What About Slavery, Paul?

97

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Thus began one of the most famous speeches in all of American history, the Gettysburg Address, delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863. Lincoln's call for equality was a direct affront to the practice of slavery that dominated the Confederate South, what some would even call the "Christian South." Pastors and church members across communities in the South were buying, selling, trading, using, and even abusing predominantly African slaves. This was, without question, one of the darkest periods of American Christian history. This dark period of our history makes a passage of Scripture like 1 Timothy 6:1-2 all the more sensitive. The most important perspective on this issue is not man's opinion but God's Word. Here in our passage Paul briefly addressed the issue of slavery.

As soon as they come across Paul's reference to slaves in verses 1-2, many Christians begin to wonder whether the apostle Paul was promoting slavery. Other passages in the New Testament that deal with slavery, like Colossians 3:22-4:1, may leave us wondering the same thing. And when we turn to see how slavery was dealt with in the Old Testament, the issue may be further confused in our minds. Maybe you're wondering even now, "Does God support slavery?"

Slavery in History

Slavery in History

The question of slavery is one of the most significant questions posed to Christianity, particularly in light of the kinds of slavery practiced by Christians in Europe and America in previous centuries. That's why we need to understand what the Bible has to say on this issue and, more specifically, why Paul would write what he did in 1 Timothy 6. Although we'll begin by looking at the practice of slavery in history, we need to understand that this issue is relevant for us now in the twenty-first century.

It will be helpful to provide some background and context to our discussion of slavery so that we can better define our terms. World history is filled with various types of slavery, which means we should be careful when we talk about this subject. When you hear the word slavery, it's likely that certain images immediately pop up in your mind, images that represent abuses and injustices. While many of these images may99 be historically accurate in certain contexts, not all forms of slavery have looked the same in their respective era or location. Consider below four different ways in which slavery has been practiced in history.

First, we have the model of Hebrew servanthood. When we look at God's laws for His people in the Old Testament, we see a system of Hebrew servanthood that was set up for impoverished Israelites to become servants. This servanthood was designed to provide for poorer Israelites and their families. Even though Deuteronomy 15:1-18 tells us that God desires that none of His people are poor, He nevertheless makes provision for those in poverty, since poverty is a reality in a sinful and imperfect world. Leviticus 25:35-43 helps us understand more about God's perspective on slavery:

This passage describes a system of servanthood in Israel whereby someone could sell himself into slavery in order to escape poverty. Such an individual was to be treated not as a slave but as a hired servant, a worker. The individual would basically enter into a contractual agreement with an employer, working until he could establish himself as a free and full citizen again. Now there were certainly unjust and abusive slaveholders among God's people. Israel's sin was, after all, apparent throughout its history. However, cruelty was not God's intention for slavery in Israel, for the slavery He chose to regulate was extremely different from the pre-Civil War slavery in the southern United States. In His mercy God even provided a reprieve for slaves by instituting sabbatical years when they had to be released (Exod 21:2-4).100

Second, we'll consider Roman slavery. Slavery was deeply ingrained into the Roman Empire and its economy. Some scholars estimate that over one-third of the people in the Roman Empire were slaves—that's approximately 50 or 60 million individuals!

Out of those 50-60 million slaves, there were a variety of different practices of slavery in this era of history. Some slaves were simply employees who did a variety of different kinds of work: teachers, craftsmen, managers, cooks, and even government officials. Many slaves owned slaves themselves. It's also important to recognize that Roman slavery was not fundamentally based on ethnicity or skin color but on economic and social status. In order to gain Roman citizenship and thus enter into Roman society, many people would sell themselves into slavery. In many cases slavery was beneficial for poorer individuals, providing security and stability for slaves in a variety of different venues. There were also opportunities beyond slavery, for many slaves were released by the time they were 30 years of age, as they had become capable of providing for themselves at that point.

