Ephesians 6: Work as if You Were Serving Jesus

Introduction

At Calvary Chapel Nice, Tonio continues his study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. After the couple and the family, today's passage speaks to slaves and masters (Ephesians 6:5-9). It is a surprising text, and the preacher applies it directly to our lives as employees, workers, students and bosses.

Paul first laid out truths about God, about Jesus Christ and about believers. Then he draws the consequences: "Since these things are true about who you are in Christ, here is how you must live." Life in the Spirit shows itself in mutual submission, humility and respect for authority, in every context.

The thread of the message comes down to two words in verse 5: "as to Christ". Whether you are an employee or a boss, the One you serve is Jesus.

Message Outline

1. One Life, Lived Entirely for Christ

The modern world separates contexts: work life is distinct from family life, social life and church life. Tonio sees a danger in this for the Christian.
With God, there is no "I can be like this in that context." It is about the whole of life, and Paul addresses the question of work as well.
The church read this during its retreat in the mountains: "Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).

2. Why Paul Does Not Call for the Abolition of Slavery

Historians estimate that between 10 or 15 percent and perhaps a third of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. A large share of the churches Paul founded, including the one in Ephesus, included slaves.
Their condition was harsh: legally, a slave was not a person but a possession, a tool. One classification of the time called them beasts of burden "that could speak".
Yet Paul tells slaves, in essence, "Be good slaves," and masters, "Be good masters." Neither here nor anywhere else in the New Testament do we find a direct call for abolition. The church should not see itself as a conventional movement of social protest.
Tonio quotes the commentator Moule: the gospel found a very cruel form of slavery and immediately set about undermining it through its principles, the equality of all souls and the redemptive work accomplished for all. "Its plan was not to strike head-on, but to undermine from below."
La Bible annotée says the same: Christianity assumes equality before God and the freedom of all who believe, and was bound sooner or later to bring freedom and equality into society.
The gospel changes hearts, and changed hearts transform societies. It is a mistake to try to change people's hearts with external laws. This is not a refusal of social engagement: slavery still exists today, and we can pray, speak out and give of our means against it.
For us, the same relationship is found between employee and boss, worker and manager. Paul repeats these instructions in Colossians 3:22 to 4:1, and Peter echoes them (1 Peter 2:18-25).

3. Obey with Fear, Respect and Sincerity of Heart

The Greek word is doulos, slave. It describes Jesus in his service and humility, and also our own condition as Christians in relation to him.
Paul does not say, "Rebel, set yourselves free." The commentator Barclay sums it up: he tells them to be Christians where they are. "Christianity does not offer us an escape from circumstances, it offers us the power to conquer them."
Tonio sees a contrast here with our human reflex, "and perhaps as French people," of revolution. We are called to be Christians in our circumstances and to overcome evil with good.
Paul does not stop at obedience, he goes further: he speaks of the heart. You can do what your boss asks while despising the person. It is like children who obey while letting everyone know, by their noises and looks, that they are being forced.
"Fear and trembling" appears elsewhere in the Bible (Philippians 2, 2 Corinthians 7, Psalm 2). It is not panic-stricken fear, but respect for a position and an authority.
"In singleness of heart": no pretense, no hypocrisy. How hard it is to change our hearts toward other people. We need God's help.

4. Not Only Under the Eyes of Men

Verse 6: "Not in the way of eyeservice." Everyone knows the scene: the boss walks into the office, and we work seriously; he leaves, and we open another window and move on to something else.
God sees us all the time. This should not make us anxious, but make us think. Like a father who sees his children and loves them, God does not ask us to work until we are exhausted: he even gave a command to rest, the Sabbath.
"As men-pleasers": if our motivation is what others think of us, we will end up going against God's will.
Tonio warns against the opposite excess: getting tense over secondary things. If the church votes on the color of the room and someone claims, "God told me it has to be blue," that is not on the same level as "You shall not murder."

