Slavery: Sermon Notes By Pat Donahue

Pat Donahue is a Church of Christ friend of mine. He and I have debate a few times. However, racism is an issue that we agree on and I wanted to post sermon notes that he sent me after reading my last blog.

Slavery

Two types of slavery in Bible – physical and spiritual

Physical slavery – two types – forced and indentured:

· Genesis 40:15 Joseph forced into slavery

· this also was allowed as the spoils of war - Deuteronomy 20:10-11 When you approach a city to wage war against it, offer it terms of peace. If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves.

· indentured slavery was not necessarily forced (except possibly by a court of law to pay off debts) - Leviticus 25:39-43 If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service. He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner; he must serve with you until the year of jubilee, but then he may go free, he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors. Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale. You must not rule over him harshly, but you must fear your God.

· I Tim 1:10 forced slavery is wrong under the New Testament - “slave traders” in a newer translation.

· Matthew 5:43-44 New Testament does not allow Christians to fight in war (and take slaves).

· Even under the Old Testament, kidnapping a fellow Israelite for slavery was wrong – Deuteronomy 24:7 If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you. (NIV)

Spiritual slavery – switch from Satan to Jesus:

Romans 6:16-18, Galatians 2:20