Addressing Slavery
From a Lutheran viewpoint, the Bible's approach to slavery is not about changing God's morality. It shows how His unchanging Word interacts with a broken world. Scripture does not see slavery as a divine ideal but as a result of the Fall. It reflects a harsh social reality, which God regulates to limit cruelty without condoning its existence. The Law reveals how human systems are distorted by sin, while the Gospel provides a new identity. In Baptism, the differences of "slave and free" vanish before God. God is not "pro-slavery"; He is pro-redemption. The Gospel acts as a seed that grows and dismantles oppressive systems by affirming the equal dignity of all people redeemed by the blood of Christ. The Bible does not 'evolve' on slavery; it dismantles it by presenting the Master as a Servant. The Law acknowledges the harshness of a fallen world, while the Gospel strikes a fatal blow to the institution. If you want to know if God stands ...
