For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
First, let me add a disclaimer that this is not a proverb or post advocating child abuse or the beating of children. God did not mean that in Proverbs 13:24. God is a loving Father who knows what appropriate discipline is for His children — and thereby ours.
Raising children is hard, but it is such a worthwhile thing. I thought I knew what love was until I met Candice; then, I found that my heart had the capacity for more love than I thought possible. Then, I heard Keri’s heartbeat for the first time in the doctor’s office and realized I knew nothing. Then, came Xander and I found yet more room and capacity for love. Add to them my nieces and nephew. I have discovered more love than I knew existed.
If you talk to me for very long or often, my wife and kiddos come up. I write a lot about Candice and our marriage as illustration for various Bible studies, but I try to lay off the kids because, well, the internet and to keep from them thinking their lives are nothing but sermon fodder. My children bring me more joy than I am capable of expressing in words, either spoken or written. Both of them are unique and special. I, of course, am biased. I am their biggest fan (by size only and second only to their mama). They are good kids. And they are bad kids, too.
My kids are not perfect, and I try to live with the understanding that I can never say what they will never do because, like their father, they have the capacity to sin and mess things up. That brings in my least favorite part of parenting: discipline. I hate having to do it. Read that again: HAVING to do it.
I have to discipline them because I want to protect them from dangers outside and inside of them.
I have to discipline them because they need to learn from their mistakes (and ones I have made in the past, too).
I have to discipline them because that is the way God set up parenting in this fallen world. It is the model He gives in the way that He parents us (Hebrews 12:5-8).
Our proverb today says that parents discipline out of love (Proverbs 13:24), and it mirrors the way that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6).
I definitely don’t have all of the answers to how to discipline children, and I don’t claim to. What I do know is that the discipline that has to be done is supposed to be borne out of love. If it seems that I am repeating myself, it is because I am. I am repeating for emphasis, and not in a way pointed at others, but as a reminder for myself.
I can remember my daddy telling someone once that he was glad to be in the stage of life when my sister, brother, and I were grown. He said that once the parenting was over, he had gained friends in his children. The person he was talking to asked something, signifying that they thought his comment was odd. What he said after that is what is so poignant for our subject today. Daddy said that he loved spending time with us when we were growing up, but that he loved us too much to try and be our friends when we needed a daddy more than a friend.
When I look at Keri and Xander (and Sophie, Krislyn, Penelope, Caleb, Sunday, and Mae), my heart swells with love that I cannot describe. I love to spend time with them. I love to hear their jokes and their dreams and their complaints and whatever they want to tell me. I am so glad when they talk to me because I know it will not always be the case. As they grow, I will not always be a favorite person. When correction is needed, I am not what they want. But, Lord willing, I will have the Spirit-filled courage to be who they need. Then, when they are all grown up, I can rejoice in what the Lord has done in them and who He has made them to be.
In the meantime, the tough love of discipline is worth it because they are worth it.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
Today’s verse immediately brings a quote by fictional character Dwight Shrute. In an episode of The Office, Dwight was responding to the the faux documentary crew asking what the best advice his boss, Michael Scott, had ever given him. Here’s his response:
“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”
While that is quippy and meant to be funny, it fits well with Proverbs 12:1.
I had to read this verse twice, which led me to choose this for the 12th installation in the #DailyWisdomChallenge. After having the above quote come to mind, I asked myself who in their right mind “loves discipline”? Well, this is why we are seeking wisdom from God in this challenge – to get in the right mind and thereby set our minds on things that are above rather than on the things of this world and the false or anti-wisdom that comes with it (Colossians 3:2).
My views on discipline have changed drastically over the years. As a kid, I hated it. I genuinely hated everything about getting in trouble. The older I got, the more the discipline and correction changed. The things that did not embed in me through quick punishment required longer punishment. There were lengthy conversations and explanations of why right was right and the dangers of the wrong. When I thought I knew better (and was “stupid” by hating my parents’ “reproof”), the discipline hurt all the more as I got to see my parents disappointed in me, knowing that I was supposed to know better.
As I got older and began working with kids – whether it be at church or my time spent tutoring at the Reedy Acres campus of the Baptist Children’s Village, my views on discipline changed. There were times that “reproof” needed to happen, and I found myself on the side of doling out discipline. All my thoughts of wanting to try my parents’ side of discipline quickly evaporated as I learned that it was not at all enjoyable to work and repeat “reproof” often enough for it to have the opportunity to sink in.
Now, I have kids of my own and classrooms full of kiddos at work. Discipline is part of it. It is a responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly. But it is necessary as it is how we learn.
Who in their right mind “loves discipline”, then? Well, the man or woman who has received discipline and grown from it. This, of course, fits with the parental and teacherly discipline I spoke of above, but it fits even better when we look at the grace and love our heavenly Father shows us when He bears with us and disciplines us. Read that again: the discipline of the Father is a gift of grace borne out of His love for us.
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.”
It is easier to love discipline when you know what it is to be loved by the Father. It is easier to love the tough-love He gives from time to time when we realize that in so doing He is “treating [us] as sons” (Hebrews 12:7).
If you are struggling with this, you are not alone. But, if you’ll forgive one more fictional character quote, Forrest Gump’s mother spoke true when she taught him, “Stupid is as stupid does.” In the case of Proverbs 12:1, stupid is hating reproof and learning nothing. God graciously offers the opportunity to repent and learn from Him.
May we learn to love His discipline more than we desire to do what we want to do!
May we learn that it comes from His love and lean into His discipline rather than kicking against it!
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
I had intended on helping you understand how we should not be a part of things that God hates. And at least as I means of giving clarity and “the sense” of the passage to help people understand the reading (Nehemiah 8:8), I will.
God hates “haughty eyes” (Proverbs 6:17) — eyes lifted up in arrogance. This is not so much the eyes but rather the way that thinking you are above or better than someone is an attitude of the heart, an attitude of self-righteousness.
God hates “a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:17) — mouths telling lies and bearing false witness rather than speaking the truth. Again, this is representative of the heart rather than one’s tongue and shows a refusal to acknowledge right and wrong but instead rearrange the truth into what suits and/or benefits you the most.
God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17) — the extinguishing of a human life, especially one innocent of any guilt or crime, without cause. This is murder and is rooted in the hands of the guilty and the violence and hate in their hearts.
God hates “a heart that devises wicked plans” (Proverbs 6:18) — coming up with whatever evil their wicked hearts can desire or devise. This is the root of these things that God says He hates. It shows the fruit of what is in the heart being planned more than merely impulse.
God hates “feet that make haste to run to evil” (Proverbs 6:18) — doing wrong and sinning enthusiastically. There is a contrast here that shows a desire to do the wrong one wants to do quickly rather than rushing to do good.
God hates “a false witness who breathes out lies” (Proverbs 6:19) — the second mention of lying in this list with specific difference. The lying mentioned above is generic whereas this one is specifically tearing someone down with lies, injuring their character and reputation. This shows a regard for what one wants themselves and a willingness to treat others and their lives and/or reputations as expendable.
God hates “one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:19) — one who purposefully divides brothers and creates animosity where there was unity.
The English teacher part of me wants to show you how most of those — the first five, specifically — are examples of metonymy, which means the parts represent the whole. The eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet represent the whole person, indicating that the sin is not merely the byproduct of bodily functions but the body carrying out our sin. But the last two are not metonymy. They are the whole. A “false witness” and “one who sows discord” are sins that define the person.
