1); Jude (Jude 1:1); Peter (II Peter 1:1); James (James 1:1); and Paul’s young minister friend Timothy (Phil 1:1). The greatest men in the history of Christianity, the men God most used to spread His gospel and establish His Church were men that were servants (Matt 23:11). These men saw themselves for what they were, slaves to Christ, servants to the Most High God. These were men that knew that they had been slaves of unrighteousness and now had been bought with the blood of Christ and had a new master (I Peter 1:18; Rom 6:22; a theme that Paul will develop quit fully later in Romans). The Christian life is always to be defined by that of self-denying service. We are to set ourselves a side (die to self) that we may serve: First, Christ; and Secondly, man.
First, we are to serve God, and we serve God by keeping His commandments, and His commandment is to love (Matt 22:37; Rom 13:10). And when we love God we keep His commandments (see I Jn, especially chpt 5). Service to God is love to God, love to God is keeping the commandments; anyone that says they love God and does not keep the commandments “is a liar and the truth is not in him” (I Jn 2:3-4).
Second, we are to serve all men. This is keeping the commandment of God (Matt 22:39-40). To not love man is to not love God (I Jn 4:20-21). Love to man flows from our love to Christ (ie; obedience). He washed their feet (Jn 13:14-16) and commanded them (and us) to do the same. As Paul would later say in II Cor 4:5, we are your bondservants for Jesus sake!
The Christian life is the most free life and the most indebted life or to quote Luther, “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” John 8:32-36 teaches us that Christ came to give us freedom, and that when He sets free we are free indeed! And yet; Christ, the most free God, the one that holds the “key of Hades and death” (Rev 1:18), the one that spoke and it was (Gen 1), the one true God, sovereign and omnipotent, the only one deserving of all service and servitude, (Phil 2:5-11), did not come to be served(!) but to serve (Matt 20:28, Mk 10:45)!! He has left us the ultimate example. He has set a standard that we are to strive after (I Jn 2:6). If our Lord and Savior and Creator and God has stooped so low as to enter our finite world, how much more humbled and obedient should we be to His call of servanthood. We are to submit to all men, see I Peter 2:13-3:6, especially 2:15. (I Cor 9:19-23)
The servants of God are not burdened with service but rejoice in service. It is not out of obligation that we serve but out of gratitude. And though we may go through difficult times in serving, Jesus’ “yoke is easy and (His) burden light.”(Matt 11:30) Paul did not start his letters with this title of servant as something that should be shamed but as some thing that should be rejoiced in. I think it quite interesting that “servant of Jesus Christ” proceeds “apostle,” in his title. Though none of us would consider Paul prideful, I think we can safely say that he had deep joy and satisfaction (at the very least) in this title.
I think the question for us would be: Do we understand the servant hood that we all have been called to? Are we ready to serve? Anywhere? Anytime? Anyone? Will we humble ourselves and wash feet? Remember the words of our Lord, “A servant is not greater than His master…If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” See also Matt 25:31-46, great illustration!