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"1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on." ~ 1 Timothy 6:1-2
When the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, half the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. Many of them had been taken as prisoners of war by the Roman legions. Some were taken away out of their own countries, while others were kept captive within their own lands. Slavery, then, became an immediate problem in the early church, as both slaves and their masters were being converted to Christianity.
Many today are troubled by the fact the New Testament does not denounce slavery. Passages like this sound as though slavery was accepted and was acceptable in Christianity. But the truth is the Scripture does not approve of slavery. There is no defense of slavery in Scripture; there is no attempt made to perpetuate it in any way. In fact, by the end of the second century slavery had widely disappeared, largely because of the impact of Christian teaching and influence of Christians throughout the Empire.
In today's text, the Apostle Paul continues teaching on how the believer in Christ best ministers to the various groups in the church at Ephesus. While he uses the terminology of the servant-master relationship, this teaching applies to us today in the context of the employer-employee relationship.
The Apostle uses the Greek word douloi which describes those who have chosen to be in submission to someone as a slave. This slave is willfully employed and paid to do a job for the employer. The Greek word translated masters is despotēs which refers to one who had unrestricted, unrestrained, sovereign authority over the employee.
Today's text was penned by Paul because there were some slaves who used their newfound freedom in Christ as an excuse to disobey their masters. They didn't understand that their spiritual freedom in Christ did not alter their social position, even though they were accepted graciously into the fellowship of the church. For a slave to rebel against an unsaved master would bring disgrace on the gospel.
In v.1 we read, "All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered."
The danger here is that a Christian slave might take advantage of his master because both are saved. “My master is my brother!” a slave might argue. “Since we are equal, he has no right to tell me what to do!” he might think. This attitude would create serious problems both in the homes and in the churches.
The Apostle Paul explains why Christian employees should show respect for their believing employers and not take advantage of them. The most obvious reason is their employers are Christians and love does not rebel or look for opportunities to escape responsibility.
If we work for a non-Christian employer, we are to give him all of the honor that is due to one who is in the position of authority and who is providing our livelihood, in order that the name of God and the doctrine of the gospel might not be spoken evil against.
How we function in an employment situation is of grave spiritual significance. We should live out our Christianity before men in such a way as to make the gospel attractive to all who look on. Our faith must be lived out in our jobs as a sacred duty which is rendered on behalf of God.
In v. 2 we read, "Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on."
If we are working for a believing boss, we are not to think less of him as our employer because he’s also our brother. But we are to serve him even more because he is a believer.
We serve God by serving others. From this angle we begin to see our jobs as our ministry. This is a whole different approach to ministry. When we live godly lives and work with godly attitudes, others will see it and they will begin to desire what we have. And then, in eternity, we may see them because of our commitment to be defined by God in the workplace.
