Slaves hypakouo [obey] in all things masters
according to the flesh not with eyeservice as men-pleasers but in singleness of
heart fearing God And whatsoever you do do it heartily as to the
Lord and not to men Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the
reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ [1]
Colossians 3:22-24
[1] When the apostle admonished slaves to
obey earthly masters, from their hearts, serving them as to the Lord, he was not supporting slavery. He was simply being
practical and giving the best advice possible, in light of the fact that slaves
who disobeyed masters, did so at their own peril. It was also the best counsel
possible for peace of mind and spiritual health, given that slaves had no legal
recourse in changing their situations or in obtaining legal protection or
justice should they have cruel masters.
Lives spent with hearts full of
resentment and bitterness of heart, would interfere with relationship with God,
be detrimental to spiritual growth, and only add to a slave’s misery. Paul’s concern
and advice was for the safety and well-being of the slave. His words gave them hope
that they too, had a glorious future in eternity and would receive rewards for
their willing service, in the only capacity they might ever have to serve God on
earth.
Though institutionalized slavery
was later preached from many pulpits to be a divinely ordained institution, the
Bible never declares it to be so, and Paul certainly never did. It is wrong to
interpret verses such as Colossians 3:23 as such.
It is interesting to note
that the same argument [used in Colossians 3:23] to protect and comfort slaves, was wrongly used to shore up pre-civil-war-slavery-theology. It is, currently, still being used to under-gird male-headship-theology, which amounts
to nothing less than wife-slavery. Complementarian leaders and writers give wives the same advice about serving husbands, as Paul advised slaves about serving masters. They
teach that, for wives, serving God, finds expression, primarily, in serving
husbands. For authority to make such statements, they cite scriptures written
to slaves.
Author Elizabeth George, did this when she wrote in an article published on
the complementarian website, crosswalk.com: “Your relationship with your husband, your submission to his
desires for your marriage and his leadership of the two of you as a couple, and
your service to him is to be "as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22) and to
be done "heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Colossians 3:23).”
Colossians 3:23 was written to slaves--not wives.
With God, there is neither male nor female slave nor free...we are all one in Christ Jesus and commanded to support and yield to one another, preferring one another before ourselves.
Colossians 3:23 was written to slaves--not wives.
With God, there is neither male nor female slave nor free...we are all one in Christ Jesus and commanded to support and yield to one another, preferring one another before ourselves.
May God deliver us from slave-holding Christianity.
Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery
and the Evangelical Caste System examines Bible commentary and translation
practices which have historically been androcentric (male centered) and even
misogynistic (anti-woman). These have adversely effected understanding of the
scriptures, relations between women and men, the happiness of men and women,
and, in general, has hindered the work of the gospel. The book chronicles the
early history of the women's rights movements, as well as the role of church
leadership in aggressively suppressing both women's rights and the historical
record of Christian initiatives within the movements. Through the
complementarian movement, many of the same arguments used to support the
institution of slavery, are still used today in suppressing the rights of
Christian women. This book documents identical arguments used by Christian
leaders against both movements, and is an unparalleled resource for all who
desire an in-depth study of gender equality from a Christian perspective. The
history of women’s rights is traced back [much further than usual] to the very
first feminists…who were Christians—godly women, who brought the issue
of women's rights to the forefront as they struggled to alleviate the suffering
of others, and found they were hindered in doing so for no other reason than
the fact of their sex. This work, provides valuable historical insight into
Christian initiatives in the movements for women’s rights, that are rarely
included in Christian literature. Visit this link for more information or to
buy the book: Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery
and the Evangelical Caste System
No comments:
Post a Comment