‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites. Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven. ‘
COLOSSIANS 3:22-4:1 NLT
The Bible has always been interesting in that it provides an invasive alternative to things it disagrees with. Throughout history, we have seen several institutions be completely undermined, not through rebellion, but through reform and the introduction of the Christian worldview into their methodology. In the time that Paul was writing, slavery (not chattel slavery as in the west) was commonplace and acceptable. Here Paul doubles down on the supremacy of the Christian methodology of love and respect. He notes that our responsibility is to bring these into all institutions, whether it be fatherhood, husbandship and even slavery. This applies to the full spectrum of these institutions. It is not merely Fathers but also children. It is not merely Slavers but also slaves. Counterintuitive to the wisdom of men, introducing God’s love into the process of slavery began to quickly erode it as a mechanism. If we want to change any system into being Christian, we need only to act Christ-like within that system, consistently and faithfully.
JOSH McGARY. COM 