Ephesians 6:5-9 5Slaves, obey your physical masters with fear and trembling with sincere heart as to Christ, 6 not according to eye-service as people-pleasers, but as salves of Christ, who do the will of God from the heart, 7serving with good will as to the Lord and not to people, 8 because you know that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
The final household relationship Paul takes up in this letter is between slaves and masters. Many Greco-Romans households in major cities like Ephesus had slaves. Clearly, some of these slaves became believers in Jesus, as the book of Philemon indicates. This could have potentially created tension between the slave and the master, especially if the master was not a Christian. The key exhortation in these verses is obey, the same direction given to children in verse 1. Obedience is one form of submitting to one another (5:21) and further evidence of being filled with the Spirit (5:18).
Christian slaves have two masters. Paul distinguishes the two by using the word physical for the human masters. This word is the one often used for “flesh” (sarka). The way slaves serve their human masters should reflect how they serve Jesus as their highest Master. Paul gives a list of ways slaves should respond to their masters. Most of the list is positive, with only one negative given. Each of these show the ways slaves should obey their masters.
Fear and trembling indicate the type of respect slaves should have. This is not necessarily a fear from punishment, which could result from doing something wrong or against the wishes of the master. This type of attitude recognizes the authority of the master and gives him or her honor. This attitude can greatly benefit the condition of a slave because the master will notice this and treat the slave in a nicer way.
A sincere (haploteti) heart reflects the type of motivation that should guide the behavior of the slave. This has the connotation of simplicity and honesty with nothing to hide. Slaves should not do something behind the backs of their masters since everything they do is visible and honoring to the master.
The negative behavior that slaves should avoid is trying to make themselves look good as people-pleasers. There is a difference between doing a job well and then receiving praise for it, and trying to make oneself look good on purpose to get praise. Let the praise from the master come as a result of quiet, faithful, and thorough work. This type of praise will be more honoring to the slave.
This obedience should be done as to Christ. This is the key determining factor for both attitude and behavior. Paul continues this idea in verses 7-8. It changes the perspective of work when a person does it as if working for Christ rather than for any earthly commendation. The Lord is watching the behavior of slaves and will repay their good work. Paul does not say how slaves will be repaid with good, but they are storing up for themselves treasures in heaven.
This is the type of attitude even free people should have with their employers. Although few places in the world have slaves today, the principles Paul gives to the Christian slaves of his time can apply to many situations today, particularly for those who work for someone else. The key attitude for us to have is the one exemplified in Jesus himself, who gave himself to others in love. Employees can do their work in such a way that their love is evident to their bosses.
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