Despite the more humane practices of slavery in some cases, we don't want to paint an idealistic picture of slavery. After all, a slave was still a slave—marginalized, powerless, and often prone to disgrace or insult. While some slaves were indeed salaried employees with great responsibilities, others were subjected to grueling labor and harsh treatment, including sexual abuse. Slavery could be and sometimes was extremely degrading and destructive. Yet we shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that all slavery in the Greco-Roman world was inhumane. This system, which was so ingrained into the economy of the Roman Empire, was in many ways different from the slavery of the antebellum South.

A third form of slavery we need to consider is indentured servitude. This form of slavery was more common in colonial America, as many could not afford to come to the new country on their own. They would contract themselves out as indentured servants and agree to work in certain households in apprentice-type roles until they could earn enough money to pay off their debt. Historians estimate that over one-half to two-thirds of European white immigrants who came to America came as indentured servants. This picture of slavery is much closer to Hebrew servanthood than anything else.

Fourth and finally, there is the picture of slavery connected to the African slave trade. This last example of slavery was promoted across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such that millions upon millions101 of Africans were traded and sold across Europe. They were transported in cruel, grueling conditions that would leave many of them dead before arriving at their destination. Upon being sold into slavery, these slaves were subjected to harsh working conditions as well as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and torture. Frederick Douglass, a leader of the abolitionist movement in the 1800s, wrote the following about his first slave-master, Captain Anthony:

He was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slave-holding. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip... till she was literally covered with blood. No words, no tears, no prayer, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. (Douglass, Narrative, 3-4)

Though I hesitate to share such an awful account, I cite this for two reasons. First, this account reminds us of the horror of what took place in slavery in our own country not that long ago. And second, we need to be reminded that this is not the kind of slavery Paul was addressing in 1 Timothy 6. While some slaves had unbelieving and sometimes cruel masters, this passage will be confusing to you if the only picture of slavery you have is the African slave trade. Some of the slaves the apostle was addressing were likely sitting in the church amid Christian brothers and sisters who loved them, cared for them, and were commanded to provide for them as fellow members of the body of Christ. Though Paul was not ignorant of the evils of slavery in his day, he was by no means condoning the mistreatment of slaves.

Now that we've looked at world history, we also need to consider biblical history. Biblical history is filled with various perspectives on slavery, from Hebrew servanthood in the Old Testament to Greco-Roman slavery in the New Testament. Slavery is not a part of creation (that is, God's original created order); it is a product of sin. Genesis 1-2 speaks of the distinction between male and female, but there is no distinction between slave and free persons, since slavery was not a part of God's creation. And if you move forward to the new creation in Revelation 21-22, you see once again that there is no distinction between slave and free in the new heaven and new earth. Heaven will have no poverty that leads to indentured servanthood and no class102 warfare that leads to a Greco-Roman type of slavery. And certainly there will not be any abuse and mistreatment like what took place during the African slave trade. Sin and slavery will be no more.

The fact that slavery is ultimately connected to sin in Scripture means specific situations in a sinful world warrant specific instructions to a sinful world. The instructions in the Old Testament and in 1 Timothy that speak of slaves are addressing specific circumstances surrounding slavery at a specific time. When we understand this context, we see that biblical instructions concerning slavery do not imply biblical approval of slavery. Slavery is not God's ultimate design. It is a product of sin. When Paul addressed slavery, he was not endorsing it; he was helping shepherd people who were trapped in a sin-tainted economic and social system that produced the need for slavery.

Consider how Scripture deals similarly with other issues. Was divorce a part of God's original creation? No, absolutely not. Divorce is clearly a result of sin entering the world; yet Scripture addresses divorce by giving us guidelines and regulations for this less-than-ideal reality (Deut 24:1-4; Matt 19:3-9). We see something similar with slavery. Even though slavery was a product of sin, God addressed it at different times and in different ways throughout Scripture.

