36 Bible Verses about Slavery, Spiritual
Most Relevant Verses
"We are descendants of Abraham," they replied, "and have never been in slavery to any man. What do you mean by saying, 'You shall become free'?" "In solemn truth I tell you," Jesus replied, "every one who commits sin is a slave "Now the slave does not remain permanently in the household, but the son does remain.read more.
"So then, if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.
Therefore let not sin rule as king in your mortal body, compelling you to obey its lusts. Do not continue to present any part of your body to sin to be used as a weapon of unrighteousness. On the contrary, be presenting yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and the various parts of your bodies to be used as weapons of righteousness. For sin shall not lord it over you; for you are not under the rule of law, but under the rule of grace.read more.
What then? Shall we commit an act of sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not. Do you not know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to any one to obey him, you are his slaves whom you obey; whether it be sin, whose end is death, or obedience, whose end is righteousness? But God be thanked that you who were once the slaves of sin have obeyed from your hearts that type of teaching to which you were appointed; and being set free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness??19 I speak in these homely figures because of the weakness of your fleshly nature??ust as you once surrendered your faculties into slavery to impurity and to all lawlessness, so now you must surrender your faculties into slavery to righteousness, unto deeds of holiness.
What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not. On the contrary I should not have become acquainted with sin had it not been for the Law; for except the Law had repeatedly said, "Thou shalt not lust," I should never have known the sin of lust. But when sin had gained a vantage-ground, by means of the commandment, it stirred up within me all manner of lust; for where there is no law, sin is dead. Once I lived apart from the Law, myself; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died;read more.
and the very commandment which should have meant life, this I found to mean death. For sin, when it had gained a vantage-ground through the commandment, beguiled me, and through it slew me. So then the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did then that which was good become for me death? Never! but sin did; that it might be manifest as sin, by that the unutterable malignity of sin might become plain through the commandment. For we know that the Law is spiritual; but as for me, I am a creature of flesh, bought and sold under the dominion of sin. For what I perform I know not; what I practise is not what I intend to do, but what I detest, that I habitually do. If then I habitually do what I do not intend to do, I am consenting to the Law, that it is right. And now it is longer I myself who do the deed, but it is sin which has its home in me. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, no good thing has its home; for while to will is present with me, to carry out that which is right is not. For the good that I intend to do, I do not; but the evil which I do not; but the evil which I do not intend to do, that I am ever practising. But if I do the very thing I do not intend to do, it is no more I who practise it, but sin which has its home in me. I find, then, this law, that when I intend to do good, evil is ever present with me. For in my inmost self I delight in the law of God; but I find a different law in my bodily faculties, waging war with the law of my will, and taking me prisoner to that law of sin which is in my bodily faculties. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this slave of death? Oh, thank God! it is through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself in my will am in thralldom to the law of God; yet in my animal nature I am in thralldom to the law of sin.
For we were ourselves once foolish, disobedient, deceived, slaving for various lusts and pleasures, passing our lives in malice and envy. We were hateful, and we hated one another.
They promise them liberty, while they themselves are slaves of rottenness! (For indeed a man is the slave of anything which masters him.)
What I mean is this. As long as the heir is a child, he differs in no respect from a slave, though he be the owner of the whole inheritance; but is under the control of guardians and trustees, until the time appointed by his father. So we Jews also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the empty externalities of the world.read more.
But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem from captivity those under law, in order that we might receive our sonship. And because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, "Dear, dear Father!" So each one of you is no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir, too, through God's grace.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery in order that you should once more be afraid; but you have received a spirit of adoption, in which we cry out, "My Father, my dear Father!"
Therefore, since the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also similarly partook of the same, in order that through death he might render powerless him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And might deliver those who through fear of death had been subject to life-long bondage.
