"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being." Philippians 2:6-7
There are many people who judge God and reject the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ because of the presence of slavery in the Bible. In short, they believe that God condones slavery since He didn't consistently destroy slave owners and slave traders at every opportunity. However, what He did was work within the midst of those both practicing it and trapped under it in order to accomplish His plan of salvation. Often times the word slavery is automatically attributed to the harshness of the African slave trade which engulfed the Western world including the United States as if that is the only form of slavery. While that is probably the worst form of slavery, it is not the only version of it. I don't say this to condone or excuse that form of slavery, only to acknowledge that slavery can take many forms. Ironically enough, one of the most memorable stories in scripture is God's deliverance of the Jews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians (Africans). This is recorded in Exodus 3-15. As you read it take note of the punishment God inflicts on the Egyptians to get an idea of what He thinks about slavery. However, the other form of slavery mentioned in the Bible is that of a servant or bondservant. This is someone who was paid for their work or voluntarily gave themselves to their master in order to work off a debt they owed or as a form of payment for something the servant desired. For example, Jacob served multiple seven-year stints as a bondservant for Laban in order to marry Rachel (i.e. Genesis 29:20). It is not that God condones or ignores slavery of any kind. It has been said that "harsh slavery was common in the Middle East as far back as ancient Egypt. If God had simply ignored it, then there would have been no rules for the treatment of slaves/bondservants and people could have treated them harshly with no rights. But the God-given rights and rules for their protection showed that God cared for them as well. This is often misconstrued as an endorsement of harsh slavery, which it is not. God listed slave traders among the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:10 (“kidnappers/men stealers/slave traders”). This is no new teaching, as Moses was not fond of forced slavery either: "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death (Exodus 21:16)." Slavery still continues to this day in some parts of the world and if you include sex-trafficking in that category, it is still a global industry. Remember, God has already destroyed the entire world once, during the global Flood in the days of Noah, because "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." No doubt slavery is the byproduct of the evil within the human heart. If God were to deal with mankind in a similar fashion today, He would have to destroy the earth again and this conversation about slavery would be made mute.
If you are still struggling or concerned that God condones slavery, consider something else about Him. God was a slave. Yes, the Bible tells us that when God became a human being as Jesus Christ, He became a slave. As Philippians tells us, God gave up his divine privileges, humbled Himself, and became a slave. This also points out that we, in many aspects, are still slaves ourselves. We may not be in physical bondage to any particular human being, but we are still bondservants. After all, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16). What did God, in Christ, have to endure as a human being? He was betrayed by Judas for the price of a slave (Luke 22:4-5). He was beaten to the point of disfigurement and beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). He was mocked (Mark 15:20). He was deserted by His friends (Mark 14:50). He was falsely accused (Matthew 26:59-60). He was sentenced to death (John 19:16). This sounds a lot like what happens to people who are slaves. They are abandoned, without hope of rescue; left to the will of those in power, and often times put to death simply because of who they are not what they have done. The only difference in all of this is that human beings are put into slavery out of the wickedness of their slave owners. When it came to God becoming a slave, He did it out of love for the world. It has been said, "The beloved hymn Amazing Grace was inspired by Negro melodies and rhythms that slaves chanted in pain. Its author John Newton, a former slave trader, heard these melodies and chants of pain and sorrow and out of that came “Amazing Grace” probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries." Imagine, if you will, being John Newton. You are on the long, dark voyage from the coast of Africa to the New World. As you sit atop the slave ship the only sound you hear is the crashing of the waves. When, suddenly, the slaves on your boat start to sing one of their sorrow chants as they struggle to cope with their dire and hopeless circumstances. Now, picture the entire human race in place of those slaves. We were like those slaves; hopelessly sailing towards certain doom awaiting us in an eternity separated from our God. Then, suddenly, our God becomes one of us, frees us from our bondage of slavery and steers our boat towards the shores of freedom. That is what our God did for us through His amazing grace. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."