Slavery in Scripture

Slavery in Scripture

1 Timothy 6:1-2

The most important question we need to answer is this: What does Scripture say about slavery? To begin with, there are some clear ways in which the Bible condemns slavery. Specifically, the Bible condemns slavery that undermines God's creation. Genesis 1:27 should shape our thinking here: "So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female." Based on this truth we have equal dignity before God, but slavery undermines this dignity by functionally denying it. Remember, it wasn't President Lincoln who came up with the idea that all men are created with equal dignity; God did. Job implies this when he talks about why he refuses to mistreat his servants. He asks, "Did not the One who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same God form us both in the womb?" (Job 31:15).

We see this same perspective in the New Testament. Our equal dignity before God can be seen in Galatians 3:28: "There is no Jew or103 Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In other words, even though we have differences, we all have equal dignity before God, and as believers we have an equal position in Christ. This equal dignity is also the basis James uses for arguing against favoritism in the church (Jas 2:1). In these and other examples, the Bible is not expressly prohibiting all forms of slavery, but it is definitely ripping apart the core foundations behind many forms of slavery. As we think about these biblical texts, we need to be reminded that the first-century Roman slavery of the New Testament period was not based on ethnicity or skin color like the African slave trade. The New Testament vehemently opposes any form of ethnic or racial superiority.

Just as all individuals have equal dignity before God, as believers, we are equally submissive to God. When Paul addresses slaves or their masters, he says that everything they do ought to be done in submission to Christ and in reverence for Him. In Colossians 3:22 Paul gives the following exhortation: "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord" (emphasis added; see also Eph 6:5; Col 4:1). One reason we are to submit equally to God is that we will receive equal justice from God. In Colossians 3:25 Paul tells us that God is impartial, and in Ephesians 6:9 we hear the following warning: "And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him." In other words, earthly masters have a Master in heaven who will act with perfect justice in response to how slaves are treated. As for Christian slaves, even though they may endure temporary injustice, eternal justice awaits.

So we've seen that the Bible condemns slavery that undermines God's creation; next we see that the Bible likewise condemns slavery that violates God's Word. In clear, unequivocal language the Bible speaks against slavery in two specific ways. First, the Bible denounces physical abuse. This prohibition would apply to many forms of physical abuse but particularly when this abuse is associated with the institution of slavery. In Exodus 21:26-27 God made clear that physical abuse is intolerable, for if the master of a slave caused the slave to lose an eye or a tooth, the slave was to be set free. In verse 20 of the same chapter, we read that if a slave died as a result of physical abuse, then the owner was to be punished. In short, physical abuse of any kind by masters of slaves was directly condemned by God.104

Second, we know slavery is condemned because the Bible denounces human trafficking. Exodus 21:16 says, "Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession." Kidnapping a slave is punishable by death, and that death penalty applies to the one selling the slave and the one buying the slave. We're reminded at this point about what Paul said earlier in 1 Timothy concerning the need for the law to restrain evil. Paul explicitly mentions—alongside murder, sexual immorality, and homosexuality—the sin of kidnapping (1:10). The word "kidnappers" in the original means a "man-stealer" or a "slave-dealer" (BDAG, 76). Anyone who kidnaps people in order to sell them as slaves is "lawless and rebellious... ungodly and sinful... unholy and irreverent" (1:9).

I have emphasized the evil of human trafficking for two reasons. First, if these truths had been embraced and obeyed by Christians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, slavery never would have existed as it did in the South. The Bible is not at all silent on this issue, and it in no way tolerates the kind of slavery that took place in this country. Pastors and church members who used God's Word to justify the practice of slavery were living in sin. Paul clearly considered the kind of practices promoted in the African slave trade as abominable, a violation of God's Word, and a denial of God's gospel.

Second, the issue of human trafficking is important to think about because it is so prevalent around the world today. There are an estimated twenty-seven million slaves in the world today, which is more than any other time in history. Human trafficking, which includes buying, selling, trading, and exploiting people for forced labor or for sex, is the second largest and fastest growing industry in the world today. The statistics are staggering (from Random Facts):

• Approximately 80 percent of trafficking victims are women and girls, and half are minors.
• According to UNICEF, 30 million children over the past 30 years have been sexually exploited through human trafficking.
• Over 10,000 Nepali girls as young as nine have been sold into India's red-light district over the last decade.
• Over 10,000 children between the ages of six and fourteen are currently in brothels in Sri Lanka.

