What Does the Bible Say About Slavery?
The Bible addresses slavery in both the Old and New Testaments, but it does so in a way that reflects the cultural and historical realities of the times in which it was written. In the Old Testament, slavery could refer to debt servitude, prisoners of war, or voluntary indentured service. In the New Testament world, slavery was part of the Greco-Roman economic system, where enslaved individuals could range from household servants to skilled professionals.
Biblical slavery was not identical to the chattel slavery of more recent centuries, especially the race-based slavery of the transatlantic slave trade. In the biblical era, slaves were often integrated into households, sometimes educated, and in many cases had the opportunity for eventual freedom.
2. What Does the Old Testament Teach About Slavery?
The Bible’s earliest laws concerning slavery appear in the Torah. While it does not outright forbid the practice, it sets regulations designed to protect and dignify the enslaved:
Rest and participation in worship – Slaves were to be included in Sabbath rest and festival celebrations (Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14).
Release of Hebrew slaves – Israelite debt slaves were to be freed after six years of service (Exodus 21:2).
Protection from abuse – Physical harm to a slave could lead to the slave’s freedom (Exodus 21:26–27).
These commands reveal that even within the existence of slavery, the Old Testament sought to curb exploitation and remind Israel that they themselves were once slaves in Egypt, redeemed by God’s hand.
3. How Was Slavery Different in the New Testament Era?
By the time of the New Testament, slavery in the Roman Empire was not primarily racial. People became slaves through war, debt, birth, or even voluntary arrangements to improve their economic status. Many held positions of trust—overseeing estates, running businesses, or working as physicians and teachers.
The Bible reflects this reality. While the New Testament does not call for an immediate abolition of slavery, it reframes the relationship between slave and master through the lens of the Gospel. Paul’s letter to Philemon concerning the runaway slave Onesimus is a striking example: Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave but more than a slave—as a beloved brother” (Philemon 16).
4. Does the Bible Endorse Slavery?
The Bible does not present slavery as part of God’s original design for humanity. Instead, it speaks into societies where slavery already existed, offering principles that challenge the dehumanizing aspects of the institution.
The Old Testament reminded Israel that all people are created in God’s image and that their history as a redeemed people should shape their treatment of others. The New Testament goes further, teaching that in Christ “there is neither slave nor free” (Galatians 3:28). While the apostles did not dismantle the system outright, their teaching planted seeds for its eventual rejection by emphasizing the equal worth and dignity of all believers.
5. How Did the Bible Influence Historical Views on Slavery?
The Bible’s teaching on slavery has been used both to defend and to dismantle the institution. In history, some twisted scripture to justify oppression, ignoring the redemptive trajectory of God’s plan. Others, such as William Wilberforce and the abolitionist movement, drew from biblical principles of human dignity, justice, and freedom to fight against slavery.
The tension arises because the Bible addresses slavery as a lived reality in its historical setting, while also pointing toward the greater freedom found in Christ. This dual reality requires careful interpretation, lest scripture be misused to perpetuate injustice.
6. How Should Christians Understand Slavery in Light of the Gospel?
Through the lens of the Gospel, slavery is incompatible with the ultimate vision of God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ ministry emphasized setting the oppressed free and restoring dignity to the marginalized. The cross proclaims liberation from the slavery of sin, and the resurrection promises a renewed creation where exploitation and injustice have no place.
When Paul instructs both slaves and masters in passages like Ephesians 6:5–9 and Colossians 3:22–4:1, his commands undermine the abusive power dynamics of slavery. Masters are told to treat their slaves with justice and fairness, remembering that they too have a Master in heaven. This re-centers the authority structure under Christ, dissolving the absolute control a master might claim.
7. What Can Modern Believers Learn from the Bible’s Teaching on Slavery?
Though formal slavery is outlawed in most nations today, forms of exploitation still exist—human trafficking, forced labor, and economic oppression. The Bible’s vision for justice calls Christians to oppose such practices and to embody the freedom of the Kingdom.
The biblical witness also challenges modern readers to recognize that slavery is not only a social or political evil but a spiritual reality. Sin enslaves, but the Son sets free (John 8:34–36). In Christ, believers are not merely freed from physical bondage but from the deeper slavery of rebellion against God.
8. How Does the Bible’s View of Slavery Point to the Future?
The Bible’s redemptive arc moves from a fallen world where slavery exists to a renewed creation where it does not. The church, as a foretaste of that coming reality, is called to live now as a community without class or status divisions, reflecting the equality and unity of the age to come.
In the final vision of Revelation, every redeemed person—regardless of background—is gathered as one people before the throne of God. There, the legacies of slavery, oppression, and injustice are forever erased, replaced by the freedom and joy of eternal worship.
Conclusion
The Bible addresses slavery with both realism and redemption. It neither ignores nor endorses it as ideal but speaks into its historical context with regulations, protections, and transformative principles. In Christ, all barriers between people are broken down, and the seeds are planted for a world where slavery has no place.
For Christians today, the call is to live in light of this Kingdom reality—defending the oppressed, opposing exploitation, and proclaiming the freedom that comes through the Gospel.
Bible Verses About Slavery
Exodus 21:2 – “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.”
Deuteronomy 5:14 – “The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God… so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.”
Leviticus 25:39–40 – “You shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired worker.”
Exodus 21:26–27 – “If a man strikes the eye of his slave… he shall let the slave go free.”
Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither slave nor free… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 7:21 – “If you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.”
Ephesians 6:9 – “Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening.”
Colossians 4:1 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly.”
Philemon 16 – “No longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother.”
Revelation 5:9 – “You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
