²² Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Hot topic this is, for those of us in the western world, with our history of brutal slavery. Human depravity rarely sinks deeper than to subjugate another person to the humiliation of having his freedoms stripped and to be enslaved to the will of those more powerful. No darker blight rests on the history of mankind because of those who have not only propagated slavery, but who have also justified it from the Holy Bible or some other religious writing.

Historically, slavery was not always a matter of racism, as is thought of today. It had more to do with power and economics. When one nation or tribe has the power to control another, this foments an environment that easily leads to slavery. In war, for example, one group exerts its superiority over another through military might, and then imposes death, humiliation and/or economic reparations. Death represents elimination of the opponent. Humiliation takes many forms historically, from torture and mutilation to public exposure, which often ended in death. Kings and despots would use these means to celebrate and also to deter others from resistance.

Slavery represented the ultimate gloating ascension of one people over another. A lifetime of servility brought both enduring humiliation and deterrence, but also brought economic benefit to the victors, in the form of “free” labor. The weaker became servants of the stronger, according to the will of the strong, with no freedoms to speak of.

This, of course, is an overly simplistic analysis of slavery. Many shades of the practice can be found, from extreme forms to that which seems more like an employer/employee relationship with slaves experiencing considerable freedom. Even today slavery exists in many forms, from Sudan to the sex-slave trade industry that spans the globe, to sweat house factories and indentured slaves who can never work off their “debt.” So it is very difficult to speak of slavery in the context of Bible study, particularly with verses like Colossians 4:22.

Does the Bible condone slavery? Does the Scripture assume the legitimacy of slavery? Does the Bible contain any clear-cut denunciation of slavery? All valid questions. Suffice it to say that in our passage today, the apostle addresses those who are slaves and apparently have no ability to change their status. Can faith and grace operate in such conditions? And if so, how?