1 Corinthians 7:21 Commentary and Bible Study

But then we come on to servants and slaves. The word ‘servant’ translates a word which is quite a broad word, which essentially means ‘slave’, although bondservant or even paid servant can be included in the term in the way in which it is used. But the sense is clear. ‘When you were saved, when you were converted, were you a servant? Don't worry about, says the apostle. God is able to give grace to support us in difficult situations. We cheerfully bear these things for Christ if we are unable to do anything to change them, and we do not allow ourselves to be eaten up with resentment at suffering different circumstances to others. Don't let it concern you unduly; don't think this is now the biggest thing in life for you, and you can't stand this any further. ‘But if thou mayest be made free, use it rather’, take advantage of it; it is to your advantage. But then he is going to give tremendous counsel and encouragement to those people who are in slavery, and this has led to criticism. It is said by some who do not understand his arguments in the Scriptures, ‘The apostle Paul does not mind slavery. He appears to condone it; he appears to be saying, “Live with it; come to terms with it.”’ But of course, he is not saying that at all. He is addressing himself here to people who are in slavery and it is their fixed condition, and they cannot, for the most part, do anything about it. He is going to give them great encouragement that even in that apparently greatly disadvantageous state and condition, they can be servants of God, and used of God mightily. So it doesn't in any sense, condone slavery. Until recent times, there was slavery and servitude, and a kind of bondage to your station or your level, which could be quite lowly in society, and you couldn't change it. In the Roman Empire we are told that between 10% and 20% of people were slaves. They were owned and they had to just obey commands and would get a pittance of pocket money, but very little free time, if any, and very difficult circumstances. In Victorian England, we read that roughly the same proportion of people were not slaves but they were stuck in domestic service, where they would be very poorly paid and have very limited free time. They might be in good homes, but quite often they were in places where they would be oppressed quite a bit, and a huge portion of the community were working in service, and could not move out of that. You could not leave your job just on a whim, because you would not get references, and without references you would never get another position and you would starve, and so you were fixed. Really this was much the same for many years. I think there was a census in the early 1930s, which showed that, among other things, one million people (and this was when the population was as low as 30 million) worked as kitchen maids. If you were in that occupation you were stuck in it. So for much of history and even modern history, there has always been what you might call an enormous oppressed community in society. The apostle Paul does not here campaign against slavery. He does something infinitely more useful – of course, he is inspired of God to do so. Given the history of the world and ongoing oppression he gives encouragement to people who are fixed in such positions, and that is very precious and very valuable. Social mobility has been very recent in this country, and whatever sector of society you were born into, you very likely to be stuck there. I think the school leaving age went up to 15 as recently as 1944, and it did not go up to 16 until 1970, and then of course the great period of social mobility began. But here is the apostle Paul addressing people who are in what you might call disadvantaged situations to give them mighty encouragement. It is through the Scriptures, of course, and through the gospel and Christians that the great campaign against slavery began in the 18th century. It was the great awakening beginning in 1739, which led to so many conversions. From that came the beginnings of the great pressure against slavery. Great names like the Clarkson, Wilberforce, Granville Sharp, John Newton, and John and Charles Wesley: all contributing massively to that campaign, and eventually they prevailed. All their arguments were drawn from Scripture, right from the book of Genesis on, and it is through the work of the gospel that these oppressive institutions have been rocked and tumbled on a massive scale.