Masters, Slaves, and the Slow March Toward Equality
Reading Colossians and Philemon together offers an interesting look at how ideas about equality and social order were beginning to shift in the early Christian movement. Colossians presents a sweeping vision of a world made new through unity—where, as Paul writes, “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us” (Colossians 3:11, NLT). Philemon, on the other hand, shows what that vision looked like in a real-world relationship: a slave named Onesimus returning to his master, Philemon.
Paul’s Diplomatic Tightrope Walk
In Philemon, Paul doesn’t directly condemn slavery, but he also doesn’t affirm it. Instead, he reframes the relationship between master and slave as one between brothers. He writes, “He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother” (Philemon 1:16, NLT). It’s a subtle but significant shift—Paul appeals to Philemon’s conscience rather than demanding social reform. The change he envisions seems to begin in the heart and the household, not through laws or revolutions.
A Tale of Two Letters (and One Big Tension)
What’s interesting is how these letters exist in tension with each other. Colossians paints a picture of a world without hierarchy, while Philemon shows that hierarchy still exists in practice. Paul operates within the social structure of his time, yet he also pushes against its boundaries. He doesn’t erase the master-slave dynamic with a single command, but he asks Philemon to see Onesimus differently—not as property but as kin. The transformation Paul suggests isn’t institutional; it’s relational.
There’s something complex about that approach. How does change happen—does it begin with systems or with individuals? Was Paul being pragmatic, working for what was possible in his cultural context? Or was he laying the groundwork for a deeper kind of equality that would take generations to unfold? The text doesn’t say outright, but the seeds of social reimagining are clearly there.
The Power Question
It’s also notable that Paul doesn’t write to Onesimus directly. His audience is Philemon—the person with power. That dynamic feels familiar even now: change often depends on how those with authority choose to act. Paul seems to believe that transformation can come from empathy and recognition, from choosing to see another person as fully human.
Colossians and Philemon together create a picture of moral and social tension—an early movement wrestling with what equality actually looks like. The theology of unity in Colossians gains texture in Philemon’s story, where theory meets lived experience. The two letters remind readers that ideas about freedom and equality rarely emerge all at once. They evolve through relationships, choices, and the slow redefinition of what it means to belong to one another.