The Apostle Paul: “What matters is keeping the commandments of God”

[BobRyan]

Clearly Daniel and his friends had no volition in being taken as slaves. If it didn't matter, Paul would not have counseled people who had volition to leave slavery and not to enter slavery.

Agreed. I was not posting that to say that slaves should not seek to be free. I posted it to show slaves choosing to serve God even though doing so might cost them their lives.

 

[Dkh587]

Not everyone can obey God's commands in the station he is in when he discovers Christ. That happened to many Roman soldiers, for instance. It would not have been possible for many Christians who were enslaved to immoral Roman masters, such as master who used his male Christian slave for homosexual purposes. That's why Paul explicitly advised slaves to gain their freedom if they could, and those who were not slaves to avoid giving themselves into slavery.

We ought to obey God rather than men

I’m sure you’ve read of the 3 Hebrew boys thrown into the fire for not worshipping the image that Nebuchadnezzar set up. It’s in Daniel 3 for anybody who wants to read it.

They were willing to die to obey God’s commandments.

obeying God’s commandments is a choice. You either do it or you don’t.

 

[RDKirk]

We ought to obey God rather than men

I’m sure you’ve read of the 3 Hebrew boys thrown into the fire for not worshipping the image that Nebuchadnezzar set up. It’s in Daniel 3 for anybody who wants to read it.

They were willing to die to obey God’s commandments.

obeying God’s commandments is a choice. You either do it or you don’t.

I just responded to that challenge.

There was also another issue with regard to slavery in Paul's day.

The Spartacus slave revolt had happened less than a century earlier, and that hadn't been the only slave revolt. The Roman government was very sensitive to the threat of slave rebellions and had strict laws requiring slave owners to maintain strict control of their slaves (although it also has to be said that there were some laws that also provided slaves a slight measure of human rights).

Reading all that Paul had to say about slavery and other social issues, it's clear that he was wending a path between preaching the gospel and avoiding having Christianity branded at the outset as a doctrine of rebellion against Roman authority.

 

[Dkh587]

I just responded to that challenge.

There was also another issue with regard to slavery in Paul's day.

The Spartacus slave revolt had happened less than a century earlier, and that hadn't been the only slave revolt. The Roman government was very sensitive to the threat of slave rebellions and had strict laws requiring slave owners to maintain strict control of their slaves (although it also has to be said that there were some laws that also provided slaves a slight measure of human rights).

Reading all that Paul had to say about slavery and other social issues, it's clear that he was wending a path between preaching the gospel and avoiding having Christianity branded at the outset as a doctrine of rebellion against Roman authority.

Do you have any examples of Paul teaching his followers to disobey God if they are afraid of repercussions of man?

 

[RDKirk]

Do you have any examples of Paul teaching his followers to disobey God if they are afraid of repercussions of man?

No. Where would you get that idea?