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Slavery & The Bible
Ephesians 6:5-9 contains instructions for slaves and their masters. What are we to make of this?! On examining the major passages addressing slavery we find that the Bible's instructions regarding slavery are like its instructions regarding divorce: Commands intended to mitigate the worst consequences of human sin and of living in a fallen world - NOT endorsements of slavery as good. On the contrary, God commanded Israel to shelter escaped slaves and forbid Israel to return them to their masters. In the New Testament, Philemon was exhorted to release Onesimus and Paul commends freedom to any slave who has the opportunity to gain it in 1 Corinthians 7:21. However, those who are trapped in slavery may still serve and honor the Lord and are called to do so. How do we respond to Ephesians 6:5-9? Learn from slaves that we can glorify God even in the worst of circumstances and strive to do so. Learn from masters to see authority as an opportunity to serve Christ by recognizing him as the one above who will judge and as the one below who stands with those over whom you have authority. Thirdly, as scripture itself is honest about heroes of the past, so should we be honest about those of the past who twisted scripture and who promoted slavery as good. May we wholeheartedly declare them wrong and pray for healing from the natural consequences of such sins. Finally, Pastor Josh read from the autobiography of Josiah Henson, a slave who became a Christian and sought with all his might to honor the Lord. This story is free online HERE and provides a sobering reminder of what slavery really was in our nation while glorifying God as the testimony of a man who loved him in the midst of horrific circumstances. Comments are closed.
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