How to Understand New Testament Slavery Passages

The slavery we are familiar with is called “chattel slavery”. The word “chattel” means “moveable article of personal property”. Chattel slavery existed in America before the Civil War. It exists today. Girls all over the world are sold by their parents and become market items to be used and abused.

Chattel slavery is involuntary—human beings are forcibly torn from their family and homes. It’s life-long. You can’t just decide you’ve had enough and leave. It’s dehumanizing. A slave is an instrument to be used and discarded…like a hammer or screwdriver.

With chattel slavery in mind, Colossians 3:22-4:1 and other passages like it seem, horrifically unjust.

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 3:22-4:1)

Last Sunday we saw that in the Old Testament, the word we translate “slave” was used to describe both a chattel slave and someone who voluntarily seeks to work for you in exchange for a home, clothing, shelter and health care until he gets back on his feet. “Slave” was an incredibly broad term in ancient Hebrew that basically meant “subordinate.” For that reason, you won’t find a blanket Old Testament condemnation of “slavery”.

But you do find explicit condemnations of chattel slavery. To sum up our discussion of slavery under the Old Covenant and frame our discussion of slavery in the New Testament, Let’s focus on two of them.

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” (Exodus 21:16)

Exodus 21:16 forbids taking away anyone’s freedom by force—that is what “stealing a man” means. And it forbids even possessing a person who has been forced into such a state. So even if you are simply the buyer of someone enslaved against his or her will—or the inheritor or the possessor—you are subject to death.

Holding someone in bondage against his or her will is precisely what chattel slavery is…so Exodus 21:16 provides the vital grid we need to understand the various Old Testament laws and regulations we read about slavery. Everything else you read about servitude in the Old Testament is governed by the fundamental principle that no one can be forced into or kept in servitude against his/her will.

The second passage is Deuteronomy 23:15-16:

“You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.”

So if you break Exodus 21:16 and enslave someone, but he escapes—he’s free. You go after him and you’re enslaving a free person you’re subject to death. Anyone to whom the escapee runs not only cannot return him to his master but must also extend hospitality to him. There is no geographical limit in the text so it seems to cover both escaped slaves from Israel and escaped slaves from other countries. There was no extradition. You make it to Israel, you’re free.

So these two laws together make forcing people into bondage, selling them like property, keeping them against their will legally impossible. Did it happen? Yes. But apart from the Law of God not under it.

That’s the frame for the New Testament understanding of slavery. God gave a voluntary way for people to be rescued from poverty, cared for, and given a new life in exchange for voluntary work. Chattel slavery is uniformly condemned as a moral evil.

(the above article was adapted from a sermon on New Testament slavery)