What does the Bible say about slavery

Hi Mike,                                                                                                                                                        9/28/2020

                So this letter is just going to be notes im preparing for discussion on a topic my mom and sister asked me to address, slavery and what does the Bible say about slavery? I think I shared with you I started a Bible study with them as a way of encouraging them to read the Bible, they also are doing the 90 day challenging synced up with you and I, which we started day one today (9/28). This letter may come in 2 or 3 parts due to 3 page limit, and may be choppy, so I apologize in advance- hope this makes sense and is a decent read- keel letting His light shine through you! stay positive, keep praying, and keep impacting those around you-

                Start the study by reading Philemon. This is parallel notes from website “the Gospel coalition . org”

Some atheist will say as part of their attack on God or against the teachings of the Bible that the Bible is pro-slavery and how can a loving God be pro-slavery, slavery is obviously not a good thing. Support for their argument can be found in places like Ephesians 6:5: “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters” Colossians 3:22: “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters.” 1 Peter 2:18: “Servants, be subject to your masters.” So how do you respond?

                First- we need to define slavery and understand the context of the times when it was written into the Bible. We generally think of slavery as “race based slavery” or more recently we think of “human sex trafficking.” These two types of slavery are the worst things that could happen in society. The Greek word (doulos) can be translated “slave,” or “servant” or “bondservant,” and often referred to people who had legal and social status in the first-century Roman world. Most were not “slaves” from their birth, or for their whole life, or because of their race—for instance, the Roman jurist Gaius (second century) claimed that most slaves were prisoners of war who actually would have been slaughtered if not made slaves. Other slaves were slaves paying off debts for a temporary period.

And it is important to note that the relationship was completely different in the Biblical times as opposed to American southern slavery where slaves were beaten, raped, and treated very poorly. Exodus 21:26-27 shows protection of slaves, if the slaves do receive beating they are to be let free- 26“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

So then run-away slaves, the Bible teaches to not return the run-away slave which would show that the Bible is not pro-slavery, if the Bible were pro-slavery it should be saying return the slave right, see Deuteronomy 23:15-16 15“You shall not give up to his master a slave1 who has escaped from his master to you. 16He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.

                Another point is that slavery, well it wasn’t even in how we think of slavery at all, but even during the time someone was in a master/slave relationship it was temporary- In OT Israelite regulations freed slaves every seventh year (Exodus 21:2, When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.), commanded the death penalty for kidnapping (Exodus 21:16, “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.), and sought to limit the institution in protection of the slave. Unlike the transatlantic slave trade, in the Bible slavery was not organized by race but rather by circumstance and economics (people who owed large debt could become slaves- Jacob and Laban where Jacob served 7 years to marry his daughter, and then was tricked and served 7 more, see Genesis 31).

                Back to Exodus 21:16 notice that if you kidnapped a person you were to be put to death, but it wasn’t just the kidnapping- if you were in possession of a kidnapped person you were to be put to death- it is very difficult to see any reasonable way around this for slave owners during the trans-atlantic slave trade, this passage clearly shows it was wrong to own slaves of that trade, the people who were kidnapped and transported over the world, these slave owners were in possession of people who were stolen and by Biblical law deserved to be punished by death.

                Going back to the actual master/slave relationship, we can see in a passage such as Genesis 24, the relationship between Abraham and his top servant is much different than the master/slave relationship of the slavery we think of in America, for example a quick look at Genesis 24:2 “And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had” shows that the servant had charge of everything Abraham had, this would never happen with master/slave relationships of the 1500-1800 time periods- this is not the “slave” that we think of when we think of a slave coming from Africa.

                Next- think about this concept- Biblical instruction that allows for practices like slavery, polygamy, and divorce in certain contexts isn’t necessarily Biblical approval. Progressive revelation means that God didn’t reveal his will and character to humanity all at once, but gradually over a long period of time. So you look at the entire narrative of Biblical revelation to interpret it fairly, rather than just pull a verse from here or there. Christians also believe God accommodates his revelation to particular historical contexts, and even to fallen social structures within them. This makes sense when you think about it, unless we require that God refrain from giving any instructions or laws to a particular people at a particular time until all societal evil has been removed. As an example, what if I encourage a soldier on the battlefront to follow the orders of his commanding officers—does this reveal my complete perspective on the military, the war he is fighting in, or war itself? Not necessarily. You would need more information to determine that.

There are two massive mountain peaks in biblical revelation that must be taken into account: 1. creation, which tells us all humans are made equally in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–28, 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 5:1–3 1This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man1 when they were created. 3When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.,

Genesis 9:6 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.), and 2. the Gospel, which tells us God has overcome racial/social/religious divisions at the cross (Ephesians 2:11–22 11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,4 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by5 the Spirit;

Galatians 3:28 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave7 nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.), and will one day create a people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9 9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”) who dwell together in perfect harmony.

Creation is essential to consider because it reveals God’s original intent for the human race. And the gospel is essential because it reveals the ultimate trajectory of God’s redemptive work.

Further support against the idea of racial oppression, slavery based on race as trans-atlantic slave trade, see Genesis 17 shows God will send a king through Abraham and His kingdom will extend to all people groups- Genesis 17: 4-8 Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram,2 but your name shall be Abraham,3 for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” AND Genesis 49 shows us Jacob blessing his sons according to Gods providence, scepter is a ruling state- this is showing us God is forming a people to accomplish a global purpose, God is saying I will send a king through your line and all peoples will bow down to Him, nothing is accidental, it is all intentional, every detail in the OT is pointing to King Jesus, all history points to Jesus- and Genesis shows us God’s promises extend to all people groups- 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;1 and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

If we latch onto Ephesians 6:5 but neglect the larger context of the biblical story, we may miss the forest for the trees. By analogy, imagine saying “You’re a bad doctor” because the incision really hurt—without considering his medical degree or the purpose of the surgery.

                Philemon- Paul’s letter to a slaver owner (Philemon) about his runaway slave (Onesimus). The whole occasion for Paul’s writing is that Onesimus, since running away from Philemon, has become a Christian. If Scripture were truly pro-slavery, what would you expect Paul to say here. It is anti-slavery again here as Paul instructs Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave . . . but as a dear brother”—and he appeals to Philemon to “receive him as you would receive me” (v. 17).

In other words, Paul dissolves the slave/master relationship, and erects in its place a brother/brother relationship, in which the former slave is treated with all the dignity with which the apostle himself would be treated. Thus, even before the actual institution of slavery is abolished, the work of the gospel abolishes the assumptions and prejudices that make slavery possible.

Paul’s letter to Philemon may not amount to a full abolitionist manifesto—after all, like the other passages above, it’s operating in a particular context and doesn’t speak at the societal level. But I think it shows how the logic of the gospel is utterly opposed to slavery. And at the very least, considering Paul’s writings to Philemon makes it difficult to simply quote Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3 and then consider the issue settled.

Want to end with the “Gospel in a nutshell passage” which clearly shows the Gospel is for all- all people groups- for “whoever” we take that literally, any person from any people group in any situation- for every single person there is hope-

John 3:16-21 16“For God so loved the world,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Alright Mike- that’s all my notes for my discussion tonight- im going to get this in the mail to you in a 2 part letter, if you received this first then the beginning should come shortly- I hope you are well- take care friend, keep impacting those around you- stay strong with the 90 day Bible reading, keep praying, and keep letting His light shine through you- thank you for your fellowship- your brother mike