"Christianity arose in a social setting where slavery was commonplace. There were some 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. Some slaves held privileged positions; other slaves were treated with great abuse. While the Bible never commanded slavery, it did permit it and regulate it.
Jesus, Paul and others in the New Testament did not call for a violent revolution against the institution of slavery (which perhaps, humanly speaking, might have failed miserably). Yet through the transformation brought by the gospel, they did effectively destroy the foundations of slavery – racism, greed, class hatred – and made a civilization without slavery possible.
The church itself was a place where slavery was destroyed. It was not uncommon for a master and a slave to go to church together, where the slave would be an elder in the church, and the master was expected to submit to the slave’s spiritual leadership! Such radical thinking was an offense to many, but glorified God and eventually destroyed slavery." David Guzik
Perhaps if the United States had not kicked God out of every facet of our existence, ie: schools, government buildings, public parks, and even private property, this country would not be as racially divided as it is. Perhaps if we do our part to share the Gospel, eventually racism will be destroyed.
1 Timothy 6:1-2a NLT
1 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. 2 If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved.
Blessings, Cecilia
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