The Gospel in the Grind Text: Colossians 3:22-25
Introduction: A World Turned Right Side Up
We come now to a passage that makes our modern, egalitarian sensibilities twitch. We like our Christianity domesticated, sanitized, and politically correct. We want a Jesus who is always comforting and never commanding, a gospel that pats us on the back but never tells us to get back to work. But the Word of God is not safe, and it refuses to be tamed by our cultural moment. It speaks into our world with the same authority it spoke into the Roman world, and it has the same revolutionary effect. But the revolution it brings is not the kind men expect. It is not a political upheaval, but a spiritual one. It does not begin by tearing down external structures but by transforming internal allegiances.
Paul is addressing the most basic and common relationships in the ancient household: husbands and wives, parents and children, and here, masters and slaves. Our temptation is to either skip over this section in embarrassment or to try and explain it away, as though Paul were simply a product of his time. But to do so is to miss the radical, world-altering power of the gospel. The Bible does not endorse the institution of slavery as it was practiced in the pagan world, particularly the race-based chattel slavery of the American South, which was built on the wicked foundation of man-stealing, a capital crime in Scripture. But the New Testament does regulate the conduct of Christians within that fallen institution, just as it regulates our conduct within any number of fallen structures today.
What Paul does here is nothing short of breathtaking. He does not call for a violent slave revolt, which would have been both futile and contrary to the nature of the gospel. Instead, he completely redefines the nature of work and submission by planting a gospel bomb right in the middle of the master-slave relationship. He subverts the entire system, not by changing the external circumstances first, but by changing the heart of the worker. He tells the slave to see his work not as a drudgery performed for a fallible human master, but as a glorious act of worship offered to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This principle is not limited to first-century slaves; it is a universal Christian ethic of labor. It applies to the employee in the cubicle, the mother changing diapers, the student writing a paper, and the pastor preparing a sermon. All of it is to be done for an audience of One.
This is how Christianity conquered the world. Not with swords and armies, but with transformed hearts that turned every workshop, every kitchen, and every field into a sanctuary of worship. It hollowed out the pagan institution of slavery from the inside, making it spiritually irrelevant before it was eventually abolished. The gospel does not just give us a ticket to heaven; it gives us a whole new reason to get up and go to work on Monday morning.
The Text
Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but with integrity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
(Colossians 3:22-25 LSB)
The Manner of Obedience (v. 22)
Paul begins with a direct command to Christian slaves, defining the nature of their submission.
"Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but with integrity of heart, fearing the Lord." (Colossians 3:22)
The command is to "obey in all things." This refers to all lawful commands. The Christian is never obligated to sin. But within the realm of their duties, their obedience is to be comprehensive. The master is a master "according to the flesh." This is a crucial qualifier. Paul is immediately limiting the master's authority. He has authority over your body, your time, your labor, but not over your soul. Your ultimate allegiance is to another Master, one who is not "according to the flesh."
Then Paul describes two ways to work. The first is the way of the world: "with eyeservice, as men-pleasers." This is work done only when the boss is watching. It is work motivated by the fear of man or the desire for human approval. It is the attitude that asks, "What can I get away with?" The goal is to give the appearance of diligence without the substance of it. This is fundamentally dishonest. It is a form of theft, stealing time and wages from an employer.
The Christian way is the polar opposite. It is to work with "integrity of heart, fearing the Lord." The Greek word for integrity is haplotes, which means simplicity, sincerity, without hypocrisy. It is a heart that is not divided. Your work ethic is the same whether the boss is in the next room or on another continent. Why? Because your real boss is always watching. The motivation is not the fear of the earthly master, but the reverential "fear of the Lord." This is not a cowering, servile fear, but the awe-filled respect and worship of a holy God who sees all things. When you fear God, you are liberated from the fear of man. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is also the beginning of a truly righteous work ethic.
The Motivation for Work (v. 23)
In verse 23, Paul crystallizes the principle, elevating all labor to the level of worship.
"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men," (Colossians 3:23 LSB)
"Whatever you do." This is all-encompassing. Sweeping the floor, digging a ditch, writing code, balancing spreadsheets, changing a tire. There is no task so menial that it cannot be sanctified by this principle. There is no sacred-secular divide in the Christian life. Your work is not a secular necessity that you endure between Sundays. Your workbench is an altar. Your keyboard is an instrument of praise.
