Ephesians
6:5
Slaves
are to Make the Best of Difficult Circumstances
Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to
them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
1. Slaves
a. Does
the Bible condone slavery?
i. In
the times of the NT, slavery was a universally accepted practice, almost all
the people Paul mentions in his letter to Rome were slaves.
1.
Romans
16:8-10
ii. Yet
this was not God’s plan for his people; in the OT we find strict prohibitions
hindering the practice of slavery.
1. The
Jews were to harbor escaped slaves - Deuteronomy 23:15-16
2. Manstealing
was a capital offence - Exodus
21:16
3. All
men are created in the likeness of God and are therefore equal
a.
Genesis
1:26-27
4. Love
is the summary of the OT law - Romans 13:10
5. Paul
specifically condemns the practice of manstealing in his list of particularly
heinous violations of God’s law.
a.
1 Timothy
1:7-11
2. Should
be Obedient to their Masters - 1 Peter 2:13-18
a. Yet
masters must remember they will have to answer to their own Master for the
treatment of their slaves
i. Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1
3. According
to the Flesh
a. This
provision is unique among Paul’s imperatives regarding submission; it makes it
clear that a master may have temporary control over the body of his slave but
has no control over his conscience.
i. Philemon 1:15-18
4. With
Fear and Trembling - Titus
2:9-10
5. With
a Sincere Heart - Colossians
3:22
6. As
Unto Christ
a. The
golden rule makes no allowance for slavery - Matthew 7:12
b. Every
Christian has been bought with a price - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
c. This
includes the slave
i. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24; Galatians
3:28
d. What
was the price? - Ephesians
1:7
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