Slavery is evil and God is good, so surely the Bible condemns slavery, right? Surprisingly, it doesn’t. The OT regulated how slavery could be practiced in Israel, while the NT regulates the behavior and attitude of both slaves and masters alike.

Does this mean God is pro-slavery? No, not necessarily. After all, God regulated divorce in the OT despite the fact that He considered divorce to be morally evil (Mt 19:7-8). So it does not follow that because God regulates X, God approves of X.

Just as creation reveals God’s true perspective on divorce, creation reveals God’s true perspective on slavery. When God created human beings, He created us in His image (Gen 1:26). That means we have intrinsic value. All of us. And when God created human beings, He did not create classes of human beings. He did not create some free and create others as slaves.

(more…)