|  | | The Bible and Slavery
| - The Image of God (Gen 1:26-27, James three:nine): All human beings regardless of their race, gender, or station in life are the imago dei, the paradigm of God. This suggests that we are each very valuable to God, deserving of off-white treatment and justice, and that every person is to be treated with nobility (cf. Job 31:13-15). This position mitigates against worldviews that would approximate servants or slaves to be non-persons, less valuable, or not worthy of political, legal, and economic representation.
- The Biblical Metaphors (I Sam iii:10, Ps 123, Ps 135:ane-ii, Mt twenty:26, Mt 25:21, Lk 16:13, Phil 2:7) The Bible often uses the terms "master" and "servant" to advise spiritual conditions. Paul, almost notably, suggests that we are "slaves" to whatever we choose to obey. A life of sin is slavery, while obedience to God is true service. Likewise, Paul reminds us that "liberty" is always to be both costless from something in society to be gratuitous for something. If nosotros are slaves to sin, we self-delusively are seeking to be gratis from God's rightful rule over our lives. If nosotros are complimentary from sin, it is in order to be God'due south follower (Rom half-dozen:fifteen-23, Gal 4:6-9, five:1). The Bible, then, recognizes that slavery is a condition of dependence. The question becomes ane of what kind of dependence.
- The Principle of Authority and Service (I Pet 2:13-25): The showtime epistle of Peter points out that equally Christians we each have real freedom, are under say-so, and in a familial relationship with one another. We are to "live as costless men," "live as servants of God," and to "beloved the brotherhood of believers." We shouldn't use our freedom in Christ to rebel confronting just authorisation, nor should we forget that as God's servants we serve Him past treating others with respect. Instead, nosotros are to motivated by a real unselfish compassion for the needs of others (afraid). This is more radical than i might guess at start blush. To recognize that slaves are also gratis, that masters are also servants, and that both are children before God is to redefine the world's order of domination and despair. No social station can keep the states from Jesus, nor should his church make such distinctions (Col three:9-eleven, Gal 3:26-29). In that location can be neither "slave nor free" in the Trunk of Christ. Consider what it says to a slave to be fully included in the life of the church building, for example, to be able to teach, rebuke, correct, or love someone who is a master. To be afforded membership in the Body of Christ is to exist afforded the full rights and responsibilities of family (cf. Philemon 1:15-16).
- Recognition of Slavery's Reality Not a Commendation: Jesus ofttimes used masters and servants in his parables (Mt 24:45-51, Lk 12:35-48, Lk 16:1-13, Lk 17:7-x); however, it does not follow that Jesus was blessing of earthly slavery or of the manner that barbarous masters treated their servants. Rather, Jesus is once more using this historical and cultural reality to speak of ethical and spiritual weather condition (Lk 7:1-10). Likewise, when Paul enjoins slaves to be obedient to their masters, and masters not to mistreat their slaves (Eph six:five-9, Col 3: 22-4:1, I Tim vi:ane-ii), he is not commending such a system; rather, he is highly-seasoned for Christians to exemplify Christ in those situations. Paul does suggest that if slaves can obtain their freedom they should, nor should they enter into slavery being "the Lord'southward freeman" (I Cor 7:21-23). Indeed, Paul was quite willing to intervene and play a part in a slave's freedom (Philemon).
- The Exodus and the Babylonian Captivity (Ex 1-12, Ps 137, Jer 29, Daniel): The Jewish experience of slavery both in Egypt and later in Babylon illustrates the national curse of large-scale bondage in a strange land. State of israel had tight social and legal controls on servanthood in part because of their memory of Egypt (Lev 25:42-43, Deut fifteen:12-18). In a like style, the Jewish captivity was understood as punishment for national sin, including that of enslaving other Hebrews (cf. Jer 34:eight-22). State of israel'due south experience of slavery in both situations is primarily one of bondage and degradation, so there is a potent biblical caution against reproducing such a situation in Israel.
