“All those who are slaves should show full respect to their masters. Then God’s name and our teaching will not be criticized. Some slaves have masters who are believers, so they are brothers. Does this mean they should show their masters any less respect? No, they should serve them even better, because they are helping believers, people they should love. This is what you must teach and tell everyone to do” (1 Timothy 6:1-2 ERV).
As we consider the Scriptural teachings on the subject of slavery, its important to begin with the recognition that people throughout most of human history have not viewed slavery as something evil, immoral, or wrong.
For instance, a great moral wrong (like slavery) may become established as a cultural norm whenever a society chooses to abandon the God of the Scriptures. Jesus once illustrated this idea with the following observation: “You know that in this world kings are tyrants and officials lord it over the people beneath them” (Matthew 20:25 NLT).
In light of this, we can say that a society that recognizes the God of the Scriptures and accepts the fact that every human being will stand before a just, fair, and morally perfect Creator is not likely to engage in such behavior. Jesus also made another statement that relates to this subject: “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34 NIV). With this in mind, it shouldn’t surprise us to encounter examples of physical enslavement among those who are spiritually enslaved.
These historical realities represent an important starting point for discussion on this subject. You see, the Roman Empire (which controlled most of the known world at the time of this letter) accepted slavery as a legitimate sector of the national economy. In fact, there were approximately 60 million human beings who served as slaves during that period. That number may have comprised up to half the population of the Roman Empire.
Slaves within the Roman Empire were recognized as the property of their owners and were viewed no differently than we might view a screwdriver, an appliance, or other such implement. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle summarized this perspective with the following observation: “…a slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave.” (1) These realities thus serve as the historical context for these remarks.
While some may view these verses as an expression of support for the concept of slavery, we’ll see how these teachings actually served to undermine the master/slave model of working relationships next.
(1) Nicomachean Ethics