Christians in slavery.

1 Corinthians 7.21-24.

As you likely know, slavery was practiced in bible times. It was part of ancient cultures’ criminal justice systems: If you broke the law, or were on the wrong side in a war, they’d either kill you, fine you, or enslave you. They didn’t do penitentiaries; their prisons either held people for trial, or held slaves.

Occasionally people object to the scriptures, and the apostles, because they didn’t fight slavery, nor declare it sin. To a large degree they didn’t have to. Plenty of scriptures mandated that Hebrews and Christians treat slaves humanely, treat Christian slaves like Christian family, and once they’ve worked off their debts to society, grant them freedom. And American slavery demonstrated that plenty of depraved people will distort or ignore the scriptures for their evil gain, claim to be Christian nonetheless, and eagerly go to war to keep people in chains.

Roman slavery was better than American slavery, but was still rife with abuse, evil, rape, and murder. Just because it happened in the bible, and in many ways is even a biblical principle—as we’ll see in today’s passage—does not mean slavery should still exist. All the more reason we needed to abolish it, and should continue to fight slavery and human trafficking where we find it.

Anyway. The last passage of 1 Corinthians I looked at, was about how Christians—well, male Christians—oughta remain in the same state of ritual circumcision they were in when they came to Jesus. If you’re a circumcised Jew, remain one; if you’re an uncircumcised gentile, remain one. You don’t need to change for Jesus. Work with the situation you’re in.

Today: Same thing if you’re a slave or freeman.

1 Corinthians 7.21-24 KWL

21Were you a slave when God called?

Don’t you mind.

But if you’re able to become free,

behave yourself all the more!

22For a slave called by the Master

is a freeman in the Master.

Likewise a freeman called by the Master

is the Master’s slave.

23You are properly purchased.

Don’t become slaves to people.

24Each person is in the place

where they were called, fellow Christians;

remain there, with God.

If you were a slave when you became Christian, Paul and Sosthenes say, “Don’t you mind.” 1Co 7.21 Slavery doesn’t disqualify you from God’s kingdom. It definitely limits how and where you can minister; your slaveholder has to grant permission, same as the warden of a prison, the case officer of a parolee, or the parent of an undisciplined child. If your slaveholder says you can’t, you really can’t.

But at the same time: Don’t you mind. Don’t worry about it. God is fully aware of your situation, and what you can and can’t do. And he has final say, not your slaveholder.

You are the Master’s slaves.

Yes, I totally said in the third paragraph that slavery is a biblical principle. Because it is! Throughout the bible, God’s followers are called his slaves. Okay, your favorite translation might say “servants” or “bondservants” instead—the King James Version really didn’t wanna use the word “slave” any, and only used it twice—but whether it’s translating the Hebrew word עֶבֶד/evéd or the Greek word δοῦλος/dúlos, it means slaves: People whose lives now belong to God. He saved them—whether it was freeing the Hebrews from the Egyptians, or freeing humanity from sin—so they’re his now. His possession.

The apostles say this very thing in verse 22: “A freeman called [by the Master] is the Master’s slave.” Jesus owns us. It’s why the apostles who wrote the New Testament willingly called themselves his slaves. Even James and Jude, Jesus’s brothers, called themselves his slaves. Jm 1.1, Ju 1.1 ’Cause that’s our place in his kingdom: He’s the King and we’re his subjects.

Yet in the very same verse 22, the apostles also say, “For a slave called by the Master is a freeman in the Master.” Jesus is nothing like a Roman slaveowner; far less like an American one. He didn’t purchase us with his blood so we could spend the rest of our lives with his boot on our necks. He bought us so he could free us, Jn 8.36 befriend us, Jn 15.15 and adopt us into his family. Ga 4.7 We call him Lord or Master lest someone get the idea we have no lord, and maybe they’d like to be our lord, and conquer us… but nope, we do have a Lord; it’s Jesus. We’re his. No one else’s.

So back during Roman times, back when you were enslaved because either you or your parents sinned (’cause parents did indeed sell their children into slavery), if you were concerned your slaveholder might hinder you from following Jesus… well, Jesus can still work with that. Keep behaving yourself; 1Co 7.21 don’t antagonize your slaveholder. Don’t be one of those Christian jerks who ruin their testimonies with dickish behavior, and claim it’s okay if they’re that way ’cause they’re forgiven—or even insanely claim Jesus approves of our fleshly activity. Don’t ruin your chances for gaining your freedom; don’t ruin your chances for winning over your slaveholder!

That is why the apostles advised Christian slaves to keep obeying their slaveholders. Cl 3.22 Not—as Christianist slaveholders and kings were fond of claiming—because there’s some karmic or racial caste system and we’ve gotta stay in our lane; not because there’s some hierarchical Great Chain of Being we’re part of, and we’re to know our place. It’s because God can use your place in the system to help him undermine it. He’s doing away with it at his second coming, but there’s no reason we can’t help things get there now. But not through violent revolution; a peaceful revolution will do the job even better.

Don’t become anyone else’s slave.

When the apostles wrote, “Don’t become slaves to people,” 1Co 7.23 they of course meant the Corinthians to whom they wrote, oughta avoid doing anything to get themselves enslaved. Don’t break the law, don’t go into debt, don’t start a war, and don’t get addicted to anything that’d control your life like a slaveowner.

The same’s true for us. Don’t put yourself in bondage to the things of this world. If you’re in such a bondage—if you’re trapped in a financial situation, trapped in a criminal enterprise, forced to fight someone else’s battle, or hooked on money, sex, power, or dope—get out of that. Jesus has come to free us. Get free.

And if you can’t get out of it—if you’re legitimately stuck in bondage to the things of this world—remember that God’s given you his Holy Spirit, which means God is now in that hard place with you. Like the apostles wrote, “Remain there, with God.” 1Co 7.24 He knew you were stuck there when he called you; he knows you’re stuck there still. But he’ll be with you anyway. He’s not gonna abandon you to your circumstances and sins. Humans do that; God won’t.