Saturday, November 24, 2018

Employer Employee Relationships: A Biblical Perspective

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 6:5
Slaves, obey your human[a] masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
(CSB)

The idea of slavery is repulsive in modern society so before skipping the biblical narrative of Ephesians 6:5-9, the word slavery used in the passage needs clarification.  The slaves referred to in the passage were not individuals involved in forced labor but individuals working for someone else for a wage or in repayment of a debt.  (1)  This context places these individuals in more of an employee/employer relationship than a slave/owner relationship.  Each party in the employee/employer relationship has a biblical obligation,

1)      Employees are to obey their employers (Ephesians 6:5) – The fear and trembling in a biblically based employee/employer relationship should not be one causing fear of physical harm for disobedience.  This fear and trembling also goes beyond simply fearing loss of job and income supporting ones needs.  Instead this fear equates to the level of reverential fear one should have towards God.  Employees must also understand that their work is not just to please their boss but also God (Ephesians 6:6).  This means that even if the boss is not watching, God is so employees must serve their bosses and God with a good attitude (Ephesians 6:6-7). 
2)      Employers are to treat employees in a loving and respectful manner (Ephesians 6:9) – In similar fashion, employers must interact with employees, knowing that God is watching.  From this knowledge, employers should treat their employees with respect and not in a threatening or abusive manner (Ephesians 6:9)

The biblical relationship between employees and employers is a triangulation like that seen in the Trinity.  When working in a biblical fashion both employee and employer work to please the Lord resulting in the employee working with an attitude of obedience towards their boss with the boss seeking to please the Lord by treating employees respectfully.  However, we do not live in a biblically perfect world, resulting in breakdowns in the employee/employer relationship. 

Disobedient employees with bad attitudes create a contentious situation where their employer has no choice but to fire them.  Likewise, an abusive employer creates a situation leading to high employee turnover or in extreme cases legal issues.  The breakdown of the relationship in both instances is failure of one or both parties to work as if serving the Lord. 

While it is impossible to place a dollar value on the cost of lost productivity because of breakdowns in the employee/employer relationship, avoidance of unnecessary losses can happen through establishment of a relationship functioning under the umbrella of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ by both parties.  Therefore, I urge anyone reading this whether employee or employer to pray with me now and come under the umbrella of a relationship with God through Jesus,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

My prayer is that the broken and strained relationships between employees and employers reading this finds resolution through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you are a godly employee serving an ungodly boss, pray for your boss and try to persevere.  If perseverance fails find another Job and if the abuse is excessive, seek legal protection.  If you a godly employer with disobedient employees, pray for these employees and try to work out your differences.  If there is no resolution possible for differences, fire the employee but continue to pray for them.  May God bless everyone reading this. 


1. Keener, Dr. Craig. Slaves and slaveholders—Ephesians 6:5-9. www.craigkeener.com. [Online] Bible Background. [Cited: November 22, 2018.] http://www.craigkeener.com/slaves-and-slaveholders-ephesians-65-9/.

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