The command is to do it "heartily," which comes from the Greek phrase ek psuches, literally "from the soul." This is not half-hearted, grudging compliance. It is work done with zeal, with passion, with your whole being. It is putting your back into it. This is the opposite of the sluggard who is always looking for an excuse not to work. Why should a Christian slave, of all people, work with such gusto? Because he is not ultimately working for men.
He is working "as for the Lord rather than for men." The earthly master is merely the immediate, visible recipient of the work. The ultimate, true recipient is the Lord Jesus Christ. This transforms everything. A Christian slave scrubbing a pot is not just scrubbing a pot for his earthly master. He is polishing a chalice for the King of kings. This principle ennobles the most mundane labor. It means that a man's character is not determined by the prestige of his job, but by the integrity with which he performs it. A janitor who mops the floor heartily for the Lord has a more honorable vocation in God's eyes than a CEO who games the system for his own glory.
The Divine Reward (v. 24)
This new motivation is anchored in a glorious promise.
"knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:24 LSB)
Here is the great irony. In the Roman world, a slave could not receive an inheritance. He was property. He had no legal right to inherit anything from his master. But Paul tells these Christian slaves that because they serve the true Master, they will receive the ultimate inheritance. Their earthly status is temporary, but their heavenly reward is eternal. They may be slaves on earth, but they are sons and heirs in the kingdom of God.
This "reward of the inheritance" is not earned by their work in the sense of a wage. It is a gift of grace, secured by Christ. But their faithful work is the pipeline through which God delivers blessings and commendation. The work itself does not save them, but it is the evidence that they are saved, and it will be rewarded at the final judgment. This gives profound meaning and hope to their toil. They are not working for a meager daily ration. They are working for a crown of glory.
Paul concludes the thought with a direct, summary command: "Serve the Lord Christ." This is the bottom line. Your earthly master may be named Philemon, but your true Lord is Christ. This is the liberating truth. No matter how oppressive the earthly master might be, he cannot touch the slave's true identity and freedom in Christ. The Christian slave is the freest man in the room because he serves the only Master whose service is perfect freedom.
The Divine Reckoning (v. 25)
Finally, Paul includes a sober warning that applies to slave and master alike, though it is directed here as a comfort to the slave.
"For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality." (Colossians 3:25 LSB)
This is the other side of the coin. Just as there is a reward for faithful service, there is a just recompense for wrongdoing. This is a comfort to the slave who might be tempted to think that his master's injustices will go unpunished. The universe is not random; it is moral. God is the ultimate scorekeeper, and His accounting is perfect.
The one who "does wrong" here could be the lazy slave who engages in eyeservice. He will be paid back for his sloth. But in the context of the next verse (Col. 4:1), which addresses masters, it is also a clear warning to masters who abuse their authority. An unjust master may get away with it on earth, but he will face a tribunal where his rank and status mean nothing.
God's judgment is "without partiality." He does not favor the rich over the poor, the master over the slave, the powerful over the weak. He judges based on a perfect standard of righteousness. This was a revolutionary concept in the highly stratified, class-conscious Roman world. It tells the slave that his earthly master will have to give an account to the slave's heavenly Master. This knowledge should prevent the slave from becoming bitter or resentful. He doesn't need to take matters into his own hands. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. The Christian can therefore work with a clean conscience and a peaceful heart, leaving all accounts to be settled by the perfectly just Judge.
Conclusion: Your Work as Worship
The principles laid down here for first-century slaves are the permanent ethical foundation for all Christian work. Our culture is obsessed with finding "fulfilling" jobs, which usually means jobs that are prestigious, well-paying, and offer a high degree of personal autonomy. But the gospel teaches us that fulfillment is not found in the nature of the work, but in the identity of the one for whom we work.
You may have a difficult boss. You may feel that your work is mundane, repetitive, and unappreciated. You may be tempted to cut corners, to do the bare minimum, to work with "eyeservice." But this passage calls you to something radically different. It calls you to see your workplace as a cathedral. It calls you to view your daily tasks, no matter how small, as offerings of worship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
When you work with integrity of heart, fearing God, you are preaching a sermon with your hands. When you work heartily, from the soul, you are demonstrating the transforming power of the gospel. You are showing a watching world that your ultimate hope is not in a paycheck or a promotion, but in the inheritance that Christ has won for you.
So whatever your hand finds to do this week, do it heartily. Do it as an act of loving service to the Lord Christ. For He is a Master who is worthy of your very best, and He is a Father who will not forget your labor of love. Your reward is secure, and His judgment is true. Therefore, serve the Lord Christ.