TODAY IN THE WORD Devotion for Tuesday, July 16, 2013 Congregational Relationships—Respecting Social Order Read 1 Timothy 6:1–2 You are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 Tragically, in the history of the church, today’s reading has sometimes been taken as support for slavery. By misreading these verses, segments of the American church were complicit in the brutal system of chattel slavery that flourished in the United States. Correctly interpreting the Word of God reveals the foundational theological truth that we are “all one in Christ Jesus,” including slave and free (Gal. 3:28). Paul urged Christian slaves to put off the “yoke” and obtain their freedom if they could (1 Cor. 7:21–23). He had condemned slave trading earlier in this very epistle (1:10). We should note, though, that Roman slaves had it better than American slaves—so much better that the ESV chooses to translate the word “bondservant.” Roman slaves could own property, for example. And people of any ethnic group might have been slaves, as opposed to the racist underpinnings of American slavery. If we’re all equal at the foot of the cross, as the saying goes, why did Paul command slaves to respect their masters? In this case, a matter of legitimate social justice still needed to be subservient to the witness of the gospel. If slaves respected their masters, especially when both were Christians, then outsiders would have no reason to slander God’s name or the gospel message (v. 1). Getting a reputation for rebelliousness could distract and detract from the church’s purpose. On the contrary, a believing slave who served his brother with godly love would be a shining example of the difference Christ makes in a person’s life (v. 2). The Roman social order by no means received a free pass. Elsewhere Paul taught that Christian masters should be devoted to their slaves’ welfare, a responsibility that went beyond and even reversed the social hierarchy (Eph. 6:5–9). Apply the Word A parallel for Paul’s instructions could be the inadequately-paying jobs in the worldwide service economy—the way some companies treat their employees may present a challenge to an! For hard-working Christian employees, the message is to do your best work. For Christian employers, how do you treat those who depend on you for income?
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:39:32 +0000