Read with Me
Titus 2:9-10 (HCSB)
Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
Listen with Me
So far, Paul has addressed how older men, older women, and youths are to live as Christians. Now he focuses briefly on slaves.
As distasteful as the whole idea of slavery is to modern sensibilities, and with good reason, it is important to understand that at the time Paul was writing, slavery was endemic in the Roman world. Some are troubled by the fact that Paul was not an abolitionist (although he did urge slaves who were in a position to gain their freedom to do so in 1 Corinthians 7:21). He even sent an escaped slave, Onesimus, back to his master, Philemon.
But neither was Paul an apologist for slavery. It was simply part of the social construct of the Roman Empire. Christians were both slave owners and slaves. Paul’s immediate concern was not to foment rebellion or try to tear apart or remake that social structure. Instead, he simply accepted it at the moment as a reality and tried to help the Christians to know how to live out their faith within that system.
With that in mind, Paul’s advice to the Christians who were enslaved was that they demonstrate Christlikeness in all that they did. That means not defying their masters or pushing back against reasonable commands. Of course, there was also the underlying principle that if their masters commanded them to do something that was forbidden by God, such as to commit murder, or steal, or pass on gossip designed to damage the reputation of another, they had to respectfully refuse (Acts 3:19) and take any punishment that they might receive as a result.
The Christian slaves were also to be scrupulously honest in all that they did. Many slaves at that time would pilfer small amounts from their masters, trying to amass enough over time to buy their freedom. But the Christian slave was to be a Christian first, and a slave after, always focused on glorifying God and lifting up the name of Jesus in everything they did.
Pray with Me
Father, this is another area where we can allow our repugnance of the subject matter to blind us to the principles You want to show us. In this case, a key point that I can see is that for the Christian, our primary identity is exactly that: Christian. Whatever else we are, whatever we do to make a living, must be done first and foremost as a follower of Jesus. That means that in our jobs, in our hobbies, and in our marriages and other relationships, we must always keep that identity front and center and allow it to control every other aspect of those activities and relationships, so that in everything, You are glorified, and the name of Jesus is exalted. Thank you, Lord, for helping me to see this so clearly today. Amen.