It was at this point that I intended to wrap the writing by saying that we need to make sure that we are not about or doing the things that God says He hates but rather to be about spreading His gospel and thereby His love. And that is definitely true. What I did not intend was to be caught up in desiring to do some of the things God hates myself on the very day of the reading.
I won’t go into detail, but I was reminded yesterday how easy it is to get caught up in anger or aggravation and decide on a course of action that feels right. In that flash of anger, I could hear the Holy Spirit reminding me of the six things that God hates, namely the seventh that is an abomination to Him. I could see clearly how I was willing to devise a wicked plan that would sow discord. God stopped me. His Word stopped me. His Spirit stopped me.
I am thankful God humbled me before I showed myself to be a fool. This wisdom does God’s work within us.
That’s good news.
Lord, help me to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Help me to remember who You are growing me to be and to be about what You told me to do rather than what I want to do. Thank you for letting me see that I was about to do something You hate, and show my brothers and sisters that, too. Amen.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
Proverbs 5 is tough — as it should be, because there is real danger and wickedness in the world that actively seeks to lead us astray.
Right there in Proverbs 5:1, we see the same call to attentiveness to “wisdom” in order to gain “insight” (Proverbs 4:1) and “understanding” as in our last post. The specific nature of the wisdom offered in Proverbs 5 is about the temptation of adultery, and it uses the illustration of the words (anti-wisdom, if you will) that come from the “lips of a forbidden woman” (Proverbs 5:3).
I chose Proverbs 5:18 as the focus verse because it very clearly illustrates a few things about the way that God’s plan and wisdom unfold.
First, God is not some cosmic killjoy trying to keep us from having fun and enjoyment. We need to be attentive to God’s wisdom because He knows best, and especially because He knows and sees beyond what we can. We might get caught up in listening to the anti-wisdom and think it’s “honey” because its rhetoric is “smoother than oil” (Proverbs 5:3), but in reality, that honey is laced with “wormwood” (poison) and seeks to cut us down as with a “two-edged sword” (Proverbs 5:4).
Second, God’s ways are not empty of enjoyment. Proverbs 5:18 gives contrast to the poison anti-wisdom and allure of adultery by reminding that there is rejoicing in one’s own wife, one’s own spouse. Furthermore (and not something I am going into here), the following verses show that all of the enjoyment promised by the forbidden woman (without the danger and death) can be more truly and completely found in one’s own marriage! In fact, that’s God’s design. Read on in Proverbs 5 and be attentive to see what I’m talking about.
Lastly, following God’s design and heeding His wise counsel leads to life. The forbidden woman “does not ponder the path of life” (Proverbs 5:6) and “her steps follow the path to Sheol” (Proverbs 5:5). Let me translate that for you: she doesn’t care that the wages of sin is death because she’s on the broad road that leads to destruction, to Hell (Romans 6:23, Matthew 7:13). You may not know it, but there is more going on than someone tempting spouses to cheat; as Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. Be attentive to the wisdom of God and not tempted by the smooth honey poison of the devil and this world.
To sum all this up, and especially if you are married, God’s ways are best and the husband or wife He has given you is where you are to find your delight.
Lord, help us enjoy our marriage and be attentive to your wisdom and ways. Protect our marriages and strengthen them in you. Shield us from the evil attacks around us and keep our attention and ears tuned into what You have for us.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
This section of proverbs is written father-to-son and gives a good picture of why the wisdom of God is good for us — and better than the wisdom of the world.
There is a phrase in English that is meant to convey this: father knows best. There was even a TV show with that name in the 1950s. Well, it ain’t the 1950s anymore. Fathers don’t always know best or give the best advice; they don’t always give the best example to follow and aren’t too consistent (even absent in too many cases).
The phrase “father knows best” doesn’t mean what it once did. And, truth be told, it didn’t mean it as often as folks would like to believe then. Here’s some good news, though: God the Father knows best. Always. His wise counsel is worth following. His example is worth following. He is the very definition of consistent. And because He is God, He is never absent!
The picture we get in Proverbs 4 is instruction for the son to “be attentive” in order to “gain insight”. So, for us in this #DailyWisdomChallenge (and for all the days that follow until we stand before the Father), we should be attentive to what God the Father has to tell us in His Word. That will give us insight into how He intended us to live, and since He is God — the inventor of humanity and the giver of life, He knows how He designed life to work best. God the Father knows best.
Here’s some more good news: we never have to wonder if God is leading or guiding us the right way. Earthly fathers are fickle and often fail (I am unfortunately an example of this), but God the Father always gives us “good precepts”. He never leads us wrongly. So, don’t forsake His teaching but follow it wholeheartedly.
Lord, help us to hear you and be attentive to Your Word. Instill in us a trust for You as Father that may not come easy to us, and give us the strength and opportunity to live out your “good precepts”. Amen.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
Trust is difficult, especially in times when you feel like there is no one you can trust. In the case of today’s Scripture, it is you — your own heart — that you cannot trust.
We can, however, trust in the LORD!
What we have here is an either/or situation. We are either trusting in the Lord or we are trusting in ourselves. Everything in the world tells us to listen to our hearts and follow our hearts and be true to ourselves and so on and so forth. All of that has us doing what we want when we want it. It sounds pretty good, at least on the surface. The issue is that we often want the wrong things.
Take for instance what I want right now. As I sit here writing this, I want a double cheeseburger and some crunchy tater tots. I want to wash it down with an full-sugar green Mt. Dew. For good measure, a couple of Little Debbie snacks could top me off and leave me sitting fat and happy. That flies in the face of the hard work I have done the last several months of trying to eat healthier and live healthier so as to honor the Lord with my body and be healthy enough to be the husband, father, pastor, and teacher I have been called to be. My wanter is broken.
The things I want are wrong for me. Yes, they satisfy whatever whims I come up with, but left to myself, I will never want to make healthy choices — or in the context of Proverbs, wise choices. Yes, sometimes we want to be dumb; it’s called willful ignorance. So, how can we trust ourselves if our desires long for sin and stupidity? We can’t. We need someone trustworthy to keep us on track.
If you are saved and follow the Lord, you know that you can trust in Him and not lean on your own understanding. You can put yourself fully in His hands and trust that He will take care of you. You can trust that God the Father knows best and has your best interests at heart. When your understanding calls for the contrary, you can trust Him when He leads you in His ways.
When it says “in all your ways acknowledge Him”, it means give Him control in all of your ways. That is, after all, what it means for Him to be Lord. He calls the shots. You follow in the way He directs. He will “make straight your paths” and keep you going where He leads!
So, what will you do: trust in the Lord or go your own way?
Lord, help us to follow you. You know we want things that are bad for us. You know the sin we struggle with is the sin we desire. Please fix our hearts and help us to want what You have for us and to understand that Your ways are better. Help us to trust You with our lives and live it according to Your wisdom rather than the wisdom of the world. Amen.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
Studying God’s Word is good and good for us.
Reading God’s Word is good and good for us.
Learning more and more about about Him is good and good for us.
Knowing Him and making Him known is good and good for us.
We need to be careful that we understand our part in this, though, if we are going to become wise in Him. As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, there is knowledge that “puffs up”, however “love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). In the case of Proverbs 2:6-8, we need to be humble and know that the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding we gain comes from God and flows from the love He has for us and that we have for Him!
We get — that’s right GET — to study God’s Word. We get to receive knowledge and wisdom from Him. All these are blessings that come from Him. If we get puffed up with knowledge, it means that we have this whole thing out of whack.
