Slavery is incurred by debt in the Roman world; aside from cases of prisoners of war, slavery was a reversable condition. The slave of God is put into a peculiar position then. We have a Master who wants us to live in freedom, but at the same time, not to disgrace him. We have a debt too big to repay, the forgiveness of sins, but at the same time, no expectation that we should try to pay him back.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

1 Peter 2:13-16

So what is the command of our Master? We should do good and thereby silence the fools who slander him. We honor him in that way.

Ethan Kirl