5. Slaves of Christ, with All Our Heart

"As servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." This is how Paul presents himself, like Peter, James and Jude: not like politicians who call themselves "servants of the state" and make it sound grand, but as slaves of Jesus.
This is the example of Jesus himself: "For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Under the law of Moses, a slave was to be set free after a time, but he could say: I love my master, I want to serve him forever (Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 15). This is the sense the apostles take up: out of love, I choose to submit my will to that of Jesus.
Living for him does not mean making our own plans and then saying they were for him. "Jesus says no, I want to be the one who tells you what to do." The word "slave" puts us off, precisely because it names the reality of the relationship.
Greeks and Romans despised manual labor. In the kingdom of God, hard work and work done with the hands are honorable.
Barclay again: every piece of work a Christian does should be good enough to be presented to God. And Tonio adds: "In God's kingdom, the notion of the bare minimum does not exist. Unfortunately for us French people."
This applies to your exams and your homework as a student, to your boss's request, to the coffee, the dishes and the tidying up after the service. Spurgeon said it: grace makes us God's servants while leaving us servants of men, and sanctifies the ordinary duties of life.
Material things are not evil in themselves. Adam had a job in the garden before the fall. Gnosticism, asceticism, libertinism and Plato's thought all set spirit against matter; none of these philosophies fits the biblical vision. Your work on Monday morning matters to God.

6. What If It Were Jesus Asking You?

Verse 7: "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." La Bible annotée notes that the apostle comes back to this thought four times in three verses.
Imagine someone you admire coming to ask you for a favor at work. Tonio takes the example of Zidane: if he walked onto the field and said, "Tonio, I want you to do this," he would do it eagerly. Children who grumble when they are asked to do something would do it with absolute joy.
For the Christian, that person should be Jesus. "If Jesus comes to church this morning and asks you, 'Go clean the toilets,' how will you clean the toilets?" And if he asks you to talk to someone on the street, to spend time with someone, to read your Bible?
The Bible says he is present. This is not a call to revolution against slavery, but it is revolutionary in hearts and in the way we live.
Verse 8: each person, slave or free, will receive from the Lord whatever good they have done. God sees work done with a good heart, even in a secular job, and he rewards it.
A pastor friend observed a frequent cycle: the new birth makes you more hardworking, prosperity comes, the heart drifts away, God disciplines, you repent. Tonio points to the prayer of Agur: "Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needed for me" (Proverbs 30:7-9).

7. Masters, You Have the Same Master in Heaven

Verse 9: "You masters, do the same things to them." Bosses must work hard and honestly in the interest of those who work for them.
Tonio believes that capitalism has lost the thread: workers work for bosses, and bosses work for investors. If bosses worked for the interest of their workers, the world would be quite different.
"Give up threatening": a boss must neither threaten nor mistreat his employees. Their Master and ours is in heaven, and with him there is no favoritism. He is not impressed by millions, by influence, or by political rank.
Barclay: "The problem of work would be solved if employees and masters alike received their orders from God."
If Jesus were your employee, would you threaten him, pay him badly, manipulate him? Would you give him credit for his good ideas? The question does not even arise. So why treat people that way? Those who hold authority will be judged more strictly.
Tonio concludes with Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men." The goal: to be able to say at every moment, in public and in private, "Look, Jesus, at what I did. I did it as well as I could for you."

Key Takeaways

There is no wall between your spiritual life and your work: all of life is lived for Christ.
The gospel does not first transform structures by force; it changes hearts, and changed hearts undermine injustice from below.
God looks at the attitude of the heart, not only outward obedience, and he sees what you do when no one is watching.
What you do should be something you can present to God without shame: for him, the bare minimum does not exist.
Boss or employee, we have the same Master in heaven, who judges without favoritism.

Personal Application

When you think of your superiors, what comes out of your heart: sincere respect or hidden contempt?
Is there a task you do differently depending on whether someone is watching?
Could you present what you handed in this week, at work or in your studies, to Jesus and say, "I did it for you"?
If Jesus asked you in person to do the dishes after the service, how would you do them?
If you have authority over others, would you treat Jesus the way you treat the people who work under your responsibility?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Paul not call for the abolition of slavery in Ephesians 6?

Tonio explains that the church is not first a movement of social protest. The gospel changes hearts, and changed hearts end up undermining slavery from below: when you regard the other person as a brother or sister in Christ, you can no longer tolerate their being treated as property. This does not stop Christians from praying, speaking out and giving against the slavery that still exists today.

How do you apply Ephesians 6:5-9 to work today?

The relationship between slave and master is found in the one between employee and boss. The employee works with respect and sincerity of heart, even when no one is watching, as if serving Jesus. The boss treats his employees without threats, in their interest, remembering that he himself has a Master in heaven who shows no favoritism.

What does it mean to work "as to Christ"?

It means doing every task, at the office, at school or while tidying the room after the service, as if Jesus had asked you for it in person. Tonio offers a simple question: is what I have done good enough to be presented to God, without shame? In God's kingdom, the notion of the bare minimum does not exist.