I love the way that Proverbs 2:1-5 uses language that shows just how much of a privilege it is to get to seek Him and know Him. We should “treasure” His commandments (Proverbs 2:1). We should incline our hearts to understand and make our ears “attentive to wisdom” (Proverbs 2:2). We need to call out to Him “for insight” and raise our voices to call out to Him “for understanding” (Proverbs 2:3). We need to seek Him and His wisdom “like silver” and “as for hidden treasures” (Proverbs 2:4). Then, and only then, the Bible tells us that we will “understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of GOD” (Proverbs 2:5).
It all comes from HIM!
I think about it almost as the difference between me in high school and me in my latest studies at William Carey University. In high school, I was legally and parentally obligated to be there. I worked as hard as I had to and not too much more. I got enough knowledge that I could let folks know how smart I was. Some of it was easy, and the rest was obviously unfair because surely I was too smart to struggle. I was in my teens and puffed up with arrogance, thinking I knew everything. Fast forward to my time at Carey when I was in my late-30s and the same age as professors and over a decade older than my fellow students. I was paying money out of my own pocket, and I had to bring my grades to my wife instead of my mama! I was motivated to learn because I understood the purpose of the knowledge. If I didn’t know or understand, I had to ask because I was not as quick as the other “kids” anymore. I know the value of what I am working for now.
That’s how it is with seeking the Lord and His Wisdom now. I’m too old to worry about impressing folks with knowledge and things that once drove me and motivated me pale in comparison with “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). I want to know Him more than I want to know about Him. I want to follow Him more than I want folks to think well of me. I want more of Him and less of me.
I know my inadequacies, and so does He. And I can trust that He is “guarding the paths of justice, and watching over the way of His saints” (Proverbs 2:8). I can trust that He is guarding and watching my paths because He loves me and I am His.
How about you?
Lord, help us to seek You and Your Wisdom like we chase worldly riches — more than that, Lord, like we would a priceless treasure. Thank You that we know we can find you and receive Your Wisdom — that we can ask that of You and You have already promised it! Help us to know what it is to GET to fear You and help us to know You more. Amen.
For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.
This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.
Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?
As we endeavor to seek the Lord in His Word, Proverb 1:23 is good guidance, especially for the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. We all sin, and we all need “reproof” — we all need correction. The problem is that we do not always receive correction well.
I guess this really begs the question: why do I read God’s Word?
The answer to that question really drives how we respond to correction, because if we are reading it to check off some religious checklist, there are passages that may let us feel good about ourselves or feel righteous. That definitely won’t let us read the whole Bible, though. What if you decided to read it to grow closer to the Lord and to see Jesus impact your every day life by His Spirit. In that case, you would need to open yourself up to reproof.
That’s what this verse is talking about. In Proverbs 1:20-22, Wisdom personified is preaching in the streets and crying out over the noise of earthly wisdom and teaching asking whether we will choose to be willfully ignorant of the things of God and whether or not we will scoff at God’s Wisdom like the rest or the world, being fools who hate knowledge.
Proverbs 1:23 gives a picture of what responding to the Lord and receiving His Wisdom looks like: turning (repenting) at His reproof. He corrects; we repent. He leads; we follow. Turning from foolishness toward wisdom sees one filled with the Spirit of God and receiving His Word. It makes a difference in everyday life.
In Proverbs 1:24-33, however, we see the contrast of the person who receives correction well by getting a picture of the one who refuses to listen to correction. These elevate themselves to a position that they think is over God and decides to have none of His reproof or correction. They think they know better and that they can set their own path. The Bible tells us that rather than receiving God’s Word and His Spirit, these who refuse to turn and repent will reap calamity and terror. They want their own way bad enough, and they will keep it when they get their just comeuppance.
What about you?
Will you hear the Word of the Lord and turn? Or do you want to forge your own path based on your own understanding?
I can tell you from experience that I never knew as much as I thought I did in those situations. God’s ways are higher. He knows what I need.
Lord, grant us repentance and give us a yearning and desire to follow You in the paths you have laid out rather than get carried away by the sinful currents of this world. Amen.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. —
22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.[1]
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
Today’s Bible study has put me through the wringer. As I have said many times over, these Bible studies are not just for you but that they work on me first. It hit me as I type this final version that there is a great irony to how it has taken me so long to finish this Bible study. This Bible study is on what it means to be adorned with Christ in our vocations, and one of my vocations being an English teacher, one would think that the irony of me being unable to find the time to serve the Lord in writing this Bible study is because I have been working much more than usual. More than realizing the irony, though, is me sitting here and pondering whether my hard work of the last month or so has been “as for the Lord” or “for men” (Colossians 3:23).
For me, work has always been an easy idol. I like to work. I thrive when I get to multitask (with a reasonable number of tasks). I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when a task is complete, or a project goes well. Both of my vocations stem from God’s calling on my life and involve helping people in various capacities. Getting to see people receive needed help, whether it be the lightbulb clicking on when a student learns something or helping someone seek Christ, gives me an indescribable feeling. But, if I am not careful, I will take on more and more and more until I lose myself in the work.
I need accountability in this area, and I have people who are committed to helping me strike a correct balance in this area of my life so that I do not overindulge. I know I am a workaholic. I must be careful because I am a teetotaler and will add and add and add until I burn myself out. I know this because I have been there, having burned out and swapped careers just before my 30th birthday. It is part of the reason that I believe the Lord has allowed me to slowly ease back into pastoral ministry. I had to divorce my identity from my work and let Him define me in light of who He has made, is making, and will make me to be.
So, to answer my earlier question – and unfortunately confess to y’all, dear Sojourners: I have leaned more toward working for man than God as of late. Knowing that is, as they say, half the battle. Now, is the time for repentance.
Lest you think I am exaggerating because work is a good thing invented by God, too much of it or having it out of the balance of rest that exhibits faith in Jesus’s strength over my own reveals that I am not bearing fruit accordingly, namely the self-control that comes from being in Christ (Galatians 5:22-23). Look at a few passages of Scripture that illustrate this:
Proverb 25:16 – If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit.
1 Corinthians 9:25 – Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
Titus 2:11-12 – For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
We will revisit these later on as we seek to apply our passage today, but it should be clear here that too much of a good thing can be bad – and yes, God invented work, so it is (or at least it was meant to be) good when done according to His Word and will.
In Genesis 2:15, we see that God put Adam into “the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”. This is not so much a mandate as it is a role or calling for Adam, and as his descendants, we have roles and callings as well. Initially, this work was easy for Adam as he was tasked with naming the animals in Eden and later his wife. God gave Adam the task of being “fruitful” and multiplying in order that the earth would be filled in Genesis 1:28, which the Bible describes as a part of God blessing them. These tasks were good and enjoyable – and probably much less of the toil we associate with work because, at the time, there was no sin in the world, no death (Genesis 1:31, Romans 5:12). Once the Fall occurred when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6), death and sin began to reign in the earth (Romans 5:17), and God cursed the ground, the very same ground that Adam had been tasked to keep and work (Genesis 3:17-19). Adam’s sin took that good and fruitful work and turned it to toil with the addition of pain and thorns and thistles and sweat and dust (Genesis 3:17-19). Work went from something that was good and revolved around the role God assigned and calling He gave as a blessing and introduced the toil and fruitless labor that we know all too well.
