1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 Corinthians 7:21 Being a bondservant in NT times was different from the institution of slavery in North America during the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Slaves (bondservants, servants) generally were permitted to work for pay and to save enough to buy their freedom (see Matthew 25:15, where the “servants” were entrusted with immense amounts of money and responsibility). The NT assumes that trafficking in human beings is a sin (1 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 18:11), and Paul urges Christian bondservants who can gain... freedom to do so. The released bondservant was officially designated a “freedman” and frequently continued to work for his former master. See also esv Preface.

Continues after advertising
Continues after advertising