UK APOLOGETICS
By the year 1860, just prior
to the Civil War, the number of slaves in this country (USA), had
grown to 4 million. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave from
Maryland, described slavery as a life of "perpetual toil; no
marriage; no husband, no wife, ignorance, brutality, licentiousness;
whips, scourges, chains, auctions, jails and separations; an
embodiment of all the woes the imagination can conceive."
1.
Many of the great political leaders of the time accepted the
institution of slavery. Andrew Jackson, for instance, owned a
plantation that was worked by slave labor. Those who wanted to do
away with slavery felt as did New England historian Richard Hildreth
who considered slavery to be "a far more deadly and disastrous
thing, more fatal to all the hopes, the sentiments, the rights of
humanity, than almost any other system of servitude which has existed
in any other community."
2. When we in this country think
of the concept of slavery, these are the images which come to mind.
But is this what it means when Paul describes believers as "slaves?"
Instead of thinking in terms of black slavery, we must understand the
experience of slavery as it was practised in the first century in the
Greco-Roman world. By doing this we can clarify the nature of our
being slaves of Christ Jesus.
BACKGROUND OF GRECO-ROMAN SLAVERY
Let me begin by describing the practice
of slavery in the Greco-Roman world. First, a point on methodology.
Since Paul was a Jew and practiced the teachings of the Bible,
shouldn't we look to the Jewish customs? This is true but Judaism of
the first century was thoroughly hellenized, influenced by the
language, customs, and laws of the Greeks and, in turn, by the
Romans. This happened to such an extent that it becomes difficult at
times to know what is Jewish and what is Greco-Roman.
Paul was
also a Roman citizen and lived within that culture. Therefore, we
must go outside of the Bible to discover what Paul's experience of
slavery was. Slavery was an accepted and important institution in the
Roman Empire. There was an estimated one-to-three ratio of slave to
free. During the reign of Claudius during which time Paul wrote his
letters, there were approximately 20 million slaves in Italy
alone.
People became slaves for a number of reasons. Prisoners
of war became slaves. Yet, this accounts for only a small fraction of
the slave population. People often became slaves because of poverty.
Someone who could not pay his debts could be forced into slavery
until the debt was paid in service. When a person was no longer able
to obtain food and shelter, that person might make a contract to
become a slave. Similarly, if a baby was not able to be cared for, it
could be made the property of a slave owner. There were some who
hoped they could become slaves on a wealthy estate and be promoted to
a high position. The children of slaves also became the possession of
the Master. This, in fact, was the usual method of slave
production.
The relationship of the slave to the master was
often affectionate. One author writes, "Though by nature an
inferior being, the slave was a member of his master's family, one
whom the master 'loved' and punished paternally and from whom he
expected obedience and 'love' in return."
Slaves
performed a wide variety of tasks in the Greco-Roman world. It has
been thought that slaves functioned largely in agriculture. In
reality, large estates were worked by sharecroppers and hired
laborers and only partially by slaves. Most slaves were domestic
help. The household, made up of husband and wife, their children,
slaves and freed slaves who were still obligated for service, was the
most important social unit in the Roman Empire.
Slaves were
involved at every level of life in the household. Here are some of
the duties of slaves according to the ancient sources: They took care
of finances; prepared the food; dressed the householder and his
family; nursed the family when sick; guarded the estate and the
family; read poetry; reminded the master of people's names; provided
background music at dinner; served as messengers and doorkeepers; and
the women were sometimes concubines. Slaves also held positions in
government, were physicians, grammarians, philosophers, architects,
singers, actors, artisans, traders, and shopkeepers.
According to
the custom of the day, the ultimate outcome of owning a slave was to
set it free. There was no law that stated that slaves eventually had
to be set free but masters were under a moral obligation to one day
free their slaves. Sometimes this happened at the death of the
master. A slave could buy freedom or someone could pay a price for a
slave's freedom. It was considered wrong for a slave to ask to be set
free, but could go to another slave-owner and ask him to petition the
master for the slave's freedom. This seems to be the case with
Onesimus in Paul's letter to Philemon.
Freedom was sometimes
given as a reward for loyalty. In one case, a woman was set free
because she bore four sons who became the master's slaves. Once
freedom was attained the freed person could not be reclaimed as a
slave. Sometimes a slave could actually be adopted by the master and
inherit equally with the natural sons. It is important to note that a
freedman still had obligations to the master such as showing honor by
daily visits, turning over a percentage of income, and performing
duties of business.
PAUL'S PICTURE OF THE BELIEVER AS A SLAVE TO CHRIST
With this in mind, let's look at how Paul
pictures the believer as a slave to the master Christ Jesus;
POINT
ONE: Through the death of Jesus Christ we were freed from one
master to be slaves of another. In Romans 6:6,17, Paul depicts the
Gentile believers as having been "slaves to Sin". Paul
makes the term "sin" almost anthropomorphic - it takes on
human characteristics. "Sin" was the Master. But by their
mystic participation in Jesus' death and resurrection, they have been
set free from a cruel master to become the slaves of God. Now the
believer should no longer function as a slave to the old Master but
remain loyal to God. The new owner has much more to offer. For the
"wages" (a term sometimes used for the wages paid to a
slave) of the Master "Sin" is death, "but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Master".
