There is a good reason I try not to do a lot of speculating. Hypothetical situations are like tar babies: touch them, and you will not get free of them easily. It’s the old “What would you do if” question about a situation that, for you and me at least, will almost surely never arise. Whatever answer you come up with will not satisfy, and you’ll never apply it in real life in any case.
Call me crazy, but I suspect scripture was not written to address amusing fictions. Nevertheless, here we are. Journey with me if you will to postmillennial fantasyland once again.
A Slavery Gotcha
It’s Wednesday today, but yesterday was weekly letter column day at Blog & Mablog. The latest batch of missives produced this goodie, appropriately labeled “A Slavery Gotcha”. NC writes:
“Is it possible for a man like Philemon to live in Alabama in 2025, own slaves, treat them biblically, and walk with God?
If so, why?
If not, why not?”
Doug replies:
“NC, it is not possible to do so. This is because slavery as an institution is not legally recognized, and for a man to privatize slavery is to be a kidnapper, which in Scripture is a capital offense. But if you have a society where slavery is widespread and recognized, the task of Christians would be to subvert that institution peacefully. The instructions for how to do that are laid out repeatedly in the New Testament, with teaching directed at both slaves and masters. A master who lived as instructed would be doing right.”
Got it? The answer boils down to addressing an issue that is not quite so hypothetical: Is it possible to do slavery right?
Doing Slavery Right?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m with Doug for the first couple of sentences. In Alabama in 2025, American laws being what they are, of course you cannot keep slaves and walk with God. You’d be in perpetual violation of a law designed to keep people from doing bad things to others, and the teaching of Romans 13 would surely apply: “Be subject to the governing authorities.” I’m very glad slavery is illegal in 2025, and I’m not calling for it to come back. Alabama in 2025 has a social safety net and bankruptcy laws. These are not perfect protections for the poor, but they obviate, or at least mitigate, the need to sell oneself into slavery to discharge debt in the manner set out in the Law of Moses.
I also agree that in situations where one or both of the master/slave duo were unbelievers, applying the New Testament teaching concerning slavery would make a bad situation better, but never entirely pleasing to God. Absent the indwelling Spirit of God, unsaved masters would not treat their slaves with perfect fairness, love and consistency, and some would surely abuse them. Unsaved slaves could not serve without either lapsing into bitterness, rancor and irritation or, alternatively, adopting some form of stoicism toward their lot that fell short of joyful service to Christ. Peacefully subverting such an institution would do both parties a favor.
Slavery and Hierarchical Authority
But the question that arises for me is this: If masters are gentle, gracious and loving, and servants are noble, faithful and consistent, what’s wrong with the institution of slavery? Could slavery exist, for example, during the millennial reign of Christ under his righteous rule? The book of Joel certainly suggests this may be the case.
If hierarchical authority is intrinsically wrong, then no, it cannot be possible to continue such an arrangement indefinitely and please God, and for the Christian, peaceful subversion of such an institution is surely the best option. But if there is nothing intrinsically sinful about having someone submitting to you or about choosing to submit your will to another, then surely even the slavery arrangement could be carried out in a godly way. When God gives instructions and both parties, master and slave, follow them faithfully, what exactly do Christians need to subvert?
As much as people deplore the word “slave”, the NT uses doulos freely, over 120 times, though English translators frequently substitute “servant” instead in order to give less offense. Jesus Christ was a doulos, as were all the apostles, and Christians are called to be doulos too. If we are honest, the truth is that some of us object not just to abusive masters and corrupt servants, but to the very concept of hierarchical authority.
Father and Son
But is an authority hierarchy intrinsically wrong, and autonomy and equality the most desirable state of being? If so, how do we think about the relationship of the Son to the Father? Paul plainly states that not only was the Son voluntarily subject to the Father during his lifetime on this planet in order to deal with sin, but even while the Son sits at the Father’s right hand today with all things in the process of being subjected to him, the Father himself remains exempt from subjection.
Moreover, we should expect this voluntary subjection of Son to Father to continue into eternity:
“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘all things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”
“The Son himself will also be subjected.” Are we to view this as a bad thing, a by-product of the fallen-ness of humanity? Surely not. It’s the fulfillment of all God’s purposes.
Risk and Reward
Slavery is objectionable because men are fallen. This being the case, placing my will in subjection to that of another is always risky, and allows for the possibility I will be treated poorly. But there is nothing intrinsically wicked about hierarchies, authority or service. God always treats us better than we deserve, and with our long-term best interests in mind. There is no risk or danger in submitting to one whose will and love for us are perfect. The Lord Jesus not only did it, but continues to do it, and he modeled submission for us.
So then, the question of whether Christians should seek to perpetuate or subvert the institution of slavery very much depends on time and place. In 2025, of course slavery would be a bad idea. Thankfully, our world will not always be constituted as it is today.
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