Slavery

[snowhite]

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

 

[paulsfam4]

this was the culture at the time to have slaves, people used family members to pay debt or to work off debts back then there was no bible to read ! they had the prophets that passed on Gods will. before the 10 commandments and gods law.and this is addressed in the new testament how we should live and how slaves should live at that time and how the owners should treat such slaves for the glory of God in all situations we live in. Jesus is the sacrifice for all of us.[SUP]5 [/SUP]Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. [SUP]7 [/SUP]Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, [SUP]8 [/SUP]because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

 

[p_rehbein]

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

I would suggest that you spend time studying Scripture, and earnestly praying to find "assurance" of salvation.........as your profile states you are "unsure." Once you receive assurance, and begin to study Scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, many of these questions will be answered for you.

 

[cinder]

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

One important thing to remember when reading the Bible is that not all of the Bible should be looked at through a go and do the same lens. Much of the narrative portions of scripture are telling what did happen, what happened is not necessarily considered good.

To use one of your examples, bonded labor type of slavery is still common in parts of the world today, so the portions of the Bible that tell what is just and unjust in such a situation or that show how God helped people in such a situation is very relevant to them. That doesn't mean that the situation itself is good or to be sought out. Also keep in mind that there is a difference between relationships between nations and relationships between people. What God sovereignly commands one nation to do at one particular point in time does not equal that I as an individual am commanded or even free to do the same.

 

[blue_ladybug]

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

snowhite, most of what people did in bible times still happens today. In the south years ago, white people owned black people as slaves. Many people have multiple wives/husbands/gf's/bf's today. It's called polygamy. And sacrificing people and animals is what serial killers and satan worshipers do!! So the lifestyle of back then is still in practice today. I agree with p_rehbein's reply: spend time reading the scriptures and pray for assurance to understand them.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Compared with the nations round about, Israel in the Old Testament was known for its justice and respect for women. The terrible 20th and 21st centuries, with the crimes of secularists such as Stalin and Pol Pot, are no point of favorable comparison.

Read the Bible as a whole and in the New Testament especially the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed especially in all His grace and mercy, which we need if we are not to die in our sins.

My own abhorrence of slavery is rooted in Scripture.

 

[oldernotwiser]

and the english and american abolitionists were solidly rooted in scripture.

 

[p_rehbein]

and the english and american abolitionists were solidly rooted in scripture.

Very true.........and people don't realize that those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are SLAVES to sin. And the wages of sin is death. The Good News is, we have a Saviour if we choose to serve Him!

 

[maxwel]

Snowhite,
It is important to understand how the bible deals with the various sins of mankind toward each other.

But it is much MORE important to understand how to deal with OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL SIN.

The bible is very clear that before we worry about the sins of others, we should first worry about our own sin.
If we get this in reverse, we risk becoming hypocrites.

So my question to you is this: how are you dealing with your own sin?
Do you believe that Christ died to pay for your sins?
Do you disbelieve?
Are you still unsure?
The first thing, before dealing with sins of others, is to deal with our own sin.

This is worth a great deal of thought.
It's a very serious thing.

 

[kei]

You can't let the negatives from the past dictate who you are. Live for the lord and be true to yourself

 

[AgeofKnowledge]

Read 'For the Glory of God' by the highly esteemed scholar Dr. Rodney Stark paying special attention to Chapter 4 'God's Justice: The Sin of Slavery' making sure to diligently read the citations and if you can find the time also the scholarly sources he cites in his discourse and you will have a very competent and comprehensive understanding that will assist your Christian worldview not harm it as the ignorance you currently possess with respect to the topic is presently doing and that's a promise. Peace.

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

 

[RedTent]

Hello, I struggle to accept the bible and parts of it that seem terrible, cruel and evil to me. There are several parts in the bible referring to the ownership of slaves, having multiple wives and sacrificing (killing in the name of God)
I'm sure if we acted like this today we would end up in Jail so can someone please explain to me why these things are accepted as holy scripture?

What you are saying about scripture is why the Lord brought the dead sea scrolls to our attention, now. They were hidden in plain sight many hundred years.

The bible uses people to explain His principle who lived as much as 4,000 years before us. People who lived only 500 years ago had different thoughts, it was a different culture. This is 4,000! Imagine some of the writing we do today, talking of the man in the moon, go fly a kite, or pie in the sky. Do you think people 4,000 years from now would understand? Yet there are comparable saying in OT scripture. Through men who have studied these findings, they are learning the principles of our God and that those principles are true for us today.

When we understand, we learn that any time man sins, such as having multiple wives, there is a payment for the sin. We also learn that God always offers grace. If we look at David, we can see it clearly. He would fall into sin and suffer terribly, but through repentance and faith in the Lord he was given grace.

You can now learn that blood sacrifice was a shadow of Christ to stop as soon as Christ was crucified. A shadow is a reflection of something real. You learn that under God, slaves became part of the family. You learn that nothing God orders is done outside of love for God's people, for their eternal life and for their welfare.