Does Paul and the Rest of the Bible Endorse Slavery?

As soon as they come across Paul's reference to slaves in verses 1-2, many Christians begin to wonder whether the apostle Paul was endorsing slavery. Other passages in the New Testament that deal with slavery, like Ephesians 6:5-9 and Colossians 3:22-4:1, may create the same question in our minds. Then, when we turn to the Old Testament and see how it deals with the issue of slavery, we may be made to wonder even more. Perhaps you're wondering even now, "Does God support slavery?"

The question of slavery is one of the most significant questions posed to Christianity, particularly considering the kinds of slavery practiced by Christians in Europe and the Americas – South, Central, and North America - in previous centuries. That is why we need to understand what the Bible has to say on this issue and, more specifically, why Paul would write what he did in several of his letters, and here in 1 Timothy 6:1-2.

Before launching into the issue of slavery, I want to call your attention to three groups in 1 Timothy 5-6 that are different in several ways, but are united in one way by one word. They are men and women, slaves and free, young and old, workers at home and in church, church leaders and church members. What unites them? It is the word “honor”. The church is to “honor” real widows and care for them (1 Tim. 5:3). Presbyters who lead well are to be counted worthy of a “double honor” (1 Tim. 5:17). Slaves are to regard their masters as worthy of “honor” (6:1). The same Greek word, as either a verb {timaò) or a noun (timè), occurs in each of these three verses. Indeed, the duty to honor people is much emphasized in Scripture. For example, we read in 1Peter 2:17, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” Again, in Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”  Every human being is worthy of honor, even pagan slave owners. Why? Because they have been made in the image of God. If we perceive the intrinsic worth of human beings by creation, and therefore recognize them as worthy of honor, all our relationships will be enriched and dignified.

As we deal with the issue of slavery, we must keep in mind that it is just as relevant for us now in the twenty-first century as it was to Pastor Timothy and the church in Ephesus in the first century.

1. Slavery in History

Slavery long predated Christianity, and many of the early Christians were slaves in the Roman Empire. Without exception, the pre-Christian world accepted slavery as normal and desirable. The great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and all the civilizations in Central America and Africa were built upon slave labor.

People became slaves by being a bankrupt debtor, or by being sold into slavery by their parents, or by being born to slave parents, or by being captured in war, or through kidnapping by slave raiders and pirates. Slave dealing was an accepted way of life, fully established in all societies. Many of these slaves were white people, or Europeans. In fact, the very word “slave” in English comes from the people of Eastern Europe, the “Slavs.”

World history is filled with several types of slavery, which means we should be careful when we talk about this subject. When you hear the word slavery, what kind of images immediately pop up in your mind” Probably a person from Africa with chains around their necks, or picking cotton, or being whipped by their masters - images that represent abuses and injustices. While many of these images may be historically accurate in certain contexts, not all forms of slavery have looked the same in their respective era or location. We will briefly consider four different ways in which slavery has been practiced in history.

First, we have the model of Hebrew servanthood. When we look at God's laws for His people in the Old Testament, we see a system of Hebrew servanthood that was set up for impoverished Israelites to become servants. This servanthood was designed to provide for poorer Israelites and their families. Even though Deuteronomy 15:1-18 tells us that God desires that none of His people are poor, He nevertheless makes provision for those in poverty, since poverty is a reality in a sinful and imperfect world. Leviticus 25:35-43 describes a system of servanthood in Israel whereby someone could sell himself into slavery in order to escape poverty. Such an individual was to be treated not as a slave, but as a hired servant, a worker. The individual would basically enter into a contractual agreement with an employer, working until he could establish himself as a free and full citizen again.

Second, there was Roman slavery. Slavery was deeply ingrained into the Roman Empire and its economy. Some scholars estimate that over one-third of the people in the Roman Empire were slaves - that's approximately 50 or 60 million individuals!

Out of those 50-60 million slaves, there were a variety of different practices of slavery in this era of history. Some slaves were simply employees who did a variety of different kinds of work: teachers, craftsmen, managers, cooks, and even government officials. Many slaves owned slaves themselves. It's also important to recognize that Roman slavery was not fundamentally based on ethnicity or skin color but on economic and social status. In order to gain Roman citizenship and thus enter into Roman society, many people would sell themselves into slavery. In many cases slavery was beneficial for poorer individuals, providing security and stability for slaves in a variety of different venues. There were also opportunities beyond slavery, for many slaves were released by the time they were 30 years of age, as they had become capable of providing for themselves at that point.

Despite the more humane practices of slavery in some cases, we don't want to paint an idealistic picture of slavery. After all, a slave was still a slave - marginalized, powerless, and often prone to disgrace or insult.

