Does The Holy Bible Really Condone Slavery?
Posted: Saturday, January 14, 2012
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
Those who follow my writings with any regularity, know that one of my hobbies in my biblical articles is that of study. I believe it absolutely necessary that anyone striving to be pleasing in God’s sight must be an avid student of his word. I repeat once more my favorite thought: “No one can obey God if they don’t know what he says.” And, to add to that, ignorance of his word is inexcusable. Especially here in America and with the present technology, we can access all manner of study helps that will assist us in understanding his word.
From far back in time, much of the world was smothered in idolatry, worshipping idols and just about anything else they could see or hear. And this is one of the strongest abominations in God’s sight which are mentioned in the bible. God created man and with the very purpose that we should live holy and without blame before him in love (Ephesians 1:4) And to worship some inanimate object or some animal or vegetable is condemned more drastically than just about any subject.
With that in mind, and understanding that often times there was no civil law to mete judgment or punishment against those people, God used other nations, even his chosen people to punish them . Those who were irretrievably sunken into such evil were often destroyed completely. Others were taken into captivity and forced into servitude. It is only in these cases where God commanded it to be done.
Other cases of being taken into subjection was not always with God’s approval. But bear in mind, sometime the situation involved something concerning God’s plan preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ. Or concerning his own chosen, the Jews, which he even allowed to be taken into bondage for their disobedience. But aside from these actions taken by God to bring us to Christ, man was his own free moral agent and God only intervened when it had some connection to his plan. So man was guilty of much of it on through the ages, and even today servitude still exists.
Civil authorities have the God granted right to punish lawbreakers. To keep one imprisoned and/or forced to do tasks, whether justified or not, God does not intervene in such matters. His frequent intervention under the pre-Christian dispensations was completely to bring conditions for Jesus to be born in the flesh.
The entire concept of our lives under the rule of our almighty God places us in a condition of servitude. We become servants of God, subject to him, but only by choice. Each man has the prerogative to serve him or not.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. (1 Peter 2:18 KJV)
God is not condoning slavery here. He does not condone someone who kills another. But, if one finds himself in subjection, he is to make the best of it, obey his master and learn to be content in whatever state one finds himself. Being under subjection of others does not relieve one of his duties of living the Christian life. As a general rule, a good servant (slave) will be treated better than a bitter or slothful one.
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