Paul
writes to the Galatian church to admonish them not to try to become
slaves again to the type of religion they experienced as idol
worshippers by attempting to follow rigidly the law of Moses.
So
also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic
principles of the world (Gal. 4:3) "Formerly, when you did not
know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But
now that you know God; or rather are known by God, how is it that you
are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish
to be enslaved by them all over again?" (Gal. 4:8-9).
Let
me ask you, whose slave are you? Are you still a slave to sin or have
you become God's slave? If you are a slave of the Master Christ
Jesus, why did you become His slave? Was it because you felt there
was some personal gain in the community by being a respectable
church-goer? That kind of a slave would be classed as a "bad"
slave; a slave who only had his own interests in mind and was not
committed to serving the master. Or are you trying to pass yourself
off as Christ's slave because Mom and Dad are Christians and go to
church? While this type of second-generation slave was desirable in
antiquity--the slave didn't know what freedom was like, so it didn't
feel the loss, it can also lead to apathy and even hypocrisy. Or did
you become a slave of Christ because you felt the spiritual poverty
that exists apart from a deep commitment to God? In my opinion, being
a slave of Christ is so much more fulfilling than being a slave to
self and to temporary and fleeting objectives. If you are a slave of
the Master Christ Jesus, what kind of a slave are you? Are you
faithful to God in every duty you are given? Or are you like the
slaves Paul talks about who want to continue serving the old Master?
Are you this kind of runaway slave from Christ, someone who thinks
that things were better with the former master?
POINT
TWO: There are various occupations for the "Slave of Christ
Jesus" Paul called himself a "slave of Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 1:1) and considered himself a slave to those to whom he
ministered (1 Cor. 9:19; 2 Cor. 4:5). He also called his
fellow-workers "slaves": Timothy (Phil 1:1), Epaphras (Col.
1:7; 4:12), and Tychicus (Col. 4:7). These "slaves of Christ"
were all missionaries. Is the only occupation of a slave that of a
messenger? Of course not. Slaves performed the duties of many
different occupations. In the same way, we can be "slaves of
Christ" by fulfilling our duties in whatever occupation we have
prepared for. In God's household, the church, we need people who can
use their talents. The church needs accountants to help with
maintaining the finances. The church needs entrepeneurs who know how
to keep a business going. The church needs computer literate people
to help bring it into the modern age. The church needs people to keep
buildings in good repair, who are willing to clean, who are able to
prepare refreshments, who take care of infants and children. The
church also needs ministers who can help when people are hurting and
teachers who can instruct in doctrine those who are doubting. As you
know, I am currently trying to prepare for a career in teaching. I
consider it to be a noble profession and one of high status. However,
I was disappointed, while researching this topic, to read about an
incident in which a Greek slave fell from a tree and broke his leg
impairing his ability to work. Someone remarked, "That slave has
just become a teacher."
POINT THREE: God made us
His slaves in order to free us and adopt us as His children. If you
are still not happy with the slave imagery in Paul then notice what
the final outcome is. In Romans 6, we saw that we have become slaves
of Christ Jesus having been freed from our previous master. But then
in chapter 8 Paul says that we not only are no longer slaves as
before, but now we have received adoption as God's children and have
become recipients of his inheritance. When Paul writes to the
Galatians he emphasizes the total freedom that is their's.
But
when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
under law, to redeem1 those under law, that we might receive the full
rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are
no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made
you also an heir. (Gal. 4:4-7) Does that mean that we are free to do
whatever we want? First of all, it was argued in antiquity whether a
child of the master actually had any more rights than a slave. The
child still must obey the Father, the Master of the household. And
the Father will punish the child for his sins. So a child really had
a lot in common to the slave. We are not able to do as we please
because, secondly, a freed slave remained in a close relationship of
obedience and homage to the master. The freed slave was often
expected to show up at the former Master's house to say "Good
Morning" and "Good Night". God has freed us from
slavery and made us his children, and many of us have to be classed
as "ingrates" who can't even pray a "Good Morning"
or "Good Night" to God. Just as the Master provided the
freed slave with a livelihood, God continues to care for us. But we
find it difficult to share the profits with God. God also wants us to
share in his business of reconciling the world to himself, but too
often we find other ventures that we feel are more lucrative. As
freed slaves of Christ, we still are obligated to God. But as his
children, we enjoy a special relationship and the prospects of God's
inheritance.
CONCLUSION;
This image of the master and slave is
important for the way Paul describes our relationship to God through
Christ Jesus. It is not an image that should make us think of a
brutal existence and an impersonal servitude. Rather, we should be
grateful to be set free from our former enslavement and now to have
the most gracious and loving Master. Not only this, but we have also
been set free from slavery and to have been adopted as children of
God.
Author Uncertain