Many people ask why the God of the Bible, who is supposed to be loving and kind, would permit slavery to exist in ancient times. Why didn’t God stop slavery? If he is all-powerful, shouldn’t he have then used his sovereign control of all things to eliminate that which is oppressive? Critics of the Bible will often cite the fact that slavery was part of the Old and New Testament societies and then condemn God for not removing it. So, why did God permit slavery?
Moral Standard Anyone?
First of all, condemning slavery, among other injustices, implies that its abolition is what ought to be done. It is then a moral issue. But to raise the issue of abolition based on moral reasoning is to imply that there is a universal truth that we can appeal to in order to condemn it. But, where does this universal moral standard come from, and how is it justified? I could make the case that apart from the Christian worldview, such an objective, a non-subjective universal moral standard cannot exist – not in atheism, agnosticism, or humanism, non, of which, can justify universal moral principles. Why? Because principles are abstractions and abstractions require a mind. But, to say slavery is universally wrong (in all times and places) is to appeal to a universal principle. This implies a universal mind: God. Christianity best provides the necessary preconditions for a universal moral base. But, I digress, and the issue remains: Why didn’t God stop slavery in the Bible?
Made in God’s image
Basically, God permitted slavery to exist and still does, because of the rebellion and sinful actions of fallen people. God allows various things to occur in the world that he does not approve of, such as murder, lying, rape, and theft. In theology, we call God’s moral revelation his prescriptive will. It consists of such things as “you shall not murder,” and “you shall not lie.” However, in what we call his permissive will, he allows people to murder and to lie.
Biblically speaking, we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). And because we are made in His image, we are responsible for our actions and our choices. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God. They exercised their free will and disobeyed him, and sin became a reality along with slavery. But we have to ask, where do we draw the line on what we consider the proper starting point where God ought to intervene and prevent evil.
Where we draw the moral line?
We know for a fact that murder is wrong. So, should God stop all murder? If we say yes, then what about the thoughts of murder? Should God stop that as well? Or, is it okay to contemplate murdering someone as long as you don’t do it? But is not even the contemplation of murder a morally wrong thing to do? Of course, it is. So, then ought God stop even the contemplation of such evil? Remember, most sins occur because we first think of them before we carry them out. So, ought God control someone’s thinking and stop people from considering doing something wrong in order to prevent it from happening? Or should it be that God allows people to think all kinds of evil are loaded onto them? If so, why is that the right thing to do?
The point I’m trying to make is that when people ask why did God permit slavery or stop slavery, then they are asking a moral question about what ought to exist and what not ought to exist.
God permits evil in the world, slavery included, because that is the nature of the fallen world that is coupled with our freedom. God gave the garden to Adam and Eve, and it was good. But in their rebellion, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12), and with it came the effect of sin, which has brought pain, suffering, rebellion, death, and damnation. Slavery exists because of the sinful and rebellious freedom of man. The Lord has allowed us to do with their freedom as we desire. And, we ought not to blame God for allowing what we in our sinfulness, as a human race, have permitted.
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