Free Bible Commentary
“Ephesians 6:5-9”
Categories: Ephesians“Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
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This passage in no way sanctions slavery, and no one can properly and rightfully use the Bible to justify the atrocities that have taken place in the world, and even in our own country, in the form of human bondage and forced servitude. But slavery was a prevalent reality in the Roman Empire of the first century. It is impossible to know for certain, but it has been estimated that between 30-40 percent of the people living in Rome were slaves. Since God desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), the truth is made for everyone, whether they have the status of slave or king or anywhere in between.
The Gospel is designed to transform people and save their souls, and not produce political upheaval or societal revolution. So, God inspired the preachers and teachers of the Gospel to instruct everyone to be the very best person they could be in whatever position they found themselves in. There were both slaves and slave owners who obeyed the Gospel in the first century and gave their lives to God. For example, while Paul was in prison he converted a man named Onesimus who was the runaway slave of a Christian named Philemon. Paul convinced Onesimus that it was right for him to go back to his master and fulfill his duties, but he also encouraged Philemon to treat his penitent slave as his beloved brother in Christ (Philemon 1:10-16).
You can be a slave and still be a Christian, just as long as you understand that your first priority is a call of service to the Lord (verses 6-7). And you can be a master and still be a Christian, just as long as you understand that you have a Master in heaven that you will answer to for the way that you treat the people that He created in His image (verse 9). The two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all you’ve got, and to love your neighbor as yourself, whether that neighbor be your servant or your superior.
A good application for us to make in our lives today is in the situation that exists with our jobs and careers. God holds us responsible for treating all people fairly and lovingly whether we work for them or they work for us. It doesn’t matter if we are an owner, supervisor, manual laborer, skilled laborer, pencil pusher or computer technician—we all are called by God as Christians to be holy as He is holy, and to do our work to the very best or our ability. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” (Colossians 3:23-25 – NIV)
Please read Ephesians 6:10-12 for tomorrow.
Blessings!
- Louie Taylor
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