There are many people who judge God and reject the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ because of the presence of slavery in the Bible. In short, they believe that God condones slavery since He didn't consistently destroy slave owners and slave traders at every opportunity. However, what He did was work within the midst of those both practicing it and trapped under it in order to accomplish His plan of salvation. Often times the word slavery is automatically attributed to the harshness of the African slave trade which engulfed the Western world including the United States as if that is the only form of slavery. While that is probably the worst form of slavery, it is not the only version of it. I don't say this to condone or excuse that form of slavery, only to acknowledge that slavery can take many forms. Ironically enough, one of the most memorable stories in scripture is God's deliverance of the Jews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians (Africans). This is recorded in Exodus 3-15. As you read it take note of the punishment God inflicts on the Egyptians to get an idea of what He thinks about slavery. However, the other form of slavery mentioned in the Bible is that of a servant or bondservant. This is someone who was paid for their work or voluntarily gave themselves to their master in order to work off a debt they owed or as a form of payment for something the servant desired. For example, Jacob served multiple seven-year stints as a bondservant for Laban in order to marry Rachel (i.e. Genesis 29:20). It is not that God condones or ignores slavery of any kind. It has been said that "harsh slavery was common in the Middle East as far back as ancient Egypt. If God had simply ignored it, then there would have been no rules for the treatment of slaves/bondservants and people could have treated them harshly with no rights. But the God-given rights and rules for their protection showed that God cared for them as well. This is often misconstrued as an endorsement of harsh slavery, which it is not. God listed slave traders among the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:10 (“kidnappers/men stealers/slave traders”). This is no new teaching, as Moses was not fond of forced slavery either: "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death (Exodus 21:16)." Slavery still continues to this day in some parts of the world and if you include sex-trafficking in that category, it is still a global industry. Remember, God has already destroyed the entire world once, during the global Flood in the days of Noah, because "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." No doubt slavery is the byproduct of the evil within the human heart. If God were to deal with mankind in a similar fashion today, He would have to destroy the earth again and this conversation about slavery would be made mute.
If you are still struggling or concerned that God condones slavery, consider something else about Him. God was a slave. Yes, the Bible tells us that when God became a human being as Jesus Christ, He became a slave. As Philippians tells us, God gave up his divine privileges, humbled Himself, and became a slave. This also points out that we, in many aspects, are still slaves ourselves. We may not be in physical bondage to any particular human being, but we are still bondservants. After all, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16). What did God, in Christ, have to endure as a human being? He was betrayed by Judas for the price of a slave (Luke 22:4-5). He was beaten to the point of disfigurement and beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). He was mocked (Mark 15:20). He was deserted by His friends (Mark 14:50). He was falsely accused (Matthew 26:59-60). He was sentenced to death (John 19:16). This sounds a lot like what happens to people who are slaves. They are abandoned, without hope of rescue; left to the will of those in power, and often times put to death simply because of who they are not what they have done. The only difference in all of this is that human beings are put into slavery out of the wickedness of their slave owners. When it came to God becoming a slave, He did it out of love for the world. It has been said, "The beloved hymn Amazing Grace was inspired by Negro melodies and rhythms that slaves chanted in pain. Its author John Newton, a former slave trader, heard these melodies and chants of pain and sorrow and out of that came “Amazing Grace” probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries." Imagine, if you will, being John Newton. You are on the long, dark voyage from the coast of Africa to the New World. As you sit atop the slave ship the only sound you hear is the crashing of the waves. When, suddenly, the slaves on your boat start to sing one of their sorrow chants as they struggle to cope with their dire and hopeless circumstances. Now, picture the entire human race in place of those slaves. We were like those slaves; hopelessly sailing towards certain doom awaiting us in an eternity separated from our God. Then, suddenly, our God becomes one of us, frees us from our bondage of slavery and steers our boat towards the shores of freedom. That is what our God did for us through His amazing grace. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."
