Page 169 - Ephesians

Studying EPHESIANS to Know God

Chapter 30 Slaves and Masters 6:5

“Slaves, be obedient to those who are your master.” Let me
make a passing comment about slavery as a whole, and then
come back to the principles. Slavery, as ownership of men and
women, has always been wrong. God has never allowed
anybody, to own anybody else. Some slavery in the Bible,
amounted to just regulated servanthood. In other words, people
who worked and were provided room and board. In many cases,
they were treated with dignity and respect. Some, actually
became a beloved part of the family. The case in Ephesians is
drawn from Roman slavery. Which we know from history, was a
terrible social injustice, and horrible form of bondage.
Dehumanizing, cruel, and oppressive. God used Roman slavery,
the extreme illustration, in order to include every lesser
illustration.

Now, in Romans, God chooses this strong picture to show the
slavery of sin. It became, God’s clear picture of sin. I point that
out to show how the gospel dealt with social injustice. But also,
how the gospel did not, deal with it. The gospel dealt with social
injustice in two ways.

#1 It changed man from the inside out. That’s how God deals

With social injustice. He works on the heart, and He changes
man from the inside out.

#2 What flows out of changing man from within, is the eventual
undermining of those social injustices, until they finally fall
apart.