This morning Stephen and I reached Romans 6 in our morning reading. Romans is always a great noodle stretcher but I find this section "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness" v18 particularly weird to grasp...
There are many ways we are shown our identity in relation to God the Father, Son and Spirit: child, co-heir, friend, student, co-worker... slave? The previous speak of relationship, love, respect, though quite undeserved. Slave, especially in our modern day context is a word with exploitive and oppressive conetations.
This spiralled us into the wider discussion of why Jesus didn't stand against slavery whilst He walked as a man? He protested against moral corruption, economic corruption and legalism but I can't think of a single line about the abborance of owning another human being. I guess with three years and the entire of humanity to save Jesus was going to do what was most important and save all of humanity from slavery to sin and death rather than a portion of it from physical slavery. It does make me wonder though, if our slave trade reflected the values taught in the old testament law and in Epesians how different would it look:
"5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him."
I don't think this is an endorsement of slavery, more instruction for slaves who have come to faith in Jesus. Man, how would you love your neighbour when your neighbour owns you!?! I'm not saying God's pro slavery, who empowered Wilberforce and the abolitionists to work against it? I'm merely wondering whether if we lived in a culture that celebrated the restoration of Jubilee and returned all to equality every 50 years, set every slave free, cancelled every debt in a cycle of second chances how different would the word slave sound to our ears?
I love the law that says that a slave can choose to remain a slave or a bonds man once he has paid his debt if he loves his master and cannot be seperated from him. What an incredible picture of slavery? What a way to flip the world's values on their head. I have served my time, but now I choose to continue to enslave myself because I love you. Is that not laying down your life for your brother, surrendering your very freedom to give to him.
Looking at Romans 6 in that context it feels different. Paul writes that whether we like it or not we are slaves to sin, when we die to sin with Christ and are raised with him to life again by the glory of God we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.
If I were to bend my knee to anything, give up my life, pierce my ear and say I am yours I would choose Jesus over the devil any day. It's a no brainer. Hmmm just some random thoughts. Still don't think I've got my noodle around this yet but it definitely made for an interesting early morning debate :) xc