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises because it is relatively low risk with high profit potential. Criminal105 organizations are increasingly attracted to human trafficking because, unlike drugs, humans can be sold repeatedly. According to the U.S. State Department, human trafficking is one of the greatest human rights challenges of this century, both in the United States and around the world. As followers of Christ, we cannot ignore these horrific tragedies. We need to see that this is a reality in the world today and that the Bible condemns it. We are called to stand up against these evils (Eph 5:11).

We've seen that the Bible condemns human trafficking and other forms of oppression. Next we need to understand that the Bible regulates slavery. As we saw in Exodus 21 earlier, God mandates physical protection for slaves. Slaves abused by their masters were immediately to be set free and compensated for their injuries (Exod 21:16, 26-27). In addition, God requires financial provision for slaves. Leviticus 25:39-40 talks about impoverished Hebrew servants who sold themselves to a master, and it says the master must provide ample provision for the servant. Likewise, 2 Samuel 9:9-10 talks about the economic rights of slaves, including the right of slaves to have other slaves. Many of these passages communicate a similar idea, namely, God ensures caring supervision of slaves. Leviticus 25 prohibits masters from ruling ruthlessly over their slaves, even giving slaves the right to enjoy the Sabbath. The Old Testament also gives us examples of close, caring relationships between slaves or servants and their masters, such as the relationship between Gehazi and Elisha (2 Kgs 4-8).

Finally, we see that God promotes (and in some ways guarantees) eventual freedom from slavery. Several passages in the Old Testament prohibit masters from keeping slaves for more than six years, unless the slave consented to it (Lev 25; Exod 21; Deut 15). All the slaves in Israel would be released in the seventh year of each seven-year cycle so that slavery would not be a perpetual state for anyone. God provided other ways to keep people out of slavery:

• He commanded the poor to be provided for during harvest times (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:20-21).
• He commanded Israelites to lend generously to the poor without interest (Deut 15:7-8; Exod 22:25; Lev 25:36-37).
• He instructed that all of a person's debts be canceled in the seventh year in order to guard against poverty (Deut 15:4).

God's promotion of freedom for slaves is a foretaste of the coming heavenly reality when, in the new creation, slavery and the poverty that106 fuels slavery will be no more. For that reason Paul encouraged slaves in 1 Corinthians 7:21 who could become free to avail themselves of the opportunity.

Our survey of the Bible on the topic of slavery has not been exhaustive, but it has provided a needed context for understanding our passage in 1 Timothy 6. When Paul addresses Timothy in verses 1-2, he is writing to the pastor of a church where there is likely tension between slaves and masters. The Bible encourages slaves who are forced to live in this imperfect situation in several ways. They are to honor unbelieving masters. That Paul is referring to non-Christian masters in verse 1 is clear from the fact that he made a contrast between unbelieving masters and Christian masters in verse 2. Slaves should treat their unbelieving masters as "worthy of all respect"; after all, they too are created in the image of God. The word "respect" here might also be translated "honor," and it comes from the same root as the command in 5:3, where Paul said to "honor widows" (NASB; emphasis added).

Paul wanted slaves to honor their masters. Slaves were to honor unbelieving masters "so that God's name and His teaching will not be blasphemed" (6:1). Let's break this purpose clause down into two parts. First, slaves act this way for the glory of God. This is the motivation that drove Paul, and it drives all of Scripture (1 Cor 10:31). In 1 Timothy we've already seen this in several forms. For example, we pray for all people, and we honor widows because this pleases God (2:3; 5:4). Elders must have a good reputation so that God's name is not brought to disrepute (3:7). Paul's deepest concern in addressing the conduct of slaves was for the glory of God to be made known, particularly before unbelieving masters. These unbelieving masters should see the grace of God in the lives of slaves who had become followers of Christ.

