The Gospel Bomb in the Household Text: Ephesians 6:5-9
Introduction: Subversive Obedience
We now come to a passage that makes modern Christians squirm in their seats. The word "slaves" hits our 21st-century ears with the force of a physical blow, and our first instinct is to apologize for it, explain it away, or skip it altogether. But to do so is to miss the radical, world-altering power of the gospel that is embedded here. The Christian faith did not come into the world as a political program for immediate social revolution. It did not come with a sword to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic of the Roman Empire. It came as something far more potent, far more fundamental. It came to detonate a spiritual bomb in the heart of every man and woman, which would, in time, level the entire corrupt structure from the inside out.
Paul is not endorsing the institution of Roman chattel slavery, which was a brutal and godless system. He is addressing Christians who found themselves in that system, a system as pervasive then as the employer/employee relationship is today. The question for them was not, "How do we overthrow the empire?" but rather, "How do we live as followers of Jesus right here, right now, in this fallen world?" Paul's answer transforms everything. He does not address the institution first; he addresses the individual heart. He redefines all human relationships by placing them under the direct authority and gaze of Jesus Christ. What you are about to see is not an affirmation of slavery, but the application of a principle so subversive that it would eventually make slavery unthinkable in any truly Christian civilization.
This passage teaches us that the ultimate context for all our labor, for every human interaction, is the Lordship of Christ. Your real boss is not the man who signs your paycheck or the master who owns your legal person. Your real boss is Jesus. And this truth gives profound dignity to the lowly and imposes terrifying accountability on the powerful.
The Text
Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity 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, serving with good will 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, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
(Ephesians 6:5-9 LSB)
The Christian Slave's Secret (v. 5-8)
Paul begins by addressing the lowest rung on the social ladder, the slave. And he gives them a command that re-frames their entire existence.
"Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity of your heart, as to Christ;" (Ephesians 6:5)
The first thing to notice is the crucial qualifier: "masters according to the flesh." Paul immediately relativizes the master's authority. This man's ownership of you is temporary, physical, and ultimately superficial. It is "according to the flesh." He is not your ultimate master. There is another Master, a true Master, who owns your soul. This distinction is everything.
The obedience called for is to be offered "with fear and trembling." This is not the cowering, servile fear of a man who holds a whip. This is the very same phrase Paul uses in Philippians 2:12, where he tells all believers to work out their salvation "with fear and trembling." It is a posture of sober-minded seriousness before the face of God. The Christian slave is to conduct his work with an awareness that the holy God is watching. His ultimate accountability is vertical, not horizontal.
And how is this work to be done? "In the integrity of your heart, as to Christ." This is the secret. This is the revolution. The slave's labor, however menial, however coerced, is transformed into an act of worship directed to Jesus Christ Himself. The immediate audience for your work is not the overseer, but the Lord. This means a Christian slave sweeping a floor is doing it for the glory of King Jesus. This imbues the most degrading work with an eternal dignity that no earthly master can bestow or take away.
Paul then clarifies what this looks like in practice.
"not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart," (Ephesians 6:6)
"Eyeservice" is working only when the boss is looking. It is the natural, sinful human response to any kind of work, but especially to forced labor. It is the art of looking busy. It is the service of a "man-pleaser," whose only goal is to avoid punishment or curry favor. But the Christian has a new identity. He is a "slave of Christ." His ultimate allegiance has been transferred. His desire now is to please his true Master, Jesus. Therefore, his work becomes an expression of "the will of God," done "from the heart," or more literally, from the soul. The gospel does not just change our behavior; it changes our motivation. It gives us a new reason to work, a reason that transcends our circumstances entirely.
He repeats this central theme for maximum emphasis.
"serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men," (Ephesians 6:7)
The attitude is to be one of "good will." Not sullen, resentful, grudging compliance, but a willing and positive service. This is utterly supernatural. No amount of stoic philosophy or self-help can produce this attitude in a man who is legally owned by another. Only a heart transformed by the grace of God, a heart that understands its true freedom in Christ, can serve an earthly master with genuine goodwill. Why? Because he knows he is not ultimately serving men, but the Lord.
And there is a great promise attached to this difficult calling.
"knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free." (Ephesians 6:8)
Here is the guarantee of ultimate justice. The universe is not a closed system. There is a final accounting. Your earthly master might be unjust, ungrateful, or cruel. He may never acknowledge your faithful work. But the Lord sees. The Lord records. And the Lord rewards. "Whatever good thing" you do, no matter how small or unnoticed by the world, will be brought out into the light on the last day and you will "receive it back" from the Lord. This is the Christian's hope. And notice the final clause: "whether slave or free." Before the judgment seat of Christ, all earthly distinctions are obliterated. God is not impressed by your social status. The faithful slave and the faithful king are judged by the same standard. This puts the slave and the free man on the same level ground before God.
The Master's Master (v. 9)
Having given these radical instructions to the slave, Paul now turns and fires a broadside at the master. And it is a stunner.
"And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him." (Ephesians 6:9)
"Do the same things to them." What same things? All the things he just said to the slaves. Masters are to conduct their role with integrity of heart, as unto Christ, not as men-pleasers, doing the will of God from the soul, with goodwill, as to the Lord. The master's management is now an act of worship. He is to treat his slaves with the same God-fearing conscientiousness that he expects from them.
Specifically, he is to be "giving up threatening." This command strikes at the very heart of the entire institution of slavery, which was built on a foundation of coercion and the threat of violence. A master who cannot threaten his slaves has been stripped of his primary tool of control. Paul is commanding Christian masters to rule not by fear, but by love. This fundamentally alters the relationship. It begins the process of dismantling the institution from within.
And what is the master's motivation? The exact same as the slave's. "Knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven." The master is also a slave. He has a Master. He is a middle manager. And he will have to give an account to the big Boss in heaven for how he treated the Master's property, which is what his slaves truly are. The master and the slave stand on level ground at the foot of the cross, and they will stand on level ground before the judgment seat. Why? Because "there is no partiality with Him." God does not grade on a curve based on your wealth or social standing. He is not impressed that you were a master. He is not a respecter of persons. This was a terrifying doctrine for the powerful and a glorious comfort for the oppressed.
Conclusion: The Gospel at Work
Do you see the genius of the gospel here? A worldly revolutionary would have said, "Slaves, kill your masters!" and the result would have been a bloody, failed revolt and the tightening of chains. The gospel says, "Slaves, obey your masters as you would obey Christ, and masters, love your slaves because you both have the same Master." This approach does not just change the external circumstances; it crucifies the pride of the master and heals the bitterness of the slave. It plants a seed of mutual love and accountability that, when it comes to full flower, makes the entire master/slave relationship impossible to maintain.
And the principle applies directly to us. Whether you are an employee or an employer, a student or a teacher, a child or a parent, the command is the same. Do your work with integrity, not as an eyeservice for men, but from the heart, as to the Lord Jesus Christ. For you will give an account to the one true Master, who sees everything, and who rewards every good deed, and who shows no partiality.
Your job, your station in life, is your current post of worship. Your desk, your kitchen, your workshop, your classroom, this is the altar upon which you are to offer your daily work as a spiritual service to God. Do it all for Him, and you will find a dignity, a purpose, and a joy that your circumstances can never give or take away.