This is why we need Colossians 3:22-4:1. Because of the Fall, the image of God in us has been marred by sin, but God, when He saves us, begins conforming us to the image of His Son Jesus rather than the world around us (Romans 8:29, 12:1-2). We saw this earlier in Colossians 3:9-10 when Paul told the Colossian church (and us) that we are to be putting “off the old self with its practices” and putting “on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”. We need Colossians 3:22-4:1 to see what we need to take off and what we need to put on. We need to understand that God has placed us in our vocations as His ambassadors and missionaries (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) and ask the Lord to let our work be adorned with Christ rather than conformed to this fallen world.
Bondservants, Obey in Everything Those Who are Your Earthly Masters (vv. 3:22-25)
On the surface, this passage is about slaves obeying their masters. That is what it is about.
What This Does NOT Mean
As we covered in our study of Philemon, the God of the Bible is not associated with the slavery that comes to mind from colonial America or present-day human trafficking. You can look back at the Appendices from that Bible study and see God’s stance on the treatment of slaves and on the ungodly horrors visited on people in chattel slavery and around the world today; He is against such things. When the Holy Spirit breathed this out and had Paul to write it down, He was not condoning chattel slavery or human trafficking – plain and simple (see Appendix III — Bible Passages Condemning Practices Related to Chattel Slavery and Modern-Day Slavery/Human Trafficking). So, operating under the presupposition that what Paul is talking about here is not that[2], let’s dive in and see what He does mean here.
What Does It Mean, Then?
The word translated “bondservant” in the ESV is the Greek word doulos. It can – and probably should – be simply translated as slave, but there is a connotation[3] in the present that is wrapped up in the sinful atrocities of chattel slavery as well as in the continued sinful treatment of African Americans in the century plus following the Civil War in the Deep South. Bondservant does not really have a connotation and allows for the denotation, or definition, of what God has for us here. That word doulos refered to a slave, “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another” where their will is “altogether consumed in the will of the other”, and it references one being “bound to serve”.[4] It is closer to the modern understanding of an indentured servant than it is to modern understanding of slavery.
It would be a cop-out and over-generalization to say that this is all that there was, especially throughout the Roman empire and around the world at that time. There were wicked masters, and when they were bad, they were terrible. Some slaves were severely mistreated. But there were those who served out their debt and returned to regular life. There were even some who would seek to remain in the service of their master after their debt was paid. Roman slavery was associated with vocation. These bondservants could be teachers or builders or whatever skills they had that could generate enough revenue to pay off their debt. In some cases, it was quite like work releases for people who are incarcerated today – or even in the way trustees are given responsibility or management oversight.
The emphasis here is less about the way they were taught and more about how those who found themselves bonded to a master and have confessed Jesus as Lord will serve. The emphasis is on their service rather than the quality of their master. Their service is to be marked by obedience “in everything” (Colossians 3:22). Their service is to flow out of sincere hearts and their fear of the Lord rather than “by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers” (Colossians 3:22). Whatever was required of them was a call to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” because they were “serving the Lord Christ” and receiving the only reward that mattered from Him (Colossians 3:23-24). Those who are saved have submitted themselves to Jesus as Lord – as kurios, the Greek word for the master of a doulos. And this is what their heavenly Lord and Master required of them – what He requires of us.
Now, did this mean that they refused to be paid or for their debt to be worked off? Absolutely not. What it meant was, if they were in Christ, the fruit borne by their lives reflected an inheritance greater than any paycheck and that their redemption by the blood of Jesus meant more than being redeemed from earthly servitude. This also does not mean that they are above punishment if they did wrong because, with God, “there is no partiality” and “the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done” (Colossians 3:25). This would also cover if an earthly master required a sinful act from their slave or bondservant. Just like we looked at in the relationships of fathers to children and husbands to wives, being in service to God above all means that we refuse to bow to the call of the world and sin even and especially if it means punishment or persecution (1 Peter 2:20-23). To clarify, this would not include the way a wicked master would punish but is meant to help us understand that, even for saved people, there are consequences for sin.
To be adorned in Christ as one works and serves means that they are serving the Lord above all, no matter their vocation. It means that Jesus has a plan for your vocation that goes beyond what you can see (Ephesians 2:10)! It means your quality of work matters, not because of your earthly masters or bosses but because you belong to Jesus and He has set you apart to shine His “marvelous light” in your workplace and find opportunity to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness” (1 Peter 2:9).
Masters, Treat Your Bondservants Justly and Fairly (v. 4:1)
Since slavery was an integrated part of the Roman Empire and the Colossian church clearly had masters in her members, like Philemon, it is important for God to set a standard for how those masters would operate. This extends to those in both vocational authority and other areas of oversight or administration.
What Does It Mean, Then, to Be a Master Who is Just and Fair?
The way that Paul wrote it here is pretty clear who is in charge: “knowing you also have a Master in heaven” (Colossians 4:1). Earthly masters who are saved imitate their heavenly Master, their Lord Jesus Christ. I do not want to oversimplify this, but it means you are going to be different than most masters, the vast majority of bosses.
In the case of Roman slavery, it could have been a call for them to lose revenue by not having debts paid back because their Lord was calling them to free slaves – completely contrary to the culture around them (see Appendix II — Bible Passages Discussing the Release of Slaves). In the case of vocational authority today – being a boss or having oversight/authority over people, it means that you are called to bear fruit of God’s Spirit being in you. Earthly leaders and bosses like to lead with intimidation, but Jesus was a servant leader. He did not hesitate to humble Himself and wash His disciples feet. Saved bosses can lead by serving and humility as well. Earthly bosses can threaten and demoralize, but Jesus lifts up the lowly. Saved bosses can do the same.
Now, does this mean that a boss or leader who is saved is a pushover and allows their employees to run rough-shod over them? Absolutely not! Jesus holds people accountable for their actions. Jesus is a Master who has expectations for His people, but Jesus is consistent with who He is as He disciplines and corrects. So, if you are an earthly boss and Jesus is Lord, you do not conform to the ways of this world for material or vocational gain; no, you allow who His Spirit has transformed and is transforming you into – how He is conforming you back to the image of God in Christ – set the course for how you deal with people.
In a sense, those bosses who are saved and adorned in Christ function in regard to Christ as Paul describes a bondservant to serve. Saved bosses have a “sincerity of heart” stemming from their fear of the Lord (Colossians 3:22). They “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord [they] will receive the inheritance as [their] reward (Colossians 3:23). They serve the “Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24).
The remainder of Colossians 4:1 highlights what that looks like as Paul tells the masters that they should treat their bondservants “justly and fairly”. This is where the tough part of leadership comes in. If an employee has committed some sort of infraction that necessitates firing them, a godly master fires them. If there is a process that is to be followed to do so, the process is followed. This would prohibit office politics and replace it with a yearning to be just and fair as Jesus has been just and fair with them. In some cases, where grace and mercy can be shown, this calls for that, too – all in balance with how the Word teaches us and the Spirit of God leads, and all contrary to the way that this fallen world operates.
Wrapping Up
So, what does that look like? If you are like me, you look at some of this and it seems like this is a good way to get taken advantage of or to sign up to get a lot of extra junk to put up with at work. It is important to remember that our work is not our identity. Jesus gives us an identity in Him by redeeming us from the power of sin and death, rescuing us from the wrath of God, and eternally adopting us into His family. And we get to be adorned with Him and bear His family name into whatever vocation He has for us.
Here are some principles to consider:
Do everything for the Lord (v. 3:17). Whatever your job and whatever your task, work as if Jesus Himself had tasked you with it. This gives work meaning and views it in light of the Kingdom of God and not in whatever earthly kingdom you are employed at.
