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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