The early Christian church, like ours and many other churches
today, consisted of a multi-faceted spectrum of people: male and female, young & old, married and
single, rich and poor, Jews and gentile – that is, multicultural. The church in
those days was also composed of slaves. There
are millions of slaves in the world today and so we can’t ignore this subject.
Global estimates indicate that
there are as many as forty million people living in various forms of
exploitation known as modern slavery. Mauritania, an African nation was the last nation to abolish slavery in
1981. However, it did not pass a law criminalizing the practice until 2007. The
Global Slavery Index for 2018 estimates that 90,000 people in Mauritania are
living as slaves. [1]
Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society
and the economy. Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services
and not a few were employed in highly
skilled professions. It is estimated
that slaves at the end of the 1st
century BC consisted of 20 to 30 percent of Italy's population.[2]
Roman slaves came from all over Europe and the Mediterranean, including Gaul,
Hispania, North Africa, Syria, Germany, Britannia, the Balkans, Greece, etc. Slaves
were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unlike
Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual
exploitation, torture and summary execution.
All this raises a major question: Why
does the Bible not condemn slavery ouright?
The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It has a subversive approach to this problem.
We find this grand principle in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The Bible sees all of mankind as equal, all having been created in the image of God. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”. The Bible affirms the principle of freedom- although it is freedom from the slavery of sin that is envisaged here. I remind you that this is a greater evil, for its has eternal consequences.
So the Bible does not condemn slavery outrightly, but it certainly to regulate
it [3],and through aprocess of sunversion eliminate it. The Bible gives instructions on how
slaves should be treated (e.g. Deut.15:12-15;
Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1). What we will see here in our text is that Paul,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, addresses both slaves and masters, showing how
their faith should radically change the way in which they relate to one
another. Charles Hodge observes that as both sides treated one another in this
Christian manner, “first the evils of
slavery, and then slavery itself, would pass away as naturally… as children
cease to be minors.” [4] Our Christian faith works different to
politics. The Christian faith does not work primarily with outward
circumstances. It works with the heart. By changing one heart at a time the Christian
faith would gradually and systematically exterminate slavery.
Christianity gave slaves an equal place in the church. Paul’s
letter to Philemon concerning a runaway slave Onesimus confirms that. We are not surprised then to
read in church history that leaders such as Gregory of Nyssa (c.335- 395AD) and John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) called for good treatment for slaves
and condemned slavery.[5]
According to tradition, Bishop Clement of
Rome (35–99 AD), Bishop Pius of Rome
(?-154 AD) and Bishop Callistus of
Rome (?–222/3 AD) were all former
slaves. Writing after the legalization
of Christianity by Roman authorities, Augustine
(354–430 AD), bishop of Hippo in North Africa described slavery as being against God's intention and resulting
from sin.[6] The
Gospel brings about a massive change in society. It is the gospel, changing one
heart at a time, which led to the abolishment of slavery in the 19th
century. So we see that Paul doesn’t begin by crusading against this form
of injustice. He begins by spreading the gospel. The Gospel is the antidote to the virus of
sin. Please note that Paul did not support
slavery. He spoke of “enslavers” as
ungodly and sinful (1 Tim.1:9-10). He told slaves, “If
you can gain your freedom, do so” (1
Cor. 7:21).
Slavery is not a good thing, for it robs people of their God
given freedom. In our own country,
Namibia, an unnamed tribe in the 1800’s sold members of other tribes into the
hands of Portuguese traders and into slavery and into suffering. The gospel preached
by missionaries like Martin Rautanen
(1845-1926) who lies buried in Olukonda ultimately
undid this horrible social evil.
THE LOGIC OF EPHESIANS
Paul in Eph. 1 expounds
the glorious way in which God brings people to salvation. In Eph. 2-3 he shows how Jews and Gentiles are joined by
the gospel into one body- the church.
And in Eph.4-6 he focusses on the
quality and nature of these relationships in the context of the church. Having discussed the subject of unity and
purity in God's church (Eph.4), he
narrows the focus down to three kinds of
relationships, where stresses and strains are easily felt in God's body:(i) husbands & wives (Eph.5:22–33) (ii) parents &
children (Eph.6:1– 4) (iii) slaves
& masters (Eph.6:5 – 9).
Slaves/ masters –
employer/ employee relationships
How were Christian slaves to behave, now that they belonged
to Christ, and yet often continued to work for harsh masters? And how were
Christian masters to behave towards their slaves? Again, the overarching
principle is mutual submission out of reverence for Christ (5:21).
And again we see the biblical logic that if a man began to apply his
faith, then the inevitable result would be that he would become a better master
or slave. Ultimately a master would have to consider whether it could be God's
will to own another human being.
1.