Work with sincerity and integrity (v. 3:22). Employees should not work merely for status and approval but should consistently act with the understanding that their ultimate accountability is to God.
Work heartily and diligently (v. 3:23). Workers should put their best effort into their work, recognizing that this is part of the calling of their Lord Jesus Christ. This calls for a strong work ethic – not a calling for workaholism – because the work is as to the Lord not men.
Focus on eternal rewards rather than temporal ones (v. 3:24). Earthly compensation matters. It does. It is a big reason why we have and need jobs. The Bible is not against us earning wages and even says if you do not work, you do not eat. But there is more to working than a paycheck. There is an inheritance from the Father for those who serve Him. This mindset helps maintain perspective, especially if your work environment is challenging or worse. If you work for a paycheck or merely for retirement, there are limits to your service. If you work for the One who has made a place for you in heaven (and based on His merit, not yours), your perspective changes.
Be accountable for what you do wrong (v. 3:25). Remember, God is a just God and is pro-discipline. An earmark of being in Christ is repentance. One of the best ways you can exhibit what Jesus has done in you through His salvation is by repenting when you have messed up. This is not a popular viewpoint, but even if your wrongdoing costs you your job, your standing with Jesus is based on His righteousness not your own — which is good news: God is pro-grace!
If you have authority over employees, treat them justly and fairly(v. 4:1). Treat employees as Jesus treats you. It really is that simple. No amount of earthly success or status is worth conforming to the world when Jesus has transformed you into something better.
Realize you are accountable to God (v. 4:1). This is true for believers whether you are a boss or an employee. If you have confessed Jesus as Lord, He is your master. He calls the shots. What He says goes. And serving Him even at the expense of losing a job is worth it. He will still be here when all of this passes away.
Do not let work become an idol (Proverb 25:16, 1 Corinthians 9:25, Titus 2:11-12). It is easy to get into the mindset that because you work as unto the Lord that you cannot quit or stop. The God who ordained work also ordained rest. He did not bring us from death to life in Him for our lives to be wrapped up in our vocations. Jesus gives us wisdom and self-control. While He may call some people to a single vocation and calling for their whole lives, He does not do that with everyone. Follow Him and be willing to change or quit if that is what He has for you. At the same token, be willing to dig in where you are if that is what He has for you.
This has not been my favorite Bible study. I have had to take a step back and realize that I am susceptible to getting my work life out of whack, even when I thought I had it all worked out. The good news is Jesus is the God who saves and a Lord who is active in the lives of His servants. No matter how many times I mess up, I can approach His throne and receive grace and mercy, which He has in an inexhaustible supply.
What about you? I do not mean to meddle, but I exhort you, dear Sojourner, to look at your life and your work and test it according to the Word of God. How can you apply this and shine more brightly His marvelous light rather than working in such a way that you hide the light of Christ.
Know this: I am praying for you and asking God to work in and through your work.
1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.[i]
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
I am excited to introduce you today to the epistle (letter) to Philemon. It is unique and necessary for us to understand the upcoming Bible study from Colossians 3:22-4:1 because Philemon, as a member of the church of Colossae, was not only the recipient of this letter but of the letter to the Colossians as well.
So, the letter to Philemon is in the context of his being “delivered” from the “domain of darkness and transferred…to the Kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). When the church at Colossae had gathered and listened to Paul’s letter to them being read, Philemon would have heard about His preeminent God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who was “before all things” and is holding everything together (Colossians 1:17), who is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18), whose gospel and Spirit are making His followers “mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). Philemon would have been instructed by the Holy Spirit through Paul to walk in Christ as he had received Him, “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2:6-7). And when the letter said “just as you were taught” (Colossians 2:7), it meant that the lives of those in the Colossian church were intended to be in step with Christ – that they were to set their minds on Christ rather than earth and take off/kill the old sin and self that sought to do them harm and put on Christ (Colossians 3:1-17).
At the end of the reading of that letter, there was another letter – a letter to Philemon.
The letter to Philemon is not often read and easily overlooked, and that is a pity, for it is instructive in the way that the gospel is to affect our real, everyday lives. This little book of the Bible can be quite instructive in our understanding of how God would have us treat others as well as giving us a biblical lens through which we can understand how God’s authority through apostles, which we have in the New Testament today, is meant to impact our lives. To get right to it, if we are saved, we belong to Jesus. Yes, you read that right, if you are saved, you belong to Jesus because He redeemed you, meaning you “are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and He redeemed you “from all lawlessness” and to make you a part of those He set aside for Himself, “a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).
In the Greco-Roman world, they would have noticed what you are likely picking up on: wait, if He owns us…does that mean…? Simply put, yes, it does mean that He owns us. He is Lord – literally Master (Greek kurios) – and we are His servants – literally slaves (Greek doulos). Thankfully, our God is not a wicked Master or a tyrannical ruler. He could absolutely make us do whatever He saw fit. He is God Almighty. He paid the price for our sin debt (Colossians 2:14) – His life was the price He paid to make us His own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and He would be righteous to exercise His ownership of those He has saved. Thankfully, though, God did not give us “the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear” but instead gave us “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ (Romans 8:15). So, the price that bought us and made Him our master was the price of our adoption rather than our slave price. The reality is that His purchasing us actually frees us (Romans 6:15-18), and that’s good news because once we submit to God, once we confess Him as Lord” (Romans 10:9), we are protected and free forevermore!
Now, where I live in Mississippi, the word slave has a massively negative connotation, and it should. This makes studying passages of the Bible like Paul’s letter to Philemon and our next passage in Colossians (3:22-4:1) necessary for us to study for what I will generalize into two quick reasons.
First, when the Bible talks about God being our master and saved folks being His slaves, it is not describing a relationship like the slave trade that spanned Europe and Colonial/Early America from the 15th century (Spain/Portugal), 16th century (Britain), 17th century (France and Britain in its colonies, including America), and terrorized people up until its abolishment in the 19th century (and continuation through the aftermath of the Civil War up to the Civil Rights issues in the Jim Crow south and even today). Furthermore, the relationship between the Lord and His people is not like the current situation with around the 50 million slaves in the world today according to the United Nations, of which about 23% are victims of sex trafficking and 14% are children (more than half of which are victims of sexual exploitation). That is not our God, and I have outlined all passages of Scripture on the subject in the attached documents (Appendix I[ii], Appendix II[iii], & Appendix III[iv]) for you to check yourself. God’s Word testifies to His character, and who He is contrasts clearly to all the evil in the world – the darkness has not and cannot overshadow His Light (John 1:4-5).
Second, unlike the slavery of the 15th century through the present, those who Jesus saves willingly confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-13). There are no forced relationships here, no mistreatment, no kidnapping, no exploitation – only love, grace, mercy, and adoption into His family (Galatians 4:4-5, Romans 8:15). People want to argue whether it is God who chooses and saves or people choosing Him and seeking His salvation (an argument for a different day), but the Bible is clear that it is true that God does choose, or elect, unto salvation as well as every, single instance of salvation being willing participants who call upon Him to save them (Romans 10:13). You do not have to take my word on it; check His Word.
It is tempting to say something like, “The problem with Philemon is….” But that is not the case. Current culture and the events of the last four centuries is the problems. You see, the issue of slavery here is not only in God purchasing us as His own; Philemon owned a slave, and that slave, named Onesimus, escaped, and found his way to Paul – potentially after having stolen from Philemon. Once Onesimus made it to Paul, Paul introduced Him to Jesus through the gospel, and Onesimus was saved. Paul wrote this letter to Philemon to instruct him – to disciple him – on how believers are to treat other believers, despite social status or past wrongs done to them.