Third, there was a form of slavery called indentured servitude. This form of slavery was more common in colonial America, as many could not afford to come to the new country on their own. They would contract themselves out as indentured servants and agree to work in certain households in apprentice-type roles until they could earn enough money to pay off their debt. Historians estimate that over one-half to two-thirds of European white immigrants who came to America came as indentured servants. This picture of slavery is much closer to Hebrew servanthood than anything else.

Fourth, there is the slavery connected to the African slave trade. This is called “chattel” slavery (chattel means once personal possession). This is the type of slavery that was promoted across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to such an extent that millions upon millions of Africans were traded and sold across Europe, and the Americas. It was based primarily on the color of one’s skin. Africans were sold – a majority of them – captured by Muslim invaders - and were transported in cruel, grueling conditions that would leave many of them dead before arriving at their destination. Upon being sold into slavery, these slaves were subjected to harsh working conditions as well as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and torture.

In the Southern states of the USA chattel slavery was built on three pillars: dehumanizing racism, manstealing, and perpetual generational sin. Without these pillars, the institution would have collapsed. 

African slaves were not legally seen as humans. They were treated as property, not servants. Unlike indentured servants, they never agreed to their servitude. They had no legal recourse, could not press charges or file complaints, could be forcibly bred like animals, could not earn their freedom, and their children were also enslaved. 

Despite continued denials and whitewashings by some today, one of the most upsetting aspects of American slavery was the tremendous support it found in churches and pulpits. Most churches, ministers, and conservative Christians in the South either actively or passively supported the system and rarely did anything to curtail its widespread abuses, even when those abuses sometimes surfaced among members of their own congregations.

In fact, 45 percent of clergy in Savannah, GA, owned slaves in 1855. This figure was bested with 61 percent in Macon, GA, 50 percent in Beaufort, SC, and 54 percent in Columbia, SC. Of the southern delegates to the 1844 Methodist General Convention, 72 percent owned slaves. Richer clergy could own many more. Basil Manly, Sr., a founder of the Southern Baptist Convention, owned 38. The Episcopalian Stephen Elliott of Beaufort owned 190.

In 1 Timothy 1:10, the apostle Paul says that kidnapping or manstealing is against God’s law. Most interpreters recognize that this manstealing was for the purpose of slavery. This is why the ESV translates the relevant term as “enslavers” (cf. ESV mg.). The background for Paul’s command is the Old Testament law, which states, “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death” (Ex. 21:16). This verse teaches that both the kidnapping and the enslavement are punishable by death. And this is the background for Paul’s own thinking about the matter in 1 Timothy. The entire system of Southern slavery was based on kidnapping persons from Africa. The slave-traders stuffed these Africans into ship holds, where they suffered and died by the thousands. That slave trade was an abomination. And it is fallacious to suggest that the slaveholders were not morally implicated in the slave trade. One cannot defend those who participated in the slave trade, nor can one defend those slave owners who created the market for manstealing.

This is not the kind of slavery Paul was addressing in 1 Timothy 6. While some slaves had unbelieving and sometimes cruel masters, this passage will be confusing to you if the only picture of slavery you have is the African slave trade. Some of the slaves the apostle was addressing were likely sitting in the church amid Christian brothers and sisters who loved them, cared for them, and were commanded to provide for them as fellow members of the body of Christ. Though Paul was not ignorant of the evils of slavery in his day, he was by no means condoning the mistreatment of slaves.

We must remember that the situation Paul addressed was not like slavery in American history. It was complicated and vast in scope. American slavery was primarily racial and lifelong. In Paul's day it was not racial, and it was not always lifelong. There were some similarities, but they were different.

Why do Paul and other New Testament writers not call for abolition of slavery? Why do they not say more?

One answer is namely that Christians were at first an insignificant group in the empire. Their religion itself was still unlawful, and they were politically powerless. For the early church to advocate revolt would have been the death of the Christian movement in a swift and brutal manner. But as they carried out their assignments in life with honor, humility, and honesty, serving the true Master, King Jesus, they put in motion a process that would eventually destroy slavery. They were able to exhibit abounding life, love, joy, and peace in the fullness of the Holy Spirit until more and more captives were liberated to life in Christ.

As Paul focused on spreading the gospel in a society that approved of slavery, he planted the seeds of the destruction of slavery. John Stott says, "The gospel immediately began even in the first century to undermine the institution; it lit a fuse which at long last led to the explosion which destroyed it."

The painful fact is that it took far too long to accomplish the job, and the attempts by Christians to defend the legitimacy of slavery in the nineteenth century are disturbing.

A reminder is needed for us in the Western world because we tend to be oblivious to the fact that slavery still exists on a large scale throughout the world, especially here in the USA!

