“Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited. But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect because they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. Teach them and exhort them about these things” (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NET).
The idea that one human being can be made to serve as the property of another human being is properly viewed by most modern societies as a violation of human rights. We can also say that most modern societies rightly agree that the concept of “slavery” is morally repugnant.
However, the Biblical book of Ephesians tells us, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ” (Ephesians 6:5 NIV). The New Testament letter of Colossians also goes on to say, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” (Colossians 3:22 NIV).
While these passages may seem difficult to reconcile with the unjust practice of slavery, the fact that slavery exists does not necessarily mean that God approves of it. For example, the Scriptures tell us that human beings are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Slavery is clearly the wrong expression of that image.
The Scriptures also tell us that “We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same-we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 TLB). This important New Testament concept is one that eventually served to undermine the master/slave relationship model.
You see, this passage might be compared to a series of small explosive devices that are used to implode a large building. For instance, a builder who seeks to demolish a large, outdated structure rarely does so with one large explosive charge. Instead, the structure is methodically destabilized by a series of controlled detonations that are designed to carefully (but thoroughly) bring the building down with a minimum of collateral damage. (1)
In a similar manner, Galatians 3:28 represented a revolutionary concept: everyone is equal in Christ regardless of their social position. This idea slowly began to fracture the master/slave paradigm and paved the way for a new standard of business and interpersonal relationships.
We’ll examine this impact of this teaching on the master/slave relationship model next.
(1) See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eem7d58gjno for an impressive display of such implosion techniques from around the world