Slavery and The New Testament Church
Previously I have discussed the pathway of Mercy as a plausible construct to change the narrative from anarchy and lawlessness. Mercy is a compassionate love and care for others. God so loved that He gave us His Son Jesus Christ to die for us. That brand of love displayed on the cross is the heartbeat of mercy. We are to become living illustrations of God’s hesed love. The Mercy Pathway begins in our heart, is expressed in the home where we have our most cherished relationships, to the Church which becomes the collective voice of God’s passionate love and care for others, and finally how that society can become revolutionized by this brand of divine care and regard for others.
Tucked away in the New Testament is a one chapter twenty-five verse narration of a run-away slave named Onesimus. In what can only be a “Divine Moment”, Paul the prisoner, led Onesimus to salvation. It is in this context that Paul writes a letter to Philemon to receive Onesimus back not as a slave but a brother in Christ; “I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and me)……”(vv.10-11).
“In Philemon, Paul built his case on the relationships that emerge in Christ. It is a Christian defense against the institution (of slavery). While others argued for the brotherhood of man,31 (Stoic Philosophers) Paul rooted his thoughts in the “in Christ” relationship. All “in Christ” were united, and they participated in a common task of knowing Christ. Right thinking people wish the best for their families, and right-thinking Christians wish the best for their spiritual brothers and sisters as well. Thus, manumission (release from slavery) of slaves logically proceeds from the message of the gospel. All persons are equal, and in Christ that equality can be freely expressed (Gal 3:28). “What this letter does is to bring us into an atmosphere in which the institution of slavery) could only wilt and die.”[1]
Slavery was collapsing in the Roman Empire. Christianity accelerated its demise. These twenty-five verses paint an amazing picture of Mercy being lived out fully in the New Testament Church. Keep in mind that Mercy is a compassionate care and love for all as illustrated in Christ Jesus. “28 yThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave7 nor free, zthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And aif you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, bheirs according to promise”. [2]
31 The Stoic philosophers took that approach, and it is a valid argument. Its weakness is that Christians know more than that.
[1] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, pp. 344–345). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
y [ver. 14; ch. 5:6; 6:15]; See Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 12:13
7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos see Preface
z 1 Cor. 11:11
a See Rom. 9:7; 1 Cor. 3:23
b ch. 4:1, 7; Rom. 8:17; Eph. 3:6; [ch. 4:28; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:2; Heb. 9:15]
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ga 3:28–29). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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