22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22 (ESV)
Continuing our study in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, a new paragraph begins in Colossians 3:18-4:1. The truth of what believers “are” in Christ is to be balanced by how believers live for Christ. The theological truth of Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Savior and Lord, and as sole source of the believers’ life, is now applied to specific groups and situations.
“Americans in the twenty-first century take it for granted that “all men are created equal,” but this idea has certainly not been affirmed throughout most of world history. In the first-century Roman Empire, people were anything but equal,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Male, property-owning citizens ranked highest in the social order, having rights not extended to their wives, children, or slaves. The male head of household determined whether or not infants born to the family would live or be left to die of exposure. Slaves were regarded as machines subject wholly to the will of the master of the house. Wives did not fare much better, and while it was not uncommon to find a first-century Roman husband who loved his wife, such love was not expected or demanded.”
What people groups does the Apostle Paul, and the Holy Spirit, have in mind? To begin with, Paul addressed wives and husbands (Col. 3:18-19). He then wrote about parents and their children (Col. 3:20-22). Thirdly, Paul considered the Christian responsibility of work (Col. 3:23-4:1). What initially applied to servants and masters in the first century, is applicable to employees and employers today.
The Apostle Paul began his instruction with the word “bondservants.” A bondservant (δοῦλοι; douloi) is another word for slave. These were men and women who were completely controlled by someone or something outside of themselves.
“Nowhere in Scripture is it stated that slavery as such is a divine ordinance, such as marriage (Gen. 1:18, 24), the family (Gen. 1:27, 28), the sabbath (Gen. 2:3), and human government (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:1). In and by itself it is not pleasing to God that one man should own another man. The fact, moreover, that Paul addresses slaves and their masters on a basis of equality is significant, and implies their spiritual equality before God,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
“The Roman world was full of slaves. It has been estimated that in Rome itself at one time about a third of the inhabitants belonged to this social class. They had become slaves as prisoners of war, or as convicts, or through debt, kidnaping, purchase, or birth from slave-parents.”
Paul instructed Christian bondservants to “obey in everything those who are your earthly master.” Ill will, laziness, dishonesty should no longer be associated with the believer in Christ who is a slave. Rather, initiative, industriousness, integrity and hard work should be the character and behavior of the Christian bondservant. The same should be said of Christian workers today, no matter what the job or vocation in which we labor.
Along with what Christian bondservants should do, the Apostle Paul countered balanced this with what believers should not do in the workplace. Christians are not to be guilty of eye-service (ὀφθαλμοδουλίαις; ophthalmodoulias) or calling attention to themselves. In other words, to work hard only to impress others in order to get a promotion.
Paul also used the word people pleasers (ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι; anthropareskoi) in referring to individuals seeking to please others rather than God. This should be not how the believer in Christ labors.
Rather, the Christian is to work with sincerity (ἁπλότητι; haplotti) or purity of heart (καρδίας;l kardias) or soul. The laborer’s intellect, emotions and will is to have a singleness of purpose; fearing the Lord. This means to have a present, personal and collective desire to reverence God in one’s work.
“In the master-slave relationship, Paul says that Christian slaves must not work “by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). Considering that many thought all slaves were lazy back then, working wholeheartedly demonstrated the power of the gospel to bring true transformation and not just to create hypocrites who only pretended to do what was right. Moreover, the injunction for the slave to fear the Lord put a limit on the slave master’s authority. The slave had but one ultimate master — Christ Himself — and when the master commanded the slave to do something that Jesus forbade, the slave had to disobey the master,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
The principles Paul wrote in today’s biblical text are applicable to employees today and the way we do our work. Believers in Christ should make the best employees, and they should embody efficiency, loyalty, hard work, and every other trait that good employers value.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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