Foundations of Law I

In the Old Testament, God redeemed the Hebrew people who were slaves in Egypt.

• Exodus 13:14

  And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

• Exodus 20:2

  I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

In the New Testament, Christ's death on the cross redeems sinners from slavery to sin.

• Exodus 13:14

  And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

• Galatians 5:1

  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Mosaic law punished slave trading with the death penalty.

• Exodus 21:16

  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

Mosaic law instructed Hebrews not return a slave to his master.

• Deuteronomy 23:15–16

  Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
  16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

Paul includes kidnapping among the list of sins committed by the ungodly.

• 1 Timothy 1:9–10

  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
  10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Male and female are both fully human.

• Genesis 5:2

  Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Man is made in God's image and thus has inherent value.

• Genesis 1:26–27

  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.created.

Man has no authority to rule another man.

• Genesis 1:26

  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.