Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. – Ephesians 6:5-9
Servants and masters were common in the time of the New Testament. Servants could range from well-treated and highly valued in the households of the rich to slave labor in the mines of Rome. The same Greek word is used for them all. It is the word ‘doulos.’ It simply means servant or slave, whether willingly or forced bondage. And the word master in the Greek is ‘kyrios.’ It is translated as both ‘master’ and ‘lord,’ ranging from a term for God as Lord of the universe to a man who employed others to work on his estate. In other words, this passage in Ephesians can refer to actual slave owners and slaves, but also business owners and employees, to put it in modern terms. In this latter sense, we will apply these verses to us today.
It must be noted, however, that these verses do not expressly endorse or condone the owning of slaves. There is much that can be said about this subject that would be worth our time to look into, but in a nutshell, we should understand that the main concern of the New Testament is not earthly progression in wealth and status but faithfulness to Christ in anticipation of the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul (who wrote Ephesians) was in favor of freedom for slaves (1 Corinthians 7:21) but urged as a greater importance the laying up of treasures in heaven for a firm foundation of things to come (1 Timothy 6:19). Even so, it has been in the hearts of Christians from the very beginning to proclaim ‘freedom for the captive’ and ‘liberty to those who are oppressed’ (Luke 4:18-19). Christian masters, under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, often freed their slaves, understanding them to be their equals. They read the revolutionary words of Paul, who wrote, inspired by the Spirit, “there is neither slave nor free…for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). And the teachings of Christ eventually led to the abolitionist movement, with the great revivalists of the Second Great Awakening being fiercely opposed to slavery. Their fiery preaching and tireless work eventually led to the abolishment of slavery in the modern world.
What to do in difficult situations
Even though most of us do not live in a world that has slaves and masters, we can still learn much from this passage now. This passage gives us the information we need to survive and thrive in difficult situations. I’m sure that no one desires to be found as a slave. But Paul gives no guarantee of earthly freedom to those who he writes to. Instead, he proclaims the reality of their spiritual freedom, with promises of reward to those who are faithful to endure in difficult circumstances. The bottom line is that God sees and he repays. God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). That word, rewarder, literally means ‘one who pays wages.’ God sees and takes all things into account. Those who are faithful to Him, though mistreated in this life, will not fail to be paid in full by a very generous Benefactor. And in the kingdom of God, those who are first will be last, and the last shall be first (Matthew 19:30, 20:16). We shouldn’t be surprised when we see those who were formally slaves as governors, judges, and rulers in the world to come. Nor should we be surprised when we see those who were highly honored in this life as least in the kingdom of God. For what is highly esteemed in this world is nothing in the eyes of God (Luke 16:15), and what is often despised of this world is highly esteemed by heaven.
Think briefly about those times in the first century when this was written. There were slaves and masters; I’m sure many slaves were oppressed and mistreated. Those who found Christ found freedom, even amid slavery. And some led their masters into that same freedom. But it has been 2000 years since those days. Both master and slave are long dead. But those who were saved are very much alive. They are bound no more but truly free, never to be bound again. And for the last 2000 years, they have enjoyed the boundless treasures of Christ, and they will continue to enjoy them forevermore. But those who were oppressive have had 2000 years of bitter regret, with only more hopelessness to come.
Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe in the promises of the life to come? If you do, you will be more mindful of the things to come than the things of this world. Indeed, we are commanded to think that way:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. – Colossians 3:1-4
How to act in difficult circumstances
With these things in mind, we must consider how the apostle commands us to conduct ourselves when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. For us, it may not be slavery, but it may be that we find ourselves at a job we don’t like or a boss we don’t like. And even though we are free to leave whatever job we might have, it may not be practical, or the Lord may not permit us to leave. How should we conduct ourselves in such circumstances?
The summation of the instruction to us in this passage is that we should serve those who are in authority over us as if we were serving Christ Himself. We are to do this with ‘fear and trembling,’ which can be understood as a high degree of respect and honor for those we serve. Not treating them as an equal in rank, but recognizing their place of authority over us, answering with “Yes sir” and “No sir.” We are commanded to do this sincerely. We are to work hard, not simply to please them while they are looking, but working as unto the Lord, and not unto man (Colossians 3:23).
The best example of this in the Bible is Joseph. He was unjustly sold into slavery by his brothers. We don’t have a lot of details about how he conducted himself as a slave, but the information we do have indicates that he lived according to Biblical instructions long before they were written.
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. – Genesis 39:1-5
Notice that Joseph was a successful man, even as a slave. This can’t possibly mean that Joseph was successful as we define success today, for he was still a slave, owning nothing and possessing no freedom. Instead, it means that Joseph was producing well for his master. This can only mean that he was a hardworking man who did his job well, whether someone was watching him or not. And since the Bible says that the Lord was with him, it is safe to assume that Joseph considered his work as to the Lord. What most people may have seen as a hopeless situation that merited grumbling and corner-cutting, Joseph saw as an opportunity to serve God. His faithfulness resulted in his promotion in Potifar’s house. He eventually became steward of his entire household. As a slave, this was the pinnacle of what could be achieved, a position envied by slaves and freemen alike.
But God wanted Joseph to go higher than this. And in God’s economy, the only way to go higher is to go lower. In what must have been an extraordinary disappointment and misfortune, after being sold into slavery and making the best of it, he was falsely accused of rape and sent to prison. I can’t imagine how difficult this must have been for him. He had dealt with the bitter betrayal of his brothers; he had endured being treated like chattel, having no familial love, living in harsh conditions, learning a new language, and working as an animal. He put his head down and worked hard, and finally, after years of labor, moved up in the ranks to the highest place. To fall so low must have brought feelings of hopelessness. He must have felt a discouragement that is beyond anything we could imagine.
But with the Lord’s help, he somehow managed to repeat the same things he had done as a slave as now a prisoner. He again followed the Ephesians 6 instructions that were yet to be written. We know the rest of the story, that he was eventually lifted from the lowest place to the highest. He truly fulfilled the scripture that was later written by the apostle Peter:
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:5-7
Conclusion
Most of us won’t ever find ourselves in a situation as severe as Joseph’s, but we are likely to be at a job that isn’t ideal or have a boss that isn’t very Christ-like. As Christians, our outlook should be vastly different than that of the world. The world only has hope in this life, so they fixate upon unjust treatment of themselves. But Christians are called to trust God in difficult and unfair circumstances. We are called to demonstrate that our work is for a higher authority, to Whom we look for the reward of eternal inheritance. We aren’t afraid to work hard for those who do not treat us as they should, for we know that the Lord sees our work and is faithful to pay in full.
And more importantly, through our faithfulness in work, especially in difficult circumstances, we demonstrate that we really believe what we preach. We shine as a light and a testimony of the truth of the gospel when we conduct ourselves in these ways. The world will see that our religion is more than words. We believe these truths and our lives show it.
Hal Chaffee Ministries 