Ephesians is a beautiful book, a necessary letter written to the churches in Ephesus. It carefully lays out the beauty of the gospel, and it clearly articulates how it applies to our day-to-day lives. No facet of the Christian life should be left untouched by Jesus. God's love seeps deep into his people's hearts, transforming them into ambassadors of Christ. Those who have experienced the profound love of Christ will want to worship him through joyful obedience.
For the past few weeks, we've been looking at how we can worship Jesus within the home as ambassadors of Christ. Wives can worship Jesus by submitting to their husbands as the church submits to Christ, husbands can worship Jesus by loving their wives as Christ loves the church, and children can worship Jesus by obeying and honoring their parents. Well, today, we will look at how slaves and masters can worship Jesus through their interaction with one another.
This topic should leave a lump in our throat, making us uncomfortable. Slavery is a shameful, dirty, and wicked stain on the history of our country. Thankfully, it has been abolished and is no longer. But it's still an ugly reality of our past. So, there should be a rightful tension in our hearts as we dive into this topic.
As a country that claims to have been founded on Christian principles, some have even used this passage as an endorsement of slavery. But I think we will learn today that Ephesians 6:5-9 is the farthest thing from an endorsement of such oppressive actions. Ephesians 6:5-9 is a call to bestow honor on all people. In these five verses, we find the reminder that there is no partiality with God. God calls us to bestow honor on the poor and the rich, the slave and the master, the employee and the employer, the deserving and the undeserving. Your bank account or your social status has no sway with God. God treats all people fairly, and so should we.
Today, we will have to do some groundwork upfront to understand who Paul is writing to and what he's calling them to do. However, once we understand this passage in its original context, we will seek to draw an application for our passage today. In doing so, we will learn that God calls us to always work for the Lord, not man. If you have a good boss, honor him because it honors the Lord. If you have a bad boss, honor him because it honors the Lord. If you have good employees, respect them because it honors the Lord. If you have bad employees, respect them because it honors the Lord. It doesn't matter who you are or what position you find yourself in; you are always called to treat people the way you would want to be treated in the workplace.
Let's dive in.
"[5] Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him."
WHAT IS A BONDSERVANT?
The first question we must ask today is, "What is a bondservant?"
The term bondservant is the Greek word doulos, which means a servant or a slave. It's someone who has been placed under the authority of another. It's someone who works for someone else. It's someone under the possession of another.
Depending upon which historian or commentator you read, the estimated number/percentage of the slave population varies. For example, one historian estimated that there were approximately 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire. Others estimated that slaves made up anywhere between 20 and 40% of the Roman population, while others estimated that as many as two-thirds of the Empire were slaves.
We obviously can't know the exact number or percentage. But, we can safely conclude that slavery was an integral part of society during this time. Therefore, it's safe to conclude that a good portion of the churches in Ephesus consisted of men and women who were slaves at this time.
During this time, some would become bondservants either voluntarily or involuntarily. For example, Paul often describes himself and others in the Christian faith as a "bondservant of Christ." In doing so, he's saying, "Although Christ has set us free, we have voluntarily put ourselves under the good authority of Christ. He's a master we love and trust. Therefore, we have willingly given up our rights to life and given ourselves to serving Him."
Although this term can be used in the context of a voluntary position in Scripture, we must understand that it was not the norm during this time. One commentator noted that people often became slaves through various avenues such as "birth, parental selling or abandonment, captivity in war, inability to pay debts, and voluntary attempts to better one's condition." So, in the same way that we don't know the number of slaves, we don't know what has led them to become slaves. But, I think it's safe to conclude that many of them were in this position, not by choice, but by force.
DOES PAUL ENDORSE SLAVERY?
Slavery in Rome, like slavery in America, was commonly known as an abusive and degrading institution. But, despite this commonality, there were a couple of fundamental differences between slavery in Roman culture and slavery in America.
One difference is that contrary to what we have grown to know in our society today, slavery in Rome wasn't based on race. Another difference was that many slaves were more educated than their owners, leading to them doing all types of work (management, oversight, etc.). Slaves possessed many rights and privileges that everyone else in society possessed. And I think the key difference resides in the fact that slaves could own property and buy freedom. In fact, it's believed that many gained freedom around the age of 30.