The Holy Spirit through Paul was instructing Philemon, and us, in a way contemporary believers desperately need to see. We need to see that God’s Word commands our lives – that when our Lord speaks, we listen. We need to see the example of men of God exhorting God’s people to live lives that bear the fruit of His Spirit rather than our sin. We need to see the care that Paul takes in helping Philemon realize what he needs to do rather than browbeating him into submission because our Lord is merciful and kind and contrasts with the evil masters of this world. And we need to see that the teachings of Colossians are to be listened to and obeyed.
If Colossians is to teach us that Jesus is Over All as we have been studying, Philemon is surely a lesson that Jesus is Over Us. So, if we are going to understand Philemon – and God’s redemptive purpose for this being “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16) and not a mere letter containing Paul’s opinions, we have to understand that faith is required – the same faith that Onesimus had in Jesus that led him to return to Philemon, the same faith that Paul had in Jesus that led him not to command Philemon but to encourage him, the same faith in Jesus that comes by grace and saves even today.
So, let us get to work and dig into the letter to Philemon and see what it means for Jesus to be over us.
Onesimus’s Story and Testimony
Onesimus’s story is about the transformative power of the gospel. Onesimus was in a tight spot worldly speaking because he was a slave who had run away and possibly stolen from his master (vv. 12, 18-19). We do not know whether Onesimus was a slave in the traditional sense or indentured to Philemon for some crime committed or debt owed, but we know that Onesimus, as an escaped slave, does not have a legal leg to stand on in either case.
One cool aspect of this narrative is Onesimus’s name. Onesimus meant “useful”.[v] So, when Paul speaks of Onesimus by saying that formerly he was “useless” to Philemon but now “he is indeed useful” to Philemon and to himself (v. 11), he is testifying that Onesimus has been redeemed. Jesus has taken him from useless to useful. This is a good look at the contrast between eternal realities versus worldly realities. Onesimus escaped and interacted with Paul, and Paul convinced Onesimus to return to the master he had wronged. In a worldly sense, this is terrible and dangerous advice. The eternal reality is that when Jesus saves us – when Useless truly becomes Onesimus (Useful) – there is a new life, new works “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Paul was even clear that slaves who could become free should “avail” themselves of the opportunity (1 Corinthians 7:21) and is clearly appealing for Philemon to consider releasing Onesimus (vv. 8-12). In a worldly sense, Onesimus should just keep on trucking rather than returning to Philemon. The eternal reality is that the reconciliation of Onesimus to Philemon – whether he is freed or not – is a picture of the gospel and that whatever wrong or debt incurred should be paid for (vv. 18-19). It is a matter of faith – in the God who saves and His Spirit indwelling your brothers and sisters who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
Whether or not Onesimus is released, though, He has been set free by Jesus (Isaiah 61:1, Galatians 5:1)! Furthermore, his earthly status no longer matters. Onesimus’s heavenly citizenship (Philippians 3:20) and new life in Christ (Colossians 3:10) means that in Christ, distinctions such as Jew or Greek, slave or free, or male or female no longer determine one’s standing – at least not in an eternal sense, but rather one’s standing is determined as to whether or not they are “in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). So, confident in his standing in Christ and trusting the apostle Paul’s judgment, Onesimus heads home to Colossae – home to Philemon, the master he wronged, with the letter to the church at Colossae and the letter to Philemon in hand (Colossians 4:8-9).
Philemon’s Story and Paul’s Appeal
Paul testifies to Philemon’s character and reputation as one who has faith and love for Jesus. Knowing Paul is not one for puffing people up with flattery, this is a genuine acknowledgment of Philemon’s role in Colossae, especially in the church at Colossae where he has a clear influence on its members (vv. 4-7). Philemon was active in sharing the gospel in Colossae and discipling members of the church (v. 6). Paul finds joy in hearing Philemon’s testimony and reputation because the church at Colossae has been “refreshed” through him (v. 7). It is because of this reputation that Paul appeals to him regarding Onesimus; Philemon reconciling with Onesimus is consistent with new life in Christ (Colossians 1:19-20, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
As an apostle, Paul could have commanded Philemon to either reconcile with Onesimus, which would have been just because Paul was willing to satisfy whatever debt or loss of revenue Philemon would have suffered at Onesimus’s absence out of his own pocket. Paul could have commanded him to free Onesimus, which would have, again, been consistent with his writing in 1 Corinthians 7:21. Yet Paul did not use his authority as an apostle. For “love’s sake”, he chose to “appeal” to Philemon to do “what is required” (vv. 8-9), which must have been to forgive Onesimus for the wrongs committed – wrongs that had been forgiven and paid for by Jesus on the cross (Colossians 2:14). This appeal is for Philemon to take Onesimus in once more, “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (vv. 15-16). And lest one tries to argue that it was just an appeal to view him based on spiritual standing as brothers, Paul removes that as a possibility as he told Philemon that it was “both in the flesh and in the Lord” (v. 16).
Paul was confident that Philemon would not only obey but go above and beyond his appeal (v. 21). More than that, he was expecting Philemon to treat Onesimus the same as he would have treated Paul (v. 17) and acknowledged that he would repay Philemon for any costs incurred – either repaying Onesimus’s debt or any loss of funds caused by the pursuit of Onesimus or revenue Onesimus would have brought him during the period of his escape (v. 19). And Paul was so sure that Philemon would obey, considering him a partner, that he made a request that is different than one would expect: “Refresh my heart in Christ” (v. 20). What a testimony that is to the work God had done in Philemon’s life that Paul sought to be refreshed or relieved through Philemon in the same way that his brothers and sisters in the church at Colossae had (v. 7)! So, while we do not know explicitly whether Philemon obeyed, we have the testimony of all that God had done in Philemon’s life and the assurance that those who love the Lord obey His commandments (John 14:15).
Wrapping Up
What does this mean for us?
There are several applications for the letter to Philemon that are important for us to see – and to apply – as it pertains to God having ultimate authority and Lordship in the lives of those who are saved, those who confess Him as Lord.
When Jesus saves us, He transforms us. Just as Onesimus was transformed from useless to useful, God does not save us to leave us the same. It is popular in contemporary Christianity to say that Jesus wants us just as we are, and in a sense, that is true. However, He has no intention of leaving us as we were. Those who are not saved are “dead in the trespasses and sins in which [they] once walked” (Ephesians 2:1), but God clearly does not intend on leaving us dead but rather making us alive by grace through faith in Jesus because of His great love and rich mercy (Ephesians 2:4-9). This does not just go for Onesimus being redeemed from slavery but also extends to Philemon. In Christ, both were bought with a price and no longer their own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In Christ, if we are saved, we were too.
Reconciliation is a theme, not only in our own salvation, but throughout our lives as believers. Reconciliation shows up in Philemon in Paul’s appeal for Philemon to receive and free Onesimus. It also shows up in the letter to the Colossians. We see in Colossians 1:20 that God reconciles sinners to Himself “by the blood of His cross.” This means that those who were His enemies are now His beloved because His has paid the price to redeem them from their sin (Colossians 2:14). Furthermore, we see that reconciliation pictured in the lives of believers in that they who once were “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” are changed in their “flesh by His death” to have faith and be “holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” and standing firm in the “hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:21-23). This reconciliation does not only exist in our relationship with Jesus but extends to our relationships with others, especially our brothers and sisters in Jesus. We live in a world that is wrapped up in vengeance and equity, but an earmark of those who have been forgiven by Jesus is to forgive “as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13).
