Ephesians 6:5–9

6:5–8 Turning to his third group, Paul first addresses bondservants or slaves by commanding, “Obey your earthly masters” (v. 5). Slaves were not normally addressed in household codes; instead, attention was given to how masters were to treat their slaves. Paul, however, treated all groups—including women, children, and slaves—as ethically responsible and equal members in the body of Christ. Paul uses the same verb (“obey”) used with children in relation to their parents (v. 1). It is not surprising that Paul would command slaves to obey their masters, but what is unique is the manner in which he exhorts them, along with the accompanying motivations.

Paul specifies what kind of obedience he expects of slaves by adding six qualifying phrases to identify the manner in which they are to obey their masters. First, they are to obey “with fear and trembling” (cf. 1 Cor. 2:3; 2 Cor. 7:15; Phil. 2:12). The object of this fear and trembling is not God (at least not directly) but their earthly masters. Second, slaves are to obey “with a sincere heart,” signifying integrity and purity of motive. Third, slaves are to obey “as you would Christ.” Slaves are to obey their masters as part of their obedience to Christ, their ultimate master.

Fourth, slaves are to obey “not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers” (Eph. 6:6; cf. Col. 3:22). The idea here involves work that is done only when the owner is present or only to bring attention to oneself—outward service without inward dedication. Paul adds that such slaves are “people-pleasers” because their work is done to please their master, not God. Fifth, slaves are to obey “as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). Here Paul contrasts how slaves are not to behave with a positive statement. Their true and ultimate identity is as bondservants of Christ. They serve someone with more authority and honor than any of their earthly masters. Thus they should obey God and follow his will “from the heart.” This literally means “from the soul” and conveys the source of the motivation by which godly slaves are to serve their masters, contrasting with “eye-service.” The idea is wholehearted obedience and is similar to “with a sincere heart” in verse 5.

Sixth, slaves are to obey by serving with a good attitude (“rendering service with a good will”; v. 7). That is, slaves should have a positive attitude and serve with eagerness or wholeheartedness. Again, Paul urges them to consider their obedience “as to the Lord and not to man.” Their service must be rendered with the ultimate aim of serving Christ, not merely the earthly master. Perhaps this mind-set would enable them to obey with a good attitude, especially when their masters were acting unjustly or not recognizing their hard work.

Following these six descriptions of proper obedience, Paul in verse 8 provides the motivation or reason for such behavior (“knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord”). That is, slaves should be obedient, with good attitudes, because they will be rewarded at the last judgment by their heavenly Master for the good they do. Regardless of whether or not their earthly masters see or acknowledge their good works, nothing will escape the gaze of their Master in heaven (Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10; Col. 3:25; 1 Pet. 5:4). Paul then adds that such evaluation will occur whether the person in question “is a bondservant or is free,” reminding his readers that all people, both slave and free, will be rewarded according to their deeds. Because there is no favoritism with God, no social status will receive special treatment (cf. Rom. 2:11).

6:9 Finally, Paul addresses slave masters and exhorts them to “do the same” to their slaves. O’Brien says this exhortation would have been “shocking” and “outrageous” to a first-century slave owner.¹ It is not clear what precisely Paul has in mind with this command. The referent seems to be not merely the manner in which slaves are to perform their duties, because the focus is on the actions (“do the same”) of slave owners and not just their attitudes. There is a reciprocal, but not symmetrical, relationship between the two groups, since masters are never admonished to obey (v. 5) or serve (v. 7) their slaves.

One of the ways masters are to treat their slaves properly is by no longer threatening them. Threatening slaves was common in the ancient world, including threats of being physically beaten, sexually harassed, or sold to another owner. But Paul teaches that “all forms of manipulating, demeaning, or terrifying slaves by threats” must be rejected by Christian masters.²

Paul offers two reasons that should motivate masters to treat their slaves appropriately. First, both slaves and masters will be held accountable to the same Master in heaven (“he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven”). Christian masters are actually fellow slaves with their own servants of the same Lord. They will have to give an account on the last day for their deeds, including how they treated their slaves. Second, the Lord does not judge with partiality (“there is no partiality with him”; cf. Rom. 2:11; Col. 3:25; James 2:1). Social or economic status will not give anyone an advantage on the day of judgment. No special consideration will be given to those who have made a great name for themselves in this life. This knowledge should influence how Christian masters treat their slaves.