Slaves and Masters

Slavery was a divisive relationship and a polarizing issue. Paul is speaking to slaves who associate the yoke of slavery with pain. Most Christians were in the lower class, which  means that many early followers of Jesus were slaves themselves. The chief concern for Paul was the glory of God and the salvation of people, not freedom of the slaves or an increase in privilege for the owners. This doesn’t mean that Paul doesn’t want slaves to be free. He encourages slaves to be free if given the opportunity. This doesn’t mean that Paul is endorsing slavery. Paul “aimed to destroy slavery without waging a war to do so!” The relationship between slaves and masters should be symbiotic because all followers of Jesus are witnesses to the world of the saving, transforming power of the gospel of Jesus.