- The Onetime Attestation Practice: The Former Attestation laws surrounding slavery recognize information technology to be a substandard position, one of social weakness and vulnerability, fifty-fifty despair. Hebrews were immune to voluntarily enter into servanthood for six years considering of poverty, though there were certain weather under which they might elect to become a bond-slave for life (Ex 21:1-11, also cf. Deut 28:68). During their service, they were to exist treated as a hired worker and not a slave and released during the twelvemonth of Jubilee, presumably if this came earlier than their half dozen years of service. With these conditions, the Hebrew retainer was to relish a position not unlike indentured servanthood equally practiced in colonial America. In a like fashion, temporary residents in Israel could also elect voluntary service to pay off debts and were allowed to be redeemed dorsum past their relatives. Captives of war, however, could be made slaves for life, though at that place were also regulations regarding women (Lev 25:35-55, Deut 21:10-14, also cf. Josh 9:eleven-27).
Too, slaves were to be treated adequately, receive their simply wages, were non to piece of work during the sabbath, and not to be treated harshly or severely harmed (Ex 20:10, Job 31:13-xv, Deut 24:xiv-15, Lev 22:xi, Mal three:5, Lev 19:xx-22, Ex 21:20-21, 26-32, too cf. Eph 5:nine). Kidnapping of a Hebrew into slavery was punishable by death (Deut 24:vii, Neh 5:1-8), and any slave from any nation was to be given refuge and not returned to an owner (Deut 23:fifteen-16). Such laws recognize the essential humanity of and justice afforded to a person reduced to slavery. - Jesus' Example: Jesus himself gear up an case of true servanthood, carrying for the needs of others in his earthly life and ministry. On one occasion, he done the feet of his disciples to model for them the manner say-so should exist good equally service, enjoining them "no servant is greater than his principal, " significant they must follow his lead (Jn 13:1-17). Paul, besides, recognized in Christ'southward incarnation the very assumption of the form of a slave (Phil 2:five-11). This assumption reminds us that God in his ultimate authority is not removed from our man condition or its pain. Indeed, Christ's action on the cross is a model for how to endure unjust suffering (I Pet 2:18-25).
- Our Eschatological Promise (Is 61:i-three, Rev 21-22): Jesus took unto himself the expectations of the Jewish people for the coming Messiah and his reign of peace. This longing, found in the biblical notion of shalom, means more than unproblematic internal peace; it includes external justice in gild. Nevertheless Shalom is more than justice, information technology is also the delight in the merely world of relationships. Our hope is in having an equitable and delightful relationship with the Triune God, with other human beings inside and beyond communities, and inside God'due south prosperous and blest creation, and this implies an internal peace with one's renewed self every bit well. [A more thorough written report of this important theme would include Is 62, 65:17-25. 66:12-16, Hosea xiv, Joel 3:17-21, Amos 9:11-15, Micah 4:15, five:fifteen, Zeph iii:ix-twenty, Zech three:ten, 14, Luke 4:14-21, Matt 5:17-xx, vii:28-29, Matt 25, John vii:25-43, Acts i:1-11, Romans viii:18-25, I Cor 15:20-28, Phil 2:5-11, Col 1:9-xiv, Heb 12:24-28.] This hope includes "proclaim[ing] freedom for the captives / and release from darkness for the prisoners." The final vision of God for his creation is of an order without captives and prisoners, all free under the Lordship of Christ.
Some Conclusions - The Bible teaches that all authorization is ultimately God'southward and all liberty given by God. Nosotros are all as human beings "owned" past God who is our maker, guess, and true rex. The personal individual autonomy of the modern era is a concept strange to biblical Christianity.
- The practice of slavery in the U.S. clearly violated any number of One-time Attestation laws, too as the spirit of Biblical religion, including the injunctions against kidnapping, fair treatment of servants, and prohibitions of threat and brutality.
- Likewise, the practice of slavery in the U.S. sought to ignore the epitome of God in a big number of human beings, seeking to violate and rob them of truthful justice.
- The ultimate course and direction of the Christian faith is one that values, humanizes, and frees captives for a life of maturity and responsibility before God and voluntary service to 1'south fellow human beings.
- The life of the church building is to be one that works against social distinctions and status and that works for just sharing of authority in a qualified style before God. Thus, the Christian religion is nigh removing enslavement.
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