Titus 2:9-10

9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;

10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

As it turns out, there are several passages in the New Testament that command slaves to be obedient. This passage from the Epistle to Titus is very simple and straightforward. Servants are to obey their master in all things without talking back. This passage gives no exceptions, such as when the master demands the slave do something immoral. Even if one might say that the slave doesn’t have to obey immoral commands or commands that would have them commit a crime, this does not cover commands which are humiliating to the servant. The very fact that one human owns another is dehumanizing enough. If the master were to command the slave to behave like an animal or otherwise do something that would dehumanize them, they must obey and not talk back. One may say that the last verse in this passage is the exception needed to prevent them from doing evil acts, but indeed it is a prescription for slaves not to steal and to show themselves to be trustworthy.

Slavery is evil and must not exist, ever, for any reason. Anyone who tells slaves that they should be obedient is supporting slavery, and he or she is evil. It doesn’t matter what era the person comes from. It doesn’t matter if their society permits slavery. They are setting up practices and laws that prevent slaves from obtaining their freedom through revolution. Additionally, this passage doesn’t just apply to slaves. If you are under employment, you could be considered a servant. Indeed, would you say that you would always obey the commands of your manager? If your CEO asked you to get on all fours, bark like a dog, lick his hand, and then piss outside, would you? That is extreme, but what if they simply asked you to lie? What if they asked you to overlook something shady? What if they asked you to perform sexual favors?

1 Peter 2:18

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

The term froward here is most often translated as harsh or cruel. It was apparently not the servant’s place to question his master, and he should obey is every command, regardless of whether or not his master is a good, moral person.

Upon reading more of the 1 Peter 2 we find that it is suggested that we submit to the government and all laws of the land as well as our masters. The reasoning is that as Jesus was without sin and persecuted nonetheless, we should follow his example. In other words, this passage suggests that we always obey the law and those who have power over us just as Jesus did.

This isn’t entirely true, as he healed people on the Sabbath and used God’s name, both of which were against Jewish law. Where would the world be now if no slave ever rebelled against his master? Where would we be now if we never rebelled against evil tyrants? Indeed, all men are only masters over themselves and are never masters over any other. We know the value of freedom, and we understand that we should fight against injustice. One has to wonder, was this passage actually inspired by God, or was it simply inspired by a political religious institution that sought to control its patrons?