There are an estimated twenty-seven million slaves in the world today. Human trafficking, which includes buying, selling, trading, and exploiting people for forced labor or for sex, is the second largest and fastest growing industry in the world today. The statistics are staggering (from Random Facts):

• Approximately 80 percent of trafficking victims are women and girls, and half are minors.
• According to UNICEF, 30 million children over the past 30 years have been sexually exploited through human trafficking.
• Over 10,000 Nepali girls as young as nine have been sold into India's red-light district over the last decade.
• Over 10,000 children between the ages of six and fourteen are currently in brothels in Sri Lanka.
•  Over one million people have been placed into camps in China, targeted because of their ethnicity and religion, predominantly Muslims from Uyghur and other ethnic minorities. This is a human rights crisis. Uyghur families are torn apart, as parents are sent to the camps and children are taken away to state orphanages. One Uyghur worker reported children as young as six months ‘locked up like farm animals in a shed.’

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises because it is relatively low risk with high profit potential. As followers of Christ, we cannot ignore these horrific tragedies. We need to see that this is a reality in the world today and that the Bible condemns it. We are called to stand up against these evils (Eph 5:11).

Human trafficking is a $150 billion annual industry. (UNICEF) 

2. Slavery and the Church’s Ministry – 6:1-2

As we said earlier, some historians estimated that half of the population of the Roman Empire was composed of slaves. Many of these people were educated and cultured, but legally they were not considered persons at all. The Gospel message of salvation and freedom in Christ appealed to the slaves, and many of them became believers. (The word translated “servant” in the KJV New Testament usually means “slave.”) When slaves were able to get away from their household duties, they would fellowship in local assemblies where being a slave was not a handicap (Gals. 3:28).

But there was a problem: Some slaves used their newfound freedom in Christ as an excuse to disobey, if not defy, their masters. They needed to learn that their spiritual freedom in Christ did not alter their social position, even though they were accepted graciously into the fellowship of the church.

Slaves with Unbelieving Masters (1Tim. 6:1)

No Christian master would consider his slaves “under the yoke,” but would treat them with love and respect (Cols. 4:1). For a slave to rebel against an unsaved master would bring disgrace on the Gospel. “The name of God” and His doctrine would be blasphemed (1 Tim. 6:1b; Rom. 2:24). This is one reason Paul and the early missionaries did not go around preaching against the sinful institution of slavery. Such a practice would have branded the church as a militant group trying to undermine the social order, and the progress of the Gospel would have been greatly hindered.

Slaves with Believing Masters (1Tim. 6:2)

The danger here is that a Christian slave might take advantage of his master because both are saved. “My master is my brother!” a slave might argue. “Since we are equal, he has no right to tell me what to do!” This attitude would create serious problems both in the homes and in the churches.

Paul gave three reasons why Christian slaves should show respect for their believing masters and not take advantage of them. The most obvious reason is: Their masters are Christians (“faithful”, i.e. believing). How can one believer take advantage of another believer? Second, their masters are beloved. Love does not rebel or look for opportunities to escape responsibility. Finally, both master and servant benefit from obedience (“since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved” can apply to both of them). There is a mutual blessing when Christians serve each other in the will of God.

Paul lifted the whole issue of slavery from the natural level to the spiritual level and added still another fact to be weighed and evaluated objectively: a Christian must never do anything detrimental to the gospel. A cruel master might not become a Christian, but he was never to be given a weapon to wield in support of his unbelief - a weapon such as a bad attitude in his Christian slave.

How Does This Passage Apply to My Life?

Perhaps you have been thinking, "I'm not a slave and don't have slaves. I’m retired and don’t have any bosses, so we could have just skipped this section of scripture. The truth is that this passage can be life changing if you apply it to your life. How so? By keeping in mind that all of life is lived before the Lord, for the glory of the Lord and nothing is outside the sacred. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cors. 10:31). 

All forms of racism, including prohibitions on marriage due to ethnicity, are unbiblical. Sins in this area, especially in a society where issues of race are so aggravated by history and division, are bad, destructive of the witness of the Church, and detrimental to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, the Bible redeems slavery. By that I mean that God's Word takes slavery, a product of sin, and turns it into a powerful image of God's goodness. Consider the beauty of Christ and the gospel reality that our Master has become our servant. As Paul said in Philippians 2:7, the same Jesus who was fully divine "emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men". The word "slave" in Philippians 2 comes from the same word we see in 1 Timothy 6:1—"doulos.” Christ took the form of a slave. He said in Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." That's the gospel in a nutshell. That's good news!

The essence of Christianity is that our Master has become our servant and so, in turn, we gladly become His slave. The word Paul often uses to describe himself at the beginning of his letters is this same word – “doulos” - translated as "servant" or "slave."  A slave is one who belongs to another and is under the authority of another. That was the way Paul wanted to be identified, and it is the way every follower of Christ should want to be identified. We are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ, and unlike the sinful pictures of slavery we see in the world, slavery and service to the Lord Jesus is glorious freedom! It is glad service rendered to a gracious Master. At the end of the day, the question is not whether we are slaves but whose slaves we are. Either we will serve sin and Satan (John 8:34; Rom 6:11), or we will serve the King of kings.