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NASB | Ephesians 6:5 ¶ Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 6:5 ¶ Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with respect for authority, and with a sincere heart [seeking to please them], as [service] to Christ-- |
Bible Question: When Paul talks about slaves being in subjection unto their masters, what type of slavery is Paul talking about? Was it the kind of slavery the Israelites suffered in Egypt or slavery in relations to "employees" having a Christ-like attitude towards their employers?' What type of slavery was Paul endorsing in the new testament? (Eph 6:5-6) |
Bible Answer: Greetings Humility! According to the 1972 movie "1776", John Adams, the 2nd U.S. President, once remarked concerning slavery "Mark me, Franklin. If we give in on this issue, there will be trouble one hundred years hence. Posterity will never forgive us." His foresight not only predicted the Civil War within a decade of its occurrence, but it struck a Biblical principle that the Fathers of the American Revolution strove to interweave into the new government that they were shaping - and that principle was and is "freedom." The Spirit of the Lord proclaims liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners! (see Isaiah 61:1) Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (see 2 Cor. 3:17) The Bible has much to say about slavery.. Every ancient people of which there are any historical records practiced slavery: Egyptians, Sumarians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Syrians, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Greeks, Romans and even the Israelites, at the height of their power, institued slavery (1 Kings 5:13-18, 9:20-23, 2 Chr. 2:17-18). The Israelites could not subject their own people to slavery (Lev. 25:42), but they did subject people of other nationalities to slavery, even though they as a people were once slaves (Exodus 1-3). People became slaves in several ways: enemies captured in war (Gen. 14:21), a person in severe debt (Ex. 21:2-6), a child born into a family of slaves (Gen. 15:3). Under God's law, no slave could be treated harshly (Lev. 25:39), and if a slave was beaten, the law said he could go free (Ex. 21:26-27; Lev. 25:40-42). In Paul's day, slavery was rampant and widespread throughout the Roman empire and slaves consisted of at least one third of the entire population. Slavery was an accepted part of life (Col. 4:1; Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22) and almost all jobs could and were filled by slaves. Slaves were the tools of their masters (Rev. 18:13). Paul instructed believers to be obedient to government (even if unjust) for the sake of the Lord (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-17). But Paul did not condone oppression and tyranny, of which the Bible condemns (Ex. 2:23-25; Isaiah 10:1; Acts 5:29; Daniel 3:6). Paul was a Roman citizen, but he did not own any slaves. Paul taught that slaves obey and show humility to their masters (Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3:22-25) and masters were to treat their slaves fairly (1 Tim. 6:1-2; 1 Cor. 7:21; Eph. 5:9; Col. 3:22-23; 4:1). The New Testament nowhere directly attacks slavery. If it had done so, then the resulting slave insurrections would have been brutally suppressed and the message of the Gospel would have been hopelessly confused with that of social reform. As detestable as slavery is, the New Testament does not promote or sanction revolt of slaves (1 Cor. 7:20-24). Had it done so, many would perhaps have flocked to the anti-slavery cause and not to Christ. In fact, the closest that the Bible comes to actually condemning slavery is in Jeremiah 34:8-22 when God said that part of the reason why the Israelites were suffering His judgment was because they did not set the slaves free according to His law (Exodus 21). Some have criticized the Bible for not calling an end to slavery. But Paul preached the equality of both slaves and free men before Christ, a principle that would eventually undermine the institution of slavery (1 Cor. 7:22, Galatians 3:28; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:11). In fact, when a runaway slave named Onesimus once came to Paul and became a believer of Christ under Paul's preaching (Philemon 10,19), Paul stated that there was now a 'change in relationship' between Onesimus, the slave, and his master, Philemon, since both were Christians (Philemon 16-17). Paul stressed that Philemon accept Onesimus as a brother, even though he was a runaway slave, and this is the purest picture of forgiveness between master and slave in the entire Bible. Paul was not denouncing slavery or saying that Onesimus must be freed as a slave, but Paul does say that we are all 'one' in Christ! (Galatians 3:28; Col. 3:11). When a person puts their faith in Christ, certain social distinctions no longer apply: masters vs slaves (Gal. 3:28, Col. 3:11), Hellenists and Hebrews (Acts 6:1-7), Jews and Samaritans (Acts 8:5-8), Gentiles and Jews (Acts 8:26-40, 10:1-48) and men and women (Acts 16:14-15, 18:1-4,24-28). Therefore, even though the Bible does not necessarily openly call an end to slavery, it does provide the 'underpinnings' for a foundation of equality and freedom that eventually brought an end to this evil social system in America, and works throughout the entire world as Christianity spreads to every corner of the Earth. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Eph 6:5 | Author | ||
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LLathrop | ||
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LLathrop | ||
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humility | ||
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Searcher56 | ||
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Makarios |