⁹Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

Much debated in Christian circles, NT verses on slavery can be disconcerting. In its most basic definition, slavery is that state in which one human being controls another. Human control over others, in its various forms, exists wherever humanity exists. Cain took control over Abel’s life by taking it from him. Murder, in that sense, is the greatest oppression and subjugation of one over another. The Hebrews, at times, were enslaved—consider Joseph, the four hundred years in Egypt, the Babylonian captivity, Daniel, etc. The Romans, at the time of Paul and Titus, enslaved the captives from defeated nations. Consider also the slave trade originating in Africa and feeding European countries and the so-called “new world” of the Americas, or the human sex trafficking of the so-called “modern world.” Along the spectrum of control, we find subjugation in the practice of indentured servitude and oppressive economic and political forces: totalitarian regimes, the unbridled control of socialism, and the uncontrolled oppression of capitalistic greed that ignores the plight of the disadvantaged. Indeed, some today feel enslaved by their jobs, with little means to escape their drudgery or economic oppression. Theirs is a virtual slavery, very real and suffocating.

Our passage today acknowledges slavery’s reality in many lives. Other Scriptures address the issue of slavery and its transformation for Christians (see the book of Philemon, for example). But here it is natural to speak about those who are in slavery since the early church included a large proportion of slaves.

The word “doulos” has a wide field of meaning. Translators render it as “bondslaves,” “bondservants,” “slaves,” or “servants.” In Roman times, slaves served an economic role, ranging from performing hard labor to working as trusted household servants. Some slaves were even intellectual and cultural individuals of prominence and affluence. But what all slaves/servants had in common was loss of freedom and control over their lives. Paul’s instruction to believers who were slaves is to freely choose to live out their Christian faith with a higher allegiance, namely to God. And the inspired Word of God directs us all to submit respectfully to those in authority. This will showcase the truth about God. After all, we have a higher purpose for our lives than freedom, and that is the truth of God.

Lord, give me the strength and courage to respect those in authority over me.