Questioner: Josh
Subject: Slavery and the BibleQuestion:
- Hello: I have a statement about slavery and would like to know if it is correct:
The bible clearly does outright condemn slavery - it even has laws regulating it. And even goes as far - in Genesis - to say that GOD blessed Abraham by increasing his number of slaves (paraphrased of course).
My opinion is this: If you fell off a building, we do not think if "Unfair" and get mad at the law of gravity that we fall and get hurt - we just accept, without question, that the law of gravity is there regardless of our feelings regarding it and it always will act in the same way. We feel or think this way regarding any of the laws of nature - we may be upset if we get burned by fire - but we certainly dont call the laws of physics "Unfair."
This being the case, I have come to the following conclusion and would like your opinions on it:
In order to "Save," the human race, God's most moral option was that of choosing his son to die for us - in turn, we must become "slaves of Christ rather than slaves of sin" it is one or the other - no questions asked. That being the case - since, as the bible says, the heavens and earth will melt away but the smallest part of my word will never perish - I have concluded the following. The fact of slavery, at least in biblical times - is not a moral question to be argued over, but rather, a force, like the forces of nature - only stronger (since the forces of nature will pass away but not the word of God). God HAD TO allow the "Force" or the theology of slavery to exist, fair or not, hurtful or not, in order that if he DIDNT - then he could not save us by applying the same laws of slavery to Christ in regards to those who are saved by being a slave to him. In other words, Like gravity, or light, etc etc etc - the idea of slavery is neither moral nor immoral, but rather a necessity (not that we should condone it now) in order for God to have arranged the universe and his laws regarding it to allow for our "being a slave to Christ" to exist - if he didnt - no one could be saved.
If you look at the laws in exodus regarding slavery, they somewhat mimick Christ's ownership of us - the fact that the institution of slavery can exist in God's eyes therefore takes on a form of comfort in that we are saved by being slaves to his son rather than taking on a form of cruelty in the way men have treated their slaves.
What do you think?
John of AllFaith's reply
Hi Josh,Thanks for writing.
I believe you mistyped. You meant to write: "The bible clearly does [not] outright condemn slavery..." correct?
It not only does not outlaw it, as you say it honors it as a viable institution in both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures.
I will agree with you that far.
I will not agree however that slavery was like gravity etc. God created the planet to be a paradise. We don't know exactly what it would be like today had humanity not fallen into sin, but we can be fairly certain of the following:
- Gravity would exist.
Slavery would never had been implemented (there is no reference to it prior to the Fall and no indication it was even considered. In the New Heaven and the New Earth there is no reference to it either, implying it will not exist. That kingdom will fulfill God's original intention for the earth, i.e. what the world would have been like had the Fall never happened:
-
Isa 55:11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.)
Humans did not create gravity etc. Human did create the notion and practice of slavery.
When we read the Torah and other parts of the Bible we find God working within human structures. For instance, God gave Israel a theocracy but they wanted a king, so God said, OK, you want a king... here's how it will work...
In the same way humans began to lord it over their peers due to culture, race, religion, wars victories, etc. etc. and God gave the inspiration that if you are going to practice slavery, it must be done as justly as possible, hence laws were given concerning how masters and society would treat slaves. This does not mean that God ever approved of slavery, only that God never abandons us, even if we are enslaved. Prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of the Gentile Times (70 CE to the present), God was more directly involved, giving laws etc. however even during the theocracy we humans had free will.
Slavery is solely the result of humans misusing their freedoms and powers.
As for Christians being slaves of Christs...
Christians choose to be slaves to God by their own free will. Hence we are not so much "slaves" as we are "servants." We can choose to serve God or not, slaves have no such options.
It is said that Jesus spoke to the people in parables 'and without a parable he spoke not unto them' (I too paraphrase). Slavery was an active institution of the time and a fitting example to use. We are also referred to as the sons of God and as younger siblings of Jesus. Many parables and similes are used in Scripture. These must be understood in context. Jesus says for instance, 'if your eye offends you pluck it out,' even though some few have literally done this (I know one such person), that wasn't what he meant.
The people of this planet have mainly decided that slavery is unjust -- there are exceptions still -- and so we (humans) have (largely) abolished it.
The Will of God, in my opinion, is for a world where people use their free will to choose to worship God and honor one another. Slavery stands in direct contrast to this.
- Lev. 19:18: Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD
- Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
- I Cor. 7:21: Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
"Use it rather" ... if the practice exists, accept it, but given the choice, it is better to be free. Given the choice, slavery is to be rejected.
- Col 4:1: Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven."
Yet nonetheless, Paul does not order Christians to free their slaves.
The biblical view then, in my opinion, is that slavery is acceptable if a society chooses to have it. It is not however preferable.
Is this a moral issue? That depends on one's definition of "moral." I do not think Abraham and other ancient slaveholders were immoral, because it was the universal custom of the times. I think it most assuredly is immoral today however.
Hope this helps,
-
~John of AllFaith
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