How we treat humans created in the image of God – and especially our brothers and sisters in Christ – matters. I mentioned in the introduction to this Bible study that the word “slave” has extremely negative connotations. One sad and unfortunate one is that there were many who professed to be Christians who took part in the slave trade of the 15th-19th centuries either by owning slaves who had been ripped from their homelands themselves or by silence or indifference to the evils that were occurring. Each slave who was treated as chattel was a human being created in the image of God. Sadly, there were evil men who claimed the name of Christ yet committed evils like their father the devil. Yes, there were those who were convicted of their part in the atrocities like John Newton and William Wilberforce who repented and became abolitionists, but that list is woefully short. How we treat people matters. This goes doubly for our brothers and sisters in Christ. What should not be tolerated treatment for any human being must assuredly not exist between brothers and sisters in Christ. God’s Word makes it clear that those who profess love for God are liars if they have no love for their brother (1 John 4:20).
It is a non-negotiable truth that believers bear fruit of God’s Spirit. Look at the way Paul described Philemon in vv. 4-7. Paul had heard of his love for Jesus and his brothers and sisters in the church (v. 5). He had heard that Philemon was active in sharing his faith with others (v. 6). He had heard that Philemon’s love was a source of “much joy and comfort” and that his brothers and sisters had been “refreshed” through him (v. 7). Paul’s confidence in Philemon’s obedience was not based on the testimony of Philemon’s faithfulness. No, his confidence was in the faithfulness of the Spirit inside Philemon. The good works Paul praised were not a means to puff up Philemon but to rejoice in the work God was doing in and through him. The fruit of the Spirit is not to be like apples on an apple tree or roses on a rose bush, evidencing the eternal life for the glory of God! Paul was recognizing the fruit of the Spirit in Philemon’s life and had faith that the “good works” prepared for Philemon by the Spirit would be carried out (Ephesians 2:10). It is the same for all believers.
If we confess Jesus is Lord, His lordship will be evident in our lives (or at least in our repentance). This is more than uttering the words “Jesus is Lord”. He either is – or He ain’t. I am not speaking of sinless perfection here. But I am speaking of how one’s life is evidence of who is in charge. For me, Jesus’s lordship is more clearly seen in my repentance than in the fruit I bear at first. Fruit of the Spirit, like fruit of trees and bushes, requires a bit of pruning sometimes – getting all that is in the way out so that the fruit can blossom (John 15:1-2). God’s commands for us are not mere suggestions. He is Lord. His commands are to be met with our obedience. While Paul chose to appeal to Philemon rather than commanding him out of his God-given authority as an apostle does not change things. The appeal was expected to be heeded and obeyed. It is the same with Jesus and His people.
That essentially is what the letter to Philemon means for us. If we are saved, Jesus is over us. He is Lord. He is in charge. We trust that He knows best because He is a kind and merciful Master. He is just and righteous. He is benevolent, but He is still Lord.
I do not know where this leaves you, but I know that this past month that I have studied and written this Bible study has weighed heavily on my heart. I have been convicted to look at my own life and examine the fruit of God’s Spirit within it. I am not perfect, but praise be to God, I am His! I would rather belong to Him than have any worldly status. I would rather be a servant in His Kingdom than have a name for myself and any level of rank or status. I have tried it both ways, and the only satisfaction comes from the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. I am thankful that He would have me at all.
I hope the letter to Philemon is convicting for you as well, dear Sojourner. I hope it causes you to dig deep and take a long honest look at your life. I hope it causes you to evaluate your claim that Jesus is Lord and that it finds you as His own. But it is necessary work. As I said earlier, we can have – need to have – hard conversations, especially as they pertain to making sure we belong to Him. If you find that you are not His and want to know Him, contact me; I would love to help you find Him. If you find that you are His and need repentance, know that He is a merciful God who specializes in reconciliation. Turn to Him, and you will find Him there.
As always, dear Sojourner, know that I am praying for you and love you. May you be refreshed by Philemon as Paul was and I have been. Hallelujah, and God bless.
[ii]Appendix I – Bible Passages Discussing the Treatment of Slaves or Servants
Old Testament
Exodus 21:2-11gives regulations concerning Hebrew slaves: they serve for six years and are released in the seventh year. If a slave chooses to stay with his master, his ear is pierced as a mark of lifelong servitude. It also addresses the treatment of female slaves, ensuring their rights and dignity are protected within the household of their master.
2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.
7 “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. 9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
Exodus 21:20-21specifies that if a slave dies immediately after being struck by their master, the master is to be punished. However, if the slave survives for a day or two, no punishment is required, as the slave is considered the master’s property.
20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.
Leviticus 25:39-46distinguishes between Hebrew servants, who must be treated as hired workers and released in the Year of Jubilee, and foreign slaves, who may be owned as property and passed down as inheritance. It emphasizes humane treatment of fellow Israelites and prohibits harsh rule over them, reminding the people to fear God in their dealings.
39 “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: 40 he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God. 44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. 45 You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. 46 You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.
Deuteronomy 15:12-18distinguishes between Hebrew servants, who are to be treated as hired workers and released in the Year of Jubilee, and foreign slaves, who may be owned as property and passed down as inheritance. Israelites are commanded not to treat their fellow Hebrews harshly but to remember that all are servants of God.
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
Deuteronomy 23:15-16commands that escaped slaves seeking refuge among the Israelites must not be returned to their masters. Instead, they are to be allowed to live freely among the Israelites in whatever place they choose, and they must not be oppressed or mistreated.
15 “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15commands fair treatment of hired workers, emphasizing that they should be paid promptly because they rely on their wages. Failure to do so is considered a sin before the Lord.
14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. 15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
Proverbs 22:16warns against oppressing the poor to gain wealth or showing favoritism to the rich, asserting that such actions will ultimately lead to poverty.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
New Testament
Ephesians 6:5-9instructs bondservants to obey their earthly masters sincerely and with reverence, serving as if they were serving Christ himself, not out of mere external performance but from the heart. Masters are urged to treat their bondservants with fairness and kindness, knowing that they too have a Master in heaven who shows no partiality.
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Colossians 3:22-4:1exhorts bondservants to obey their earthly masters wholeheartedly, not for appearance but with sincerity, as if serving the Lord Christ. It emphasizes that both bondservants and masters are accountable to God, who judges impartially. Masters are urged to treat their bondservants justly and fairly, recognizing their own accountability to their heavenly Master.
3:22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
4:1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
1 Timothy 6:1-2instructs bondservants to honor their masters, especially if their masters are believers, to avoid bringing dishonor to God’s name and teachings. They are encouraged to serve diligently, recognizing the mutual benefit and respect in their relationship.
1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.
Teach and urge these things.
Titus 2:9-10advises bondservants to be submissive to their masters in all things, aiming to please them and not engage in arguments or theft. They are encouraged to demonstrate good faith, thereby reflecting the teachings of God our Savior in their conduct.
9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
1 Peter 2:18-20instructs servants to submit to their masters with respect, even when treated unjustly. Enduring suffering for doing good, rather than for wrongdoing, is regarded as commendable in God’s sight.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
[iii]Appendix II – Bible Passages Discussing the Release of Slaves
Old Testament
Exodus 21:2states that when a Hebrew slave is purchased, they are to serve for six years, and in the seventh year, they are to be released without payment, enjoying freedom.
