I am an African American; I say this because I recently took a history class and found out that Christianity was used as one of the means of not only imposing slavery, but justifying it.  As someone who was brought up in the church, this has really disturbed me.  So I went to the Bible and began reading the laws of slavery in Leviticus 25, and there was also a particular verse in Colossians 3:22 which implies that slavery was not condoned by God but not frowned upon either.  Funny enough, all of my years being in the church, I have never heard any of these passages mentioned... I have two questions:

Where does God stand when it comes to slavery?  How come it is not allowed anymore if the Bible does not discourage it?

Sincerely,
Loosing Faith

Dear Loosing Faith,

Unfortunately, many horrendous things have been done in the name of Christ… but that doesn’t make them right.  God does address slavery in the Bible.  He makes it clear that it is better when people are free; freedom is what God desires for all men (1 Cor 7:21).  However, God also deals with how people can live in a world where slavery does exist… hence, verses like Col 3:22.  Slavery was, and is, a reality in many parts of the world, a reality that doesn’t go away once people become christians.  How a slave should behave toward their master is a down-to-earth, practical, moral question for many, many people.  The fact that we Americans don’t have to deal with such dilemmas anymore is a blessing indeed.

Is it a sin to not be legally married with a marriage license but to be married in God’s eyes?  The reason I am asking this is because my husband and I can't get legally married because he is on SSI, and they will take all of his money and his insurance if we got married because I work. But his dad is a preacher, and he married us under GOD's eyes.  I was just wondering if there is such a thing as that.  A guy I work with said to me, “Follow the law of the land”; is that what that means, that we are supposed to get married legally?  I got saved a year ago and baptized, so am I living in sin?

Sincerely,
The Bride (Maybe)

Dear The Bride (Maybe),

It is important to make the distinction between 'can't' and 'would be hard to'.  It isn't that you and your husband can't get a marriage license; it is that it would be hard on you financially to have one.  Whether or not your marriage is valid without the government's paperwork is not the issue – either way, you are being deceptive.  The Scriptures say that you should get married rather than live together in a sinful relationship (1 Cor 6:18), AND they say that you should obey the laws of the land (1 Pet 2:13-15).  Right now, you are obeying one command… but not the other (you yourself said that you are "not legally married", which – by definition – means you are doing something you believe is illegal).  Currently, you are intentionally deceiving the government in regard to your relationship with your husband in order to continue to receive money from it.  We can't simply obey some of God's laws and forsake the others.  The sum of God's Word is truth (Ps 119:160).

I know slavery existed in the Bible, but does that mean it’s not wrong?

Sincerely,
Abolitionist

Dear Abolitionist,

The Bible does not ever directly condemn slavery, but it does condemn treating slaves like property.  In the Old Testament, God allowed a bankrupt Jew to sell himself as a slave to pay off his debts, however he was not to be abused or mistreated by his owner (Lev 25:39-40).  God reiterates this idea in the New Testament.  Slaves are to serve their masters loyally and faithfully (1 Tim 6:1, Tit 2:9).  Masters are to treat their slaves as fellow humans, without threatening or hurting them (Eph 6:9).  Masters are to be just and fair to their slaves (Col 4:1).  God never says it is wrong to have slaves, but He very clearly denounces the brutality that we often associate with slavery.  If a slave master lived as God commanded, he would treat his slaves as hired hands… and many christians did just that in the first century.

However, God does make it clear that being a slave is a less than desirable situation.  Slavery is a reality that exists within various parts of the world, so it must be dealt with from a Biblical perspective, but freedom is always a better option (1 Cor 7:21).

The Bible tells us many times that God loves us.  So my question is: how could a God that loves us so much condemn anyone to eternal suffering in hell?  I believe that the vast majority of the world would say, "no" if you asked them if they are a christian.  By what the Bible tells us, that would mean that most people will go to hell.  It is very difficult for me to believe in a loving, caring God under those circumstances.  The parable of the sheep and goats is an even further discouragement.  Please help me out.

Sincerely,
That Fire Is Hot

Dear That Fire Is Hot,

God doesn’t condemn us to hell; He offers to save us from ourselves.  When God designed mankind, He made us in His image (Gen 1:26).  One result of that design is that all humans have eternal souls.  That is a positive thing.  God intended for Adam & Eve to never die and to always enjoy the blessings of fellowship with God in the garden (Gen 2:8).  Eden was a perfect situation, and it was our sin that destroyed that perfection.  Mankind sinned, and that sin causes us to die (Rom 6:23).  God gives us the freedom to choose to live or choose to sin; the fact that we all choose to sin is not His fault (Rom 5:12).  Heaven is a perfect place, and if God allowed sinful people into heaven, it would cease to be perfect.  Our actions and choices have condemned us.

God, however, wishes to save us from ourselves.  He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins (Jhn 3:16).  He provided us with the Bible, which shows us the path to receive salvation (Rom 10:17, Rom 1:16).  We should not blame God for those who go to hell any more than we should blame a doctor when his patient refuses to take their medication.  It is true that many people will go to hell (Matt 7:13), but God doesn’t desire that any should perish (Ezek 18:23).  God sent us a Savior in Jesus Christ, even though we didn’t deserve it (1 Jn 4:14).

I was wondering, do the people that hurt you, lie to you, cheat on you ever hurt themselves?  I was in a relationship, and I really loved this person, and he really hurt me.  He played on my emotions and just destroyed my hope of falling in love again.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Hurt To The Heart

Dear Hurt To The Heart,

Your situation, though vague, provides a real-life example of how sin hurts others.  When we live ungodly lives, we harm those around us.  One sinner will destroy much good (Eccl 9:18), but will that sinner suffer for their wrongdoing?

The answer is ‘yes’.  God tells us that we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7-8).  When we live selfish lives, we suffer the bitterness of those lifestyles.  God is not mocked, and vengeance belongs to Him (Rom 12:19).  Evil people will suffer eternally for their choices (Lk 16:25).  When we live sinful lives, we hurt no one more than ourselves.