Answering the Slavery Question

You have probably been confronted with the objection that the Bible condones slavery. This is often used as a way of undermining the Bible, and thereby criticizing the morality of the Christian faith. While no doubt the sin of slavery has to be owned by many Christians throughout history, there are some mitigating factors important to keep in mind.

The Bible gives us the foundation for equality

In contrast to a might-makes-right, survival-of-the-fittest perspective, the biblical account of creation reveals human beings as made in the image of God. The pages of both the Old  and New Testament give us accounts of human depravity, admitting people do all different kinds of horrendous things to one another. However, in the beginning God made human beings to freely know, worship, and serve Him. The summary of the Law of God is to love our neighbor as ourselves (Gal 5:14). That is a foundation worth standing upon!

Slavery was nearly universal in the ancient world

While today almost every society would agree that slavery is wrong, that was simply not the case throughout most of history, especially the pre-Christian world. Aristotle wrote, “that some should rule and others be ruled is a thing not only necessary, but expedient; from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.” History is replete with slavery with very few exceptions. This does not justify slavery, but it does give us the context into which the Bible is written.

Slavery in Israel was limited

The Old Testament stands out in radical distinction to the ancient cultures of its day. An important distinction was that a Hebrew slave had a term limit. He or she was enslaved for up to six years, often to pay off a debt, and then released. When freed, he was to be well paid, “And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him,” (Deut 15:13-14). Slaves were not to be mistreated (Ex 21:20), were given the Sabbath to rest (Ex 20:10), and a runaway slave was not to be returned to his master (Deut 23:15). This was extraordinarily counter-cultural for its day.

Israel’s primary story is about freedom from slavery

The Exodus of the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt was commemorated annually at the Passover and taught as part of the very fabric of their chosen nation. Care for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow was based on this event: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this” (Deut 24:22). The Exodus was often used during the Civil Rights movement in America as an inspiration towards equality. It should not be lost that a movement from slavery to freedom is at the heart of the Bible.

The New Testament calls us to equality in Christ

While it is true that there is no command to set free all slaves immediately, when it comes to the New Testament it is clear that Christ changes everything: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,” (Gal 3:28). Numerous passages point us in this direction: If a slave is able to gain his freedom, he should do so (1 Cor 7:21). Philemon is called to receive Onesimus back not as a slave but as a brother (Philem 16). Slavery is used negatively as a spiritual analogy to bondage to sin (e.g. Rom 6:16).

The Early Church transcended slavery

One of the distinguishing markers of the early church was the ability for its fellowship to transcend slavery. “Here were societies in which aristocrats and slaves,” writes historian Michael Green, “Roman citizens and provincials, rich and poor mixed on equal terms and without distinction: societies which possessed a quality of caring and love which was unique. Herein lay its attraction.” 

Abolition was led by Christians

While abolition came far later in human history than we may have hoped, it came primarily by the hand of Christian men and women. Men like William Wilberforce in England, and Frederick Douglass in America, relied heavily upon the Bible and their Christian faith to advocate fiercely for the abolition of slavery. While some Christians continued to use handpicked verses to defend slavery, the weight of the Bible and Christian morality was in the favor of the abolitionists. 

Christians should regretfully admit that our history has been far from perfect on this issue. What we can say is Christianity has been the strongest force against slavery in the world: not secularism, not Eastern religions, not Islam, but faith in Jesus Christ who came to free sinners from the bondage of slavery by becoming a servant for us. Even as slavery still exists in various pockets of the world, especially in the form of human trafficking, it is Christian organizations and ministries that lead the way on the front lines against it.

Rick Harrington is a pastor at First Baptist Church - Haverhill in Massachusetts and the Provost of the BCNE Multiplication Center. He is the author of the books "How to Find a Church: Seven Steps to Becoming Part of a Spiritual Family" "The Weight of Preaching: Heralding the Gospel of Grace", and his new book "Churching: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church in the Christian Life."