Slavery and Freedom

Slavery and the Servant-Master Role (Old and New Testament)

"...the servant-master roles are described in the OT and the NT. This was a very widespread practice throughout the ancient Near East as well as other parts of the world. It was intertwined with the economic systems. Because this was such a wide practice, there were different types of slavery or servanthood. There were individuals who became servants to pay off debts. There were others who were forced into slavery by a conquering nation."

"In Israel, there were some who voluntarily became servants of a good master for life (Deut 15:15–17). Otherwise, the Hebrew people were required to set a fellow Israelite free after six years of service (Deut 15:12–18). The ESV notes the different types of slavery or servanthood that existed in biblical times and uses different words—slave, servant, or bondservant—to indicate these differences. It is the context that determines which word is used - (See the ESV [English Standard Version] preface, viii–ix.)"

"But the slave/servant and master roles are not prescribed in Scripture as if this were a universal requirement for all societies and all nations, as an institution. This institution is described within the ancient Near Eastern context. In the OT, there are rules that address some abuses of servants by their masters (Exod 21:1–11; Deut 5:14), and rules are given to govern the Israelites. However, the institution of slavery is not removed. Rather than completely removing this practice, some abuses are corrected without completely removing the institution itself. It is clearly evident that in this cultural context, people did not have “ears to ear” God’s higher and ultimate purposes during those times."

"In the NT era, slavery was still a very widespread practice in the Greco-Roman world. If the NT apostles had attempted to overthrow the institution of slavery among the nations, it would have quickly turned Christianity into a political movement, and as a result, the redemptive message of Christ would have been destroyed by the nations. That is how widespread the institution of the servant-master relationship was in those times."

"Rather than engaging in a class-based or race-based warfare, Paul teaches that slaves and free are both equally members of the body of Christ; both have been baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Cor 12:12–13). In the unity of Christ, social distinctions are removed; there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; all of these different groups are “one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). God’s Spirit is poured out on slaves and free (Acts 2:17–18). Bondservants and masters are both advised on how to treat each other well, as they follow Christ (Eph 6:5–9; cf. Titus 2:9–10)."

"Again, there is a dimension of accommodation here: the apostles are not led to force something on the nations that God knows would be rejected by those nations and would result in the destruction of Christianity by turning it into a political movement. Paul advises those who are slaves to gain their freedom if they can (1 Cor 7:21). But he does not advise a political uprising of slaves against masters."

"Within Christian teaching, however, there are principles that would ultimately lead to the end of slavery. Most obvious is what has been called the Golden Rule of Jesus: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” (Luke 6:31 MEV). As an overall statement, no human being would legitimately want to become the physical property of another human being and lose the ability to choose where to go and what to do. The Golden Rule, honestly and carefully applied, would end the practice of slavery."

"The Golden Rule is a powerful principle that comes into focus whenever there are areas of morals or ethics that are not clearly addressed in the NT itself. And there are modern issues (such as medical ethics, environmental ethics, and so on) that can also be effectively addressed by the principle of the Golden Rule when these specific issues are not addressed in the NT itself."

"The principle of the Golden Rule has not always been applied well in church history, and people have sometimes not had “ears to hear” how it should be applied. This has undoubtedly been true in the case of slavery. At times there have been tragic abuses when the church has followed along blindly with the abuses taking place in the cultures of the time."

"In the modern era, Christian leaders such as William Wilberforce and John Wesley in England, and Charles Finney and other Northern leaders in the United States, spoke out against slavery and called for its abolition. Finney (1792–1875) called every believer to join the abolitionist movement in the United States to end the institution of slavery."

"In Southern states, however, the Bible was used to justify the institution of slavery, demonstrating once again that the Bible can be misinterpreted and misused to justify practices that are clearly wrong for a culture. A tragic participant was General Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general. As a general, he was perhaps the most skillful general on either side in the Civil War between the North and the South in the United States (1861–65). And, he was a professing Christian. Yet, so tragically, he took the wrong side on the issue of slavery and fought to keep this Southern institution intact. He fought for slavery, and he used force in an unjust cause. His ability as a general was actually a factor in prolonging the war. However, the North prevailed. During the war Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which proclaimed an end to the practice of slavery in the South (January 1, 1863)."

"The tragic mistake of defending slavery is a reminder that God’s people must walk humbly before God, avoid being controlled by cultural forces, and seek the clearest guidance possible from God’s word. The Golden Rule is a key principle for these purposes."

"We must remember and recount the positive examples in history as well. In more recent history, Martin Luther King Jr., a minister of the gospel, led the modern civil rights movement in the United States to end the racial segregation that was still a by-product of the former institution of slavery. He led a nonviolent protest movement, using the forces of democracy to conquer unjust practices. He paid for this with his life, and his ultimate sacrifice impacted an entire nation. A number of other positive examples could be listed as well."

The above quotes are taken from Key Connections: Understanding the Changes from the Old to New Testament by M. A. Erickson (2023, 189-192).  Wipf and Stock Publishers.

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