Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him (Ephesians 6:5-9 NAS95).
Slavery was a way of life at the time Paul wrote this passage. Thankfully, slavery has been mostly rooted out by the influence of Christianity. I say mostly because we hear of the horrors of human trafficking today. However, let us leave the concept of real slavery and speak to the current application of this passage.
Whether you are a worker [slave] or a boss [master], you are commanded by God to serve or lead as one who will give an account to God. The worker is to do his job as unto the Lord with sincerity of heart. Perhaps you know of a person who works with a slack hand. He is the one who snaps to attention when the boss is in the room, but coast the rest of the time. Don’t be that person.
That kind of behavior gives the lost a reason to blaspheme the name of Christ. It also causes a believer to miss out on the blessing mentioned in this passage. Whatever good you do as a worker will be repaid by the Lord. The same is true for the employer, as there is no partiality with God.
However, should your employer ask you to do something sinful, you must not obey his wishes. This is the only exception, as obeying in this situation would mean disobeying God.
However, you might be able to find a better solution than disobedience. Jesus said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16 NAS95). Look for a way to be obedient and not sin.
Here is a personal example. I used to sell heavy equipment, and an order was promised to my customer by a certain date. The order was delayed. My boss wanted me to lie to the customer as to why we could not meet the delivery. I pointed out to my boss that a lie wasn’t any better than just telling the customer the truth. The customer still wasn't receiving his equipment on time, but a sincere apology would promote goodwill more effectively than an excuse that could be exposed later.
The point is to obey when possible. Be the best employee possible. If you are the boss, be kind and generous. God will reward both.
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