I think this helps shed light on why it seems like Paul isn't overtly condemning slavery at this moment in time. And I want to take a moment to address that.
We obviously live in a country that has been plagued by the ugly stain of slavery. Unfortunately, we live in a country where we would take ships to other countries to purchase men, women, and children that were ripped from their families and bring them back to our country where they would never see their families again. It's embarrassing that we live in a country where slaves had no rights or privileges. And it's terrible that some used passages like Ephesians 6 to justify such actions.
So, we need to answer the question, "Why doesn't Paul here specifically prohibit slavery?" In other words, does the Bible's lack of prohibition against slavery at this time act as an endorsement for slavery in our time?
The simple answer here is "No." And here's a few reasons why:
First, many have alluded to the fact that many slaves were freed constantly and easily during this time. As I just mentioned, it's believed that many slaves would be able to buy freedom by the age of 30. Some go on to claim that between 81 and 49 BC, 500,000 Roman slaves were freed from bondage.
Second, multiple commentators have highlighted the lack of political power present in the church during this time. As one commentator puts it, "Their religion was itself still unlawful, and they were politically powerless." So, it would have been unrealistic for the church to be able to completely eradicate something so interwoven into the fabric of their society. Therefore, the Bible addresses how the church should act within the state of their society as followers of Jesus.
But, I want us to also understand that the Bible has always been more concerned with the heart of people than the laws of man. Laws are important. Good laws are necessary for a healthy society. But no law is capable of transforming the hearts of men. Nothing would change if the Bible addressed a city's laws and not the hearts of its inhabitants.
Think about the state of our society, for example. Praise God, we live in a society where slavery has been abolished. But just because slavery has been abolished, that doesn't mean oppression has been eradicated. We still live in a country where the rich profit off the poor. Although everyone may have the same legal rights, not everyone has been afforded the same legal opportunities. So, it may seem like the Bible is quiet in its prohibition of slavery. But that's the farthest thing from the truth. The Bible here addresses the heart of man, not the laws of their town. And in doing so, it is shouting from the rooftops that all people should be treated equally, with dignity, love, and respect. It doesn't matter if you're the slave or the master; you must love and respect your neighbor.
As the book of Proverbs puts it, "The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the Maker of them all (Prov. 22:2)." Or, as the book of Galatians puts it, "In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)."
So, no. The Bible might not have commanded God's people to rush to the courthouse to abolish slavery. But, all throughout the Bible, we see God calling his people to treat one another with love, respect, and dignity. God is addressing the heart of his people.
HOW TO GLORIFY GOD AS A SLAVE?
What I want to do now is unpack what Paul says to the slave and master. How can the slave and master glorify God in their relationship with one another? As we unpack these verses, I want us to ask ourselves, "How does this apply to me in the workplace?"
Let's first look at the slave. How does Paul say a slave can glorify God?
The first thing we see is that the slave can glorify God by obeying their master. We can honor God at work by obeying our boss. The word obey is the same word used in verse 1. It means to do as you are told. It's the same word used in the gospels to describe the response of the wind and waves whenever Jesus rebuked them. When Jesus told the wind and waves to stop, they obeyed and stopped.
This is a concept that is so countercultural in our day and age. We live in a society that hates instruction. We hate to be told what to do. But God is telling us that obeying our bosses is good. So, we can glorify God by obeying our earthly masters.
But, as we continue to read, we learn that God cares about how we obey. Obedience with a bad heart or bad motives is ultimately disobedience to God. So, how should we obey our earthly masters?
Paul says we should obey our bosses respectfully— "obey your masters with fear and trembling."
The word for fear and trembling here actually means fear and trembling. It's the same word used to describe the guards seeing the angel of the Lord when they became as dead men (Mt. 28:3); it's the same word used to describe the disciples when they saw Jesus rebuked the wind and waves (Mk. 4:41); it's the same word used to describe the disciples when they saw Jesus walk on water (Mt. 17:26). So, this highlights the type of obedience that should be present in the hearts of God's people. There should be a sense of reverence and respect within the heart of God's people toward their boss.
We live in a society where respect is a lost art. At times, we're willing to obey. But we're not always willing to obey respectfully. We may honor our boss with our actions, but not our heart. We may honor our boss to their face, but not behind their back. But God calls us to revere, respect, and fear our earthly masters. As followers of Jesus, we honor the Lord when we respect our bosses. So, are you setting a good example of how to respect your boss at your job?