Now just before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour was come when he should leave this world to go to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, showed forth his love to the end. So while supper was proceeding, and the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into his hands, and that he was come from God,read more.
and was now going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his upper garments, and took a towel and girded himself. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples and to wipe them with the towel with which he had girded himself. Then he came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand it later." Peter answered, "No, never shall you wash my feet." "If I do not wash you," said Jesus, "you have no part in me." "Lord," said Simon Peter, "not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Jesus said: "He who has bathed needs only to have his feet washed, and he is altogether clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." (For he knew who should betray him, for that reason he said that they were not every one of them clean.) So after he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments again, and taken his place, he said to them. "Do you understand what I have been doing to you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Master', and you say well, for such I am. If then I have washed your feet, I the 'Master' and the 'Teacher', you also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example, that you also should do what I have done to you. In solemn truth I tell you that a slave is not greater than his master, neither is a messenger greater than the one who sends him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.
but Jesus called them to him and said: "You know how the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. "Not so shall it be among you. But whoever among you wishes to become great, shall be your minister, "and whoever wishes to be first among you, shall be your slave;read more.
"just as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make them feel their authority. Not so shall it be among you. On the contrary whoever would become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever among you would be first, shall be slave of all,read more.
and justly, for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life, a ransom for many."
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though from the beginning he had the nature of God, did not reckon equality with God something to be forcibly retained, but emptied himself of his glory by taking the form of a slave, when he was born in the likeness of men.read more.
More than this, after he had shone himself in human form, he humbled himself in his obedience even to death; yes, and to death on a cross. And for this God highly exalted him, and graciously bestowed upon him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth should bend, and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord," to the glory of God the Father.
But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves of God, the harvest-fruit which you are reaping tends to produce holiness, and it ends is life eternal.
"No slave can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will pay heed to the one and despise the other. You cannot be the slaves both of God and of gold.
"No one can be a household servants to two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cling to the one and despise the other. You cannot be the slave of God and of Mammon."
From Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for a gospel of God,
And whatever you do, do it heartily as for the Lord, and not for men. You know that from the Lord you will receive reward of the inheritance, for you are the Lord Christ's slaves.
James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greeting to the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad.
Live like free men; and yet do not make your freedom a cloak for misconduct, but be the slaves of God.
Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained an equally precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers, we are debtors??ut not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; for if you go on living according to the flesh, you are on the road to die; but if by the Spirit you keep putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For only those are sons of God who are led by God's Spirit.read more.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery in order that you should once more be afraid; but you have received a spirit of adoption, in which we cry out, "My Father, my dear Father!" For his Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; but to share his glory, we must now be sharing his sufferings.
"I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have learned from my Father.
Was not Abraham our ancestor justified by deeds, in that he offered up Isaac, his son, upon the altar? You see how faith was cooperating with deeds, and faith was made perfect by deeds. And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, And Abraham believed God, and this was imputed to him as righteousness, and he was called God's friend.
So Jesus spoke to the Jews that believed him, saying. "If you abide in my teaching, you are my true disciples; "and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." "We are descendants of Abraham," they replied, "and have never been in slavery to any man. What do you mean by saying, 'You shall become free'?"read more.
"In solemn truth I tell you," Jesus replied, "every one who commits sin is a slave "Now the slave does not remain permanently in the household, but the son does remain. "So then, if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.
Tell me, you who wish to be subject to the Law, why do you not listen to the Law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman; but while the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, the son by the free woman was born in fulfilment of a promise.read more.