2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
Deuteronomy 15:12-18outlines the regulations concerning Hebrew slaves. A Hebrew man or woman sold into servitude is to serve for six years, and in the seventh year, they are to be released with provisions and not sent away empty-handed. If the slave chooses to remain with their master out of love and loyalty, their ear is pierced as a sign of lifelong servitude. This law emphasizes compassionate treatment of slaves, reflecting God’s redemption of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
Leviticus 25:10institutes the Year of Jubilee, occurring every fiftieth year, when liberty is proclaimed throughout the land for all its inhabitants. During this year, each person returns to their ancestral property and clan, highlighting God’s provision for restoration and freedom.
10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.
Nehemiah 5:1-13recounts Nehemiah’s response to a crisis among the Jews where some were forced to mortgage their properties due to famine and pay heavy taxes. Outraged, Nehemiah confronts the nobles and officials for exacting interest from their own people and enslaving their fellow Jews. He calls for justice, urging the return of seized properties and the cessation of oppressive practices, ultimately securing a commitment from the assembly to rectify their wrongs before God.
1 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. 13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
Isaiah 61:1-3declares the mission of the anointed servant of the Lord. He is empowered by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, and release those imprisoned. This passage foretells God’s plan for restoration, comfort, and transformation, symbolized by exchanging mourning for joy and despair for praise, ultimately glorifying the Lord through the transformation of His people.
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Jeremiah 34:8-22recounts how King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem initially made a covenant to proclaim liberty to their Hebrew slaves, fulfilling the commandment to release them after six years of service. However, they later reneged on this covenant and enslaved them again. God rebukes them through Jeremiah, emphasizing that their actions profaned His name and broke the covenant made when He delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. As a consequence, God declares impending judgment, including war, famine, and captivity by their enemies, as punishment for their disobedience and injustice.
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10 And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. 12 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 14 ‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, 16 but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.
17 “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, I will command, declares the Lord, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”
New Testament
1 Corinthians 7:21-24advises bondservants (slaves) who become Christians to not overly concern themselves with their status, but if they have the opportunity to gain freedom, they should take it. Whether free or enslaved, they are encouraged to live for the Lord, recognizing that they belong to Christ and not to human masters. The passage emphasizes spiritual freedom in Christ as paramount, regardless of one’s earthly circumstances.
21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
Philemonis a personal letter from the apostle Paul to Philemon, a Christian in Colossae. It addresses the return of Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus, whom Paul had converted to Christianity during his imprisonment. Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus back, not as a slave but as a beloved brother in Christ, urging Philemon to forgive him and treat him with kindness. The letter demonstrates Paul’s advocacy for reconciliation and equality among believers, regardless of their social status.
[iv]Appendix III – Bible Passages Condemning Practices Related to Chattel Slavery and Modern-Day Slavery/Human Trafficking
Old Testament
Exodus 21:16commands that anyone who kidnaps and sells a person, and anyone found in possession of the kidnapped person, is to be put to death. This law underscores the seriousness with which God views the crime of human trafficking and abduction, ensuring severe consequences for those involved.
16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
Leviticus 19:18instructs to avoid seeking revenge or holding grudges against fellow Israelites but instead to love them as oneself, emphasizing the principle of love and justice grounded in reverence for the Lord.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 24:17-22establishes principles of justice and accountability for both Israelites and foreigners. It mandates capital punishment for murder and restitution for harm caused, following the principle of “life for life” and “eye for eye.” This passage emphasizes the equality of law and justice before God, ensuring fairness and protection for all within the community.
17 “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. 21 Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. 22 You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 22:25-29outlines laws concerning sexual assault and rape in ancient Israel. If a man rapes a betrothed woman in the open country, he is to be put to death, and the woman is not held responsible. This law emphasizes the severity of the crime and protects the victim’s innocence. If the woman is not betrothed, and she is raped, the perpetrator is required to marry her, pay her father compensation, and is prohibited from divorcing her. This law aims to ensure the victim’s welfare and dignity in a society where women’s security and honor were paramount concerns.
25 “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, 27 because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her.
28 “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
Deuteronomy 24:7specifies that anyone found kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating them as a slave or selling them is to be put to death. This severe punishment is mandated to remove such evil from the community, underscoring the value of human life and the prohibition against human trafficking or slavery among the Israelites.
7 “If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Job 31:13-15reflects Job’s commitment to justice and fairness towards his servants. He declares that if he has ever denied the rights or mistreated his male or female servants when they brought a complaint against him, he would have no defense when God judges him. Job acknowledges that both he and his servants were created by the same God, implying that they deserve equal respect and fair treatment.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, 14 what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
Proverbs 6:16-19lists seven things that the Lord hates and considers an abomination: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are quick to run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and someone who causes strife among brothers. This passage highlights behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s righteousness and promote harm and discord among people.
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Micah 2:1-2pronounces a woe upon those who plot evil and carry out wicked deeds, particularly those who covet and seize property, oppressing individuals and their families. The passage condemns those who exploit their power and wealth to unjustly take away the possessions and inheritance of others, highlighting God’s judgment against such actions.
1 Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
New Testament
1 Corinthians 6:9-10warns that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. It lists several behaviors that are incompatible with God’s kingdom, including sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, and swindling. This passage underscores the importance of living a life that aligns with God’s standards of righteousness and warns against practices that lead away from His kingdom.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 3:27-29teaches that those who have been baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. It emphasizes that in Christ, distinctions such as Jew or Greek, slave or free, and male and female do not define one’s standing before God, for all believers are united as one in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, it affirms that if believers belong to Christ, they are also considered heirs according to God’s promises made to Abraham, highlighting the unity and inheritance shared among all who are in Christ.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 5:19-21outlines the works of the flesh, which are evident and include various immoral behaviors and attitudes such as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and similar actions. The passage warns that those who persist in such behaviors will not inherit the kingdom of God, underscoring the importance of living a life characterized by the Spirit rather than indulging in sinful desires.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:3-5instructs believers to avoid sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness, emphasizing that such behaviors should not even be mentioned among them, as befits those who are holy. The passage further warns against filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking, which are inappropriate for followers of Christ. It emphasizes that those who persist in such sins, including covetousness (which is equated with idolatry), will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God, underscoring the seriousness of maintaining moral purity and reverence in one’s conduct.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
1 Timothy 1:8-11affirms the goodness of the law when used rightly, emphasizing that it is intended for those who are lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, and profane. He lists various specific sins that the law addresses, including those who strike their parents, murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and others who act contrary to sound doctrine. This is aligned with the gospel of the glory of God entrusted to Paul, highlighting the law’s role in addressing sinful behaviors and upholding righteousness in accordance with God’s standards.
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
James 5:1-6delivers a scathing rebuke to the rich who have amassed wealth through unjust means. He warns them of impending judgment and calls them to repentance, highlighting how their ill-gotten gains have led to the oppression of the poor and deprived laborers of their just wages. He condemns their luxurious and self-indulgent lifestyles, contrasting it with the righteous who suffer under their unjust actions, noting that their actions bring condemnation upon themselves.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Revelation 18:11-13depicts the lament of the merchants over the fall of Babylon, a symbolic representation of a corrupt and oppressive worldly system. The list of goods they mourn includes luxurious items and commodities, notably including “slaves, that is, human souls,” highlighting the extent of exploitation and commerce in human lives within this condemned system.
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
Just Keith Harris 