How do Christians justify the Bible accepting slavery?

Answer 1

Answerchristians justify everything with the idea that god is a living god, and he changes his mind alot. Does God approve of slavery?YES

• Old Testament

Gen.9:25-27 And he [Noah] said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Gen.16:8-9 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

Gen.17:12-13 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised.

Gen.24:35-36 And the LORD hath blessed my master [Abraham] greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

Gen.26:12-14 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants.

Ex.12:44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

Ex.20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Ex.21:2-6 If thou buy a Hebrew servant....

Ex.21:7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant....

Ex.21:20-21 If a man smite his servant or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall be surely punished; notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his money.

Ex.21:26-27 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

Ex.21:32 If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver.

Ex.22:2-3 If a thief ... have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

Lev.19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

Lev.22:11 If the priest buy any soul with his money....

Lev.25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee....

Lev.25:44-46 Thy bond-men and thy bond-maids which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you: of them shall ye buy bond-men and bond-maids. Moreover, of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land. And they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession, they shall be your bond-man forever.

Dt.5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Dt.15:12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman be sold unto thee....

Dt.20:10-11 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

Dt.20:14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself.

Jos.9:23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

• New Testament

Lk.12:46-47 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Lk.17:7-9 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

1 Cor.7:21-22 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.

Eph.6:5 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

Col.3:22 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.

Col.3:22 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

1 Tim.6:1-5 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise ... he is proud, knowing nothing.... From such withdraw thyself.

Tit.2:9-10 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

1 Pet.2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

Does The Bible Accept SlaveryShort answer:No. Does the Bible Give Reliable Historical Information About The Life of People in Bible TimesShort answer:Yes. All the above verses demonstrate very well that the Bible gives reliable and accurate information about social customs and practices. What we need to ask is whether or not the Bible and its teachins caused or led to the practice of slavery. Ordinary Encyclopedias state that slavery goes back thousands of years before the time of Moses who many understand to have written the Pentateuch. If we follow the discredited JEDP Documentary Hypothesis put forward by Wellhausen and others then the early books of the Bible are even further removed in time from slavery's origin.

Secondly we should note that to report facts as the Bible does is not the same as approving or encouraging them. What we need to note is the proper context, what type of passage it is and what its real message is. In all my Bible reading I have found many different issues discussed in the Bible but slavery is not one that is specifically or directly addressed.

From the above it cannot be concluded that the Bible has nothing to say on the issue, just that slavery is not the focus. That is all.

The March 25 2007 AnniversaryTwo hundred years ago royal assent was granted for the law to abolish slavery in the British Empire. It certainly wasn't those who were anti-Bible or those who wrongly used the Bible. Both of these groups actively opposed this measure. William Wilberforce, a genuine Bible-believing Christian, on the basis of the Bible, rightly interpreted and applied, opposed it. The main two arguments are that all people are made in God's image and that we are all of one blood - both Bible teachings.

Charles Finney the revival preacher specifically mentioned slavery as the reason why God was not "blessing" the Southern slave states with revival as happened in the North. He saw this as the Holy Spirit being grieved by slavery.

Answer"Slavery was incorporated into the civil institutions of Moses; it was recognized accordingly by Christ and his apostles." -- Rev. Dr. Nathan Lord, President of Dartmouth College.

"At the time of the advent of Jesus Christ, slavery in its worst forms prevailed over the world. The Savior found it around him in Judea; the apostles met with it in Asia, Greece and Italy. How did they treat it? Not by denunciation of slave-holding as necessarily sinful." -- Prof. Hodge of Princeton.

"I have no doubt if Jesus Christ were now on earth that he would, under certain circumstances, become a slaveholder." -- Rev. Dr. Taylor of Yale.

Rousseau says: "Christ preaches only servitude and dependence.... True Christians are made to be slaves."

from WvafanWhile it is true that a system of servitude existed among God's ancient people, but that did not resemble the tyrannical form of bondage that existed in the US during Lincoln's day. For example, God's Law to Israel stated that kidnapping and selling a human being was punishable by death. (Exodus 21:16) The Bible states that Jehovah God does not approve of 'man dominating man to his injury,' and this would include abusive slavery. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) THE BIG PICTUREThis is a very brief summary of the history of slavery as it relates chronologically to the Bible's historical setting.

SLAVERY BEGINS - at least 3500 BC or earlier (Moses c.1400 BC)

SLAVERY TOLERATED BUT SOFTENED (see above answer) - Old Testament

- New Testament - Be not slaves of men

SLAVERY ABOLISHED 1807 British Empire

1 Jan 1863 USA Emancipation Proclamation

Dec. 18 1865 Full Abolition USA

Thus we see clearly that slavery predated Moses by about 2000 years.

Note: Even if Lincoln is not regarded as a Christian he certainly was profoundly influenced by the Bible which he read and quoted regularly and with respect.