1 Timothy 6:1-2

1 Timothy 6:1-2  All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.  Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them.  These are the things you are to teach and urge on them. 

1 Peter 2:18  Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 

Ephesians 6:5-6  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  

Romans 6:22  But now that you have been set free from sin and HAVE BECOME SLAVES TO GOD, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.    

Romans 6:16  Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 

Many people have criticized the Bible for seemingly accepting the condition of slavery.  Why would the Word of God not speak clearly about the awfulness of slavery?  Why would it seem to validate such an institution? Well, the above scriptures do indicate that a person under the yoke of slavery should be faithful and diligent.  Paul tells slaves to obey their earthly masters in everything.  Peter advises slaves to submit to their masters even if they are harsh.  The patriarchs owned slaves, the king had slaves, even many average households had slaves.  The ancient economic world ran on the backs of slaves.  In fact, in Jesus' time half of the people in the Mediterranean world were slaves.  Slavery was an accepted fact, just as real as people in America working for wages.  Isn't slavery an awful institution?  Yes, of course, no man or woman should be owned by another. Everyone should live his or her life as free as possible.  But physical and economic slavery as well as unjust governments are peripheral concerns of the Bible.  

The primary focus of the Bible is spiritual slavery.  The Bible indicates we are all slaves whether we know it or not.  We are either serving sin or God. We are either slaves to the world or slaves to THE MOST HOLY GOD.  Physical slavery is important to us but not necessarily to God, but spiritual bondage is important to God.  Are we slaves to our own lust and desires or are we slaves to God's righteousness and his purity?  The former leads to death, the latter leads to LIFE.  This world is not our home.  It is not our permanent abiding place.  We are but traveling through; therefore, our status here on Earth is not very important.  Whether we are people of prominence and ownership or whether we are people of poverty and need, we should not be overly concerned with that, for we are traveling through to a more permanent residence.  We have an INHERITANCE, which is God himself, for we are his beloved children.  

The Bible does not address directly the economic and physical slavery of our existence.  Of course, God does not desire injustice, but His Word focuses us primarily on another reality, one that exists forever.  Yes, we hope that in our temporary abiding place we are free people.  However, for most of us the economic realities of our lives bind us to work from sunup to sun down for the necessities of life.  Our real hope isn't in this world, in a better lifestyle, in a better situation; our hope is in another reality, a spiritual reality.  Because of that hope, we allow ourselves to become slaves to righteousness.  

Consequently, we serve people with the same passion and desire that we serve ourselves.  We become LOVE SLAVES to the world.  We love people; we help them find Christ through our love.  We serve the harsh masters of this world with kindness.  We go the second mile, even though only one mile is required of us.   We are slaves to the MOST HIGH for his glory.  He became a servant for us, we become a servant for him.  YES, SLAVERY IS BAD, UNLESS WE ARE LOVE SLAVES OF GOD HIMSELF; then we find an eternal, worthwhile purpose for our lives.