Be Still And Know

1 Timothy 6:1 'All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.' It’s hard for us to imagine what it must have been like to live in a society where slavery was normal. Between ten and 20 percent of the population were slaves in Roman times, so it was an issue with which everyone was familiar. Because the members of the early Church were largely drawn from the poorer parts of society, it is likely that the proportion of Christians who were slaves was much higher. It was vital, therefore, that Paul addressed the question of how Christian slaves should act towards their masters, and the fact that he does so in many of his letters shows what a major issue it was. Here, he tells his reader that Christians slaves must give their masters full respect. How tough that must have been, especially if their masters were unreasonable and cruel. And it does not mean that Paul, or Christianity more generally, condoned slavery. However, Paul knew that