But, not only should we obey respectfully, we should obey willingly— "obey your masters with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart."
The Greek word for sincere here is haplotēs, which highlights single-mindedness. It's an intentional commitment not to be self-seeking and free of hypocrisy. So, this means that we are to obey our masters with a heart free of hypocritical motives. Our motive should be simple. We should simply want to honor the Lord in how we view and act toward our masters.
Paul goes on to say, "doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man." One commentator adds, "No work is merely work. It is a way to serve Christ." So, a tangible way we can live out the gospel in the workplace is by working for the Lord, not man. How we treat our boss is an expression of worship and service to Jesus. He is our ultimate master. So, we should seek to obey our earthly masters in the same way we obey our heavenly master, which is with a sincere heart. Whether our boss is watching or not, our hearts are set on obedience because our hearts are set on the Lord. Our motive isn't personal gain; it's the glory of Jesus. So, we always work hard for the Lord (whether our master is watching or not) because we understand that we are ultimately servants of Christ. We want to honor Christ in how we honor our boss.
But here's one of the most beautiful realities of this passage: the slave can obey willingly and expectantly— "knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a Bondservant or free." We obey our bosses expectantly. We work hard, knowing that a reward is coming. No deed (good or bad) goes unnoticed by God. One day, we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and will be rewarded based upon our present faithful (Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6-11; 2 Cor 5:10). So, we obey in hope, knowing that things will get better one day!
HOW TO GLORIFY GOD AS A MASTER?
Then, Paul shifts his attention to the master. In doing so, he is saying, "This is how you can glorify God in your daily life as a boss/master."
First, he highlights that we can glorify God as leaders by treating others how they want to be treated—"treat them the same way." Godly leaders treat their people the way they want to be treated. They treat their people with respect, worth, and dignity. The heart posture of the master should coincide with the heart posture of a slave. Whether you're the leader or the follower, the slave or the master, humble service is what you're called to. So treat your people the way you want to be treated. In the same way that Christ is a good master that we can trust, we are to be a good master that others can trust.
Next, he highlights that we can glorify God as leaders by avoiding hostility— "stop your threatening."
Every team or business has a goal: win, make money, or beat a deadline. Some leaders believe that the goal of an organization/team is more important than those in the organization/team. They think each person has a job, and the leader's job is to make everyone else do their job well, no matter the cost. This mentality typically leads to a type of heavy-handed leadership. It will lead one to say, "I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to be your boss. I don't care what's going on in your life. Your job is to do _____. So, go do ______."
To this leader, concern for the goal always trumps concern for those carrying out the goal. Yet, the Bible says that good leaders care for the people they lead. Good leaders don't threaten their people; they gently lead their people.
No one demonstrates this better than Jesus does! No one cares for you as a person more than Jesus! Jesus is a good master who doesn't rule with a heavy hand. He is a master who serves, honors, and cares for his people! His steadfast love never ends! So, if you have experienced firsthand the personal care and comfort of God's steadfast love, why would you not be quick to extend that same love to those you lead?
Your organization's goal is never more important than those within your organization. Steadfast love and faithfulness, not heavy-handedness and oppression, are what upholds the throne of a king. Good leaders are loving, kind, and gentle leaders. Good leaders care for the people they are leading.
Then he says we can glorify God as leaders by living with Christ-centered accountability— "he is both their Master and yours in heaven." Brothers and sisters, your master is Christ. You can be the boss of all bosses. But, no position of leadership in this life will ever transfer you out of being a slave to Christ.
He then says we must remember that God is impartial— "there is no partiality with him." We can glorify God as leaders by treating all people fairly. We can glorify God as leaders by remembering God is impartial. God didn't extend salvation to us because of our dress. Our bank account doesn't lure God into granting us salvation. Our skin color doesn't entice God into giving us favor. Blessing isn't extended to us because of our age or heritage. Salvation is on the table for all people, no matter their skin color, no matter their age, no matter their net worth, no matter their past.
Romans 10 says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Therefore, if God does not show partiality in his giving of salvation, then we must not show partiality, either. If we are recipients of God's grace, then we must extend grace. If favoritism is far from God, it must be far from us. Faith and favoritism are incompatible.