Now all this is an allegory, for these women are the two covenants; one from Mount Sinai, which is Hagar bearing children into bondage (for the word Hagar stands for Mt. Sinai in Arabia and represents the present Jerusalem who with her children is in bondage.) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, Rejoice, O thou barren one who dost never bear, Break forth in joy, thou that dost not travail; For the children of the desolate woman are many. Yea, more than hers who has a husband. But you, brothers, are like Isaac, children of the promise; but just as in old times the son born by the flesh used to persecute the son born by the power of the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave's son shall not be heir along with the son of the free woman. So, brothers, we are the children of no slave woman, but of free woman. For freedom did not Christ set us free;
What then? Shall we commit an act of sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not. Do you not know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to any one to obey him, you are his slaves whom you obey; whether it be sin, whose end is death, or obedience, whose end is righteousness? But God be thanked that you who were once the slaves of sin have obeyed from your hearts that type of teaching to which you were appointed;read more.
and being set free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness??19 I speak in these homely figures because of the weakness of your fleshly nature??ust as you once surrendered your faculties into slavery to impurity and to all lawlessness, so now you must surrender your faculties into slavery to righteousness, unto deeds of holiness. For when you were the slaves of sin, you were under no subjection to righteousness. What harvest-fruit then had you at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves of God, the harvest-fruit which you are reaping tends to produce holiness, and it ends is life eternal. FOR THE POOR WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE FREE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS, OUR MASTER.
Though free from all men, I make myself the slave of all, that I may win the more.
It is not myself that I proclaim, but Christ Jesus as Master, and myself that I proclaim, and myself your slave for Jesus' sake.
For you, brothers, were called for freedom; only do not make your freedom an excuse for self-indulgence, but in love enslave yourselves to one another.
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent slave, to whom his master has entrusted his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that slave whom his Master, when he comes, shall find so doing. In solemn truth I tell you that he will set him over all his property.read more.
But if, because he is a bad slave, he should say to himself, 'My Master is a long time in coming,' and if he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and to eat or drink with the drunkards, on a day when he is not expecting him, and at an hour which he does not know, the Master of that servant will arrive and will scourge him severely, and allot him a place among hypocrites, where will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The Lord answered. "Who then is that faithful steward, the wise man whom his Lord will put in charge of the rations in due time? "Blessed is that slave whom his master on his coming shall find so doing. "Of a truth I tell you that he will put him in charge of his possessions.read more.
"But if that slave should say to himself, 'My master delays his coming,' and should begin to beat the men and the maids, and to eat and drink and to get drunk, "that slave's master will arrive on a day when he is not expecting him, and at an hour when he knows not, and will surely scourge him, and appoint him his portion with the unfaithful.
"For it is like a man going into another country, who summoned his slaves, and committed his property to their care. "To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another, one??o each according to his individual ability??nd then set out on his travels. "At once the man who had received the five talents went out and traded with them, and made five talents more.read more.
"In the same way the one who got two talents made another two. "But he who had received the one talent went off, and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. "After a long time the master of those slaves came, and demanded a reckoning with them. "The man who had received the five talents came, bringing five more, and said: "'Master, five talents you entrusted to me; see, I have gained five more.'
So he said: "A certain nobleman went abroad to receive for himself royal power and to return. "And he summoned ten slaves of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, "'Trade with these until I come.' "But this fellow citizens hated him, and sent a deputation after him to say, 'We do not wish this man to become our king.'read more.
"And upon his return after he had secured the royal power, he ordered the slaves to whom he had given the money to be called in, so that he might know what they had gained by trading. "And the first came before him, saying, 'Master, your pound has made ten pounds.' "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'
"But who of you who has a slave plowing or keeping sheep, will say to him, when he is come in from the field, 'Come at once, sit down to dinner,' "and will not rather tell him, 'Get ready something for me to eat, and gird yourself to wait on me until I have eaten and drunken. Then you shall eat and drink.' "Does he think the slave because he did the things that were commanded?read more.
"Even so, you also, after you have done all the things that are commanded you, should say, 'We are but slaves, we have only done what it was our duty to do.'"
All nature even is waiting with eager longing for the unveiling of the vision of God's sons. For nature was subjected to imperfection, not by its own will, but by the will of Him who thus made it subject??21 yet not without the hope that some day nature itself also will be freed from the thralldom of decay, into the freedom which belongs to the glory of the children of God. For we know that all nature has been groaning and travailing together until this hour.
