49
The Responsibilities
of Employees and Employers
(Eph.
6:5-9)
Servants,
be obedient to them that are your masters according to
the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
your heart, as unto Christ;
Not
with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart;
With
good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to
men:
Knowing
that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or
free.
And,
ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven;
neither is there respect of persons with
him.
We recall that the
division of Ephesians we have been studying is called,
“Walk In Submission.” We have seen in great detail that
we are to walk in submission in the home, that each
family member submits according to God’s order.
But Paul here
mentions another area in which we are to walk in
submission, and that is in the area of employee and
employer relationships. This emphasis might seem strange
at first until one thinks of labor relations in the past
and present. Historically, one can read (and some folks
can even remember) the violence that ragged in the early
days of the labor unions. Some of this continues today.
Today many employees want more money and benefits with
fewer hours of work. Many employers want more production
with as little overhead, in the form of wages and
benefits, as possible. It is quite easy for us to see
the problem that is true on both sides, and that problem
is self-centeredness and greed. Instead of there being a
submission to God’s standards, where everyone does all
he can to get along with others, there is the humanistic
drive to satisfy only self.
How can the problem
be solved? Some advocate Socialism or even Communism,
where everyone is supposedly equal and receives an equal
portion. Both systems are not only a lie, but it has
been proven over and over again that neither of these
philosophies works either socially or economically.
Sadly, many political Liberals in America and several
policies they have succeeded in getting made into law
are socialistic, because the hallmark of such a system
is the redistribution of wealth.
Still others have
tried Collectivism, where all control of economic
activity is in the hands of a community or government
because, it is believed, economic power is too important
to be left in the hands of individuals. But the fact is
that there is no better earthly system than the
free trade system (or as some radicals prefer to spit
out the word Capitalism). Is Capitalism perfect? Of
course not! Man is depraved and will pervert any system
to his own advantage. Abuses of Capitalism are on the
record, but they pale to virtual insignificance when
compared to the abuses of others systems.
Once again, however,
God’s Word has the answer. It declares that there are
standards that both the employee and the employer must
follow. Let us take each of these in-turn and see what
his responsibility
is.
I. The Submission of the Employee (vs.
5-8)
Servants,
be obedient to them that are your masters according to
the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
your heart, as unto Christ;
Not
with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart;
With
good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to
men:
Knowing
that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or
free.
Let us further
divide this point into seven
emphases.
The Meaning Of The Word
“Servant”
What does God’s Word
mean by this word servants? Slavery is an
insidious thing, and it is slavery that is in view in
our text. The Greek here is doulos which literally means “slave, bondservant.” Paul
was not dealing primarily with hired servants but with
literal slaves. He is, therefore, speaking here to
slaves who are believers and instructs them on how they
are to conduct themselves. But may we interject here
that it is impossible to expound this passage without
first understanding what slavery is and what God says
about it. Let us take a look at history starting in the
present and going backwards.[i]
First, there is
slavery in modern times. Today there are countless
millions of people who are enslaved in Southeast Asia,
Africa, China, and many other places around the globe.
Nazi Germany followed the ancient practice of making
slaves of conquered people. Of course, the Soviet Union
was notorious for that; it sent countless people, who it
dubbed “political prisoners,” to the gulags, where they
suffered horribly.
Second, consider
slavery in American history. The first slaves, twenty
negroes, were brought to Virginia in 1619 and within 150
years that number grew to about a half a million. When
captured in Africa such slaves were often forced to
travel on foot for as much as 1,000 miles; those who
fell from exhaustion were left to the wild animals. The
slave ships which carried them to America had multiple
levels of cubicles, each not much larger than a coffin,
in which each slave would lay for the duration of the
journey. One can only imagine the darkness, the stench,
and the suffering that involved. The ultimate step was
the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857. The Dred
Scott decision declared that black people were not
“legal persons” according to the U.S. Constitution. Is
it not interesting that this is exactly what the Supreme
Court said about unborn babies in 1973? To make matters
worse, it was proven before the Civil War began that
slavery was actually economically unprofitable. Why then
did men want to hold on to it? While several theories
have been offered, the biblical one is that there is a
desire within man’s depravity to dominate and enslave
others.
Third, there was
the slavery in Western Europe. Prior to the slavery in
America, there was a similar situation in Western Europe
that was lead by Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards not
only enslaved the Negro, but they also enslaved, and all