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In a recent movie “12 Years a Slave”, the audience was confronted with the dehumanizing effects of slavery. This film is an adaptation of a memoir by the 19th century African-American Solomon Northup. He was a free man by birth and living in New York but was kidnapped into slavery. In the movie, the slaves were bought and sold, and were subjected to the whims and fancies of the owners.

One finds that neither the Old nor the New Testament out rightly condemned the practice of slavery. Jesus was curiously altogether silent on the subject. During Roman times, there would have been many slaves at Colossae. The Apostle Paul treats them with dignity and appeals to them directly to honour Jesus in their hearts, work, and behaviour. In Col. 3:22, he wrote: “slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

While the issue of slavery needs to be addressed, God’s primary concern lies with another type of slavery altogether. All people have sinned and are enslaved by the power of sin. One should ask, “How can I be freed from the reigning power of sin in my daily life?” According to the Bible, the Christian believes in Jesus and has been spiritually delivered from the slavery of sin. Therefore, a Christian needs to live in this God given freedom. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” (Rom. 6:6, 19)

Paul urges all Christians (including slaves) to respond to God’s provision for sin. The end result for sin is death. While a Christian’s new owner is now God, God does not enslave the Christian. He willingly accepts the freedom of the mercy, grace and forgiveness of God. The gracious provision of God is salvation and eternal life. “The answer to the problem of sin is not simply determination, discipline, reformation, legislation, or any other human endeavour. Victory comes through crucifixion and resurrection” (Warren Wiersbe).