Paul and Slavery - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ephesians 6:5-9,

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with
sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only
to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,
doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you
were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will
reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or
free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten
them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in
heaven, and there is no favoritism with him."

If we can get past the rotten obsession with how bad America is
because of slavery that was present at its founding (it was Christian
America and England that led the rest of the world to bring slavery to
an end as an accepted practice), there is a history of slavery
worldwide we can learn of. Here is an interesting tidbit from
Wikepedia in its article of the history of slavery:

"Evidences of slavery predate written records; the practice has
existed in many—if not most—cultures. Mass slavery requires economic
surpluses and a high population density to be viable. Because of this,
the practice of slavery would have only proliferated after the
invention of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution, about 11,000
years ago. Slavery occurred in civilizations as old as Sumer, as well
as in almost every other ancient civilization, including ancient
Egypt, ancient China, the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia,
ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Greece, ancient India, the Roman
Empire, the Arab Islamic Caliphate and Sultanate, Nubia and the
pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas. Ancient slavery consists
of a mixture of debt-slavery, punishment for crime, prisoners of war,
child abandonment, and children born to slaves."

Slavery was a part of the real world the apostle Paul took his gospel
message to. Unlike those who prefer to remain ignorant of Paul, and
the New Testament, and the gospel message of the Son of God, it should
be noted Paul is not endorsing slavery here in this passage. What he
is addressing is how the message of the gospel is to be carried and
lived out among those who embrace the Lord in faith in a world that
practiced slavery.

Paul's mission was not to recreate the world and its system into some
kind of idylic utopian fantasy. His was a mission to bring the message
of freedom from slavery to sin and God's impending judgment. His
message was Jesus Christ and the freedom we have in him. "But thanks
be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to
obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your
allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness." Romans 6:17-18.

Those who attempt to discredit Paul and the Scriptures are simply
grasping for any reason to reject Jesus Christ. Paul provided
direction on how to live out a redeemed life in the real world that
existed at the time. His focus was on anything believers could
possibly do to promote the gospel message. On the contrary, Paul says,
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is
there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians
3:28.

To criticize Paul for not condemning slavery is a preference to remain
ignorant of Paul and his message. Listen to what he says about the
slave traders, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.
We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for
lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and
irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for
murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing
homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for
whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the
gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to
me." 1 Timothy 1:8-11.

Here is Paul's message to his enslaved readers, "Were you a slave when
you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain
your freedom, do so. For the one who was a slave when called to faith
in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was
free when called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not
become slaves of human beings."

I might add we should not become slaves to intentionally mistaken
notions about Paul and slavery.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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