6:5 – 8 Duties of slaves/ employees
to their masters/ employers
a.
Slaves/ employees are called to obey their earthly masters/employers. The word here (Gk. hupakouo) translates literally “to
get under and listen”.
b.
They are to do so “with fear and
trembling, with a sincere heart”.
Fear and trembling -with respect to whom?
There is only one we should fear and before whom we should tremble. It is God! The
fear and trembling before man or circumstances is never commended in Scripture.
c.
Why do they do this? Answer: 'as you would Christ'. All authority
is ultimately from Him (read 1 Peter 2:13 - 15;18ff for commentary). The Bible sees the Lord God
ultimately as the One who establishes and tears down authorities. He even
allows wicked rulers and masters to rule for a while to accomplish His purposes[7]. Evil rulers/ masters cannot last, and in due
course they will be punished for the evil they do. This does also not mean that
slaves/ employees must approve of tyrannical methods or that they must melt with fear before their masters. No! This
fear and trembling relates to the fact that they have an assignment from Christ,
and in submitting (as long as it does not contradict God’s clear commandments[8])
they actually submit to Christ.[9]
Slaves/employees should recognize that
they must conduct themselves properly before their employers because Christ
commands them to do so. What about Christian slaves with non-Christian masters?
In Titus 2:9-10 Paul taught them to
care more about the salvation of their masters than about their own slavery. It
would be far worse for a non-Christian master to suffer in hell forever than
for a Christian slave to endure a few bad years. The main concern was not just
social and political equality but to lead people to salvation and make them
brothers and sisters in God’s family.
d.
Paul urged Christian slaves to focus
more on the privilege of belonging to Christ than on the problem of being in
slavery. The great
duty of Christian employees today is not to insist on their human rights (etc.)
more than honour Jesus in their work. Teachers should teach with that in mind;
Doctors should treat their patients with Christ's compassion; shop assistants
should serve customers as if they served Christ; accountants should audit books
with diligence and care as if they did that for Jesus – “not by way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants
(slaves) of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service
with a good will as to the Lord and
not to man… ”(6:6,7)
e.
“…knowing that whatever good one
does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or
free.” (6:8). God is going to reward our work. Remember
this principle. If we are not adequately rewarded in our vocation having served
for Christ’s sake, remember that we will be rewarded by our heavenly Father.
f.
What is the point of such an
attitude? It certainly is a most unusual. It assumes
humility. A humble, Christ-like spirit opens the heart's door to hard hearts.
Observe the attitudes of slaves like Nehemiah, Daniel or Esther in relationship
to their pagan Kings. These kings thought highly of them.
2.
6:9 Duties of employers to employees
Christian masters/employers are given three principles:
(i)
Treat your slaves/ employees with
respect. If you wish
to be respected, respect, them; if you expect service from them – serve them.
It is an application of the golden rule (Matt.
7:12-14).
(ii)
Do not threaten them: As parents are not to provoke their
children, so masters are not to threaten their servants. A relationship based
on threats is no relationship at all.
(iii)
Knowing
that Jesus is Master of employer/master and also the employee’s/slaves Master, and that there is no partiality with
Him, levels the ground for both.
CONCLUSION
The times when Christians had the greatest influence in
society were not when they were concerned with politics and social change first
and foremost, but when they proclaimed the gospel of the forgiveness of sins
and the coming kingdom of God.
The gospel changes hearts. This has great significance for
how we conduct ourselves in our respective roles. Slaves/employees serve their
masters honestly and ethically. Masters/ employers treat their slaves/
employees kindly, remembering that they are accountable to Christ. When Christ
sets individuals free from sin, the impact ripples throughout entire societies
and nations. Wherever people trust in Jesus and take to heart his words, “You have only one Master and you are all
brothers,” slavery shrivels and discrimination dies.
As new creatures in Christ both should remember that this
life is passing. All believers are pilgrims in this world looking forward to
their true home in heaven with Christ our Saviour in a new world free of
prejudice. This provides a radical new understanding of relationships that is
different from anything worldly philosophies have to offer. May Christ’s
kingdom come. May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!
[3] In the same way the Bible does not endorse divorce , but regulates it e.g. Deut.
24 1-4
[4] Commentary
on the Epistle to the Ephesians [Eerdmans, p. 370)
[6]
AUGUSTINE : The City of God (Book 19 ), Chapter 15 - Of the Liberty Proper to
Man's Nature, and the Servitude Introduced by Sin. “The prime cause, then, of slavery is sin, which brings man under the
dominion of his fellow [sinful man] ... But by nature, as God first created us,
no one is the slave either of man or of sin.
[7] as
illustrated in the prophecy of Habakkuk
[8]
E.g. Acts 4:19.20
[9] Note
that this is true for all three these
relationships described here
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