There's a sense in which Paul's words apply to all followers of Christ who have unbelieving employers. If you profess to follow Christ, you should honor your employer so that they might see the glory of God in you. Everything you do at work is a representation of your God, so work hard and work well. Even when it's not easy, we are to obey, for Peter said elsewhere,

Whether you're a student or an employee, remember that every time you turn in a project, hand in an assignment, make a decision, or take an action, you are to reflect the glory of God.

There is another related goal in the way slaves honor masters: for the advancement of the gospel. In Titus 2:9-10 Paul said,

This is a beautiful way to describe the goal of obedience—so that we may "adorn" the gospel. Paul's exhortation has a missionary motivation. Unbelieving masters should see the hard work of believers and be drawn to the glory of God and the fruit of the gospel. Christians should view their jobs as serving this great purpose.

These greater purposes that Paul speaks of remind us that Christianity is not primarily aimed at social reform. If the purpose of Christianity was to change societal structures, then we would not expect Paul to speak like he has been in this letter or his other writings. Instead, we would expect him to exhort the Ephesian church to work against the system of slavery, but Paul told slaves to live for the salvation of their masters. That's because Christianity is primarily aimed at personal redemption. So that, as people are redeemed, societal structures begin to be transformed. The key is the heart of the people. That is the primary way the Bible addresses slavery—by aiming for personal redemption and personal transformation. Redeemed individuals are formed into a community of believers who are one in Christ, who love and support one another regardless of whether they are Jews, Gentiles, slaves, or freemen. When the gospel begins to transform people like this, slavery is seen in a much different light. As one writer put it, the gospel lays "the explosive charge... that ultimately—although sadly, belatedly—leads to detonation, and the destruction of slavery" altogether (Harris, Slave of Christ, 68).

If slaves are to adorn the gospel in the way they treat their unbelieving masters, how should they treat a master who is a believer? It seems that some slaves were taking advantage of their Christian masters, thinking that they no longer had an obligation to keep their agreements to108 serve. But Paul says that having a believing master is all the more reason to serve him with joy and hard work. In verse 2 the apostle says that instead of being disrespectful to believing masters, slaves "should serve them better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved." Slaves are to work wholeheartedly in such situations and avoid slacking off. The same holds true for Christian employees in our own day. They should not take advantage of brothers and sisters in Christ who have authority over them in the workplace. Instead, they are to serve selflessly. This kind of selfless service is a fruit of gospel transformation. Does this characterize your life and work?

Ultimately, given everything we've seen so far, the Bible redeems slavery. By that I mean that God's Word takes slavery, a product of sin, and turns it into a powerful image of God's goodness. Consider the beauty of Christ and the gospel reality that our Master has become our servant. As Paul said in Philippians 2:7, the same Jesus who was fully divine "emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men" (emphasis added). The word "slave" in Philippians 2 comes from the same word we see in 1 Timothy 6:1—doulos. Christ took the form of a slave. Jesus took this posture in John 13:4-5 when He wrapped a garment around His waist and washed His disciples' feet. And Mark 10:45 says something similar with regard to the purpose for Jesus' coming: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many." That's the gospel in a nutshell. That's good news!

The essence of Christianity is that our Master has become our servant and so, in turn, we gladly become His slave. The word Paul often uses to describe himself at the beginning of his letters is this same word—doulos—translated as "servant" or "slave."13 A slave is one who belongs to another and is under the authority of another. That was the way Paul wanted to be identified, and it's the way every follower of Christ should want to be identified. We are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ, and unlike the sinful pictures of slavery we see in the world, slavery and service to the Lord Jesus is glorious freedom! It is glad service rendered to a gracious Master. At the end of the day, the question is not whether we are slaves but whose slaves we are. Either we will serve sin and Satan (John 8:34; Rom 6:11), or we will serve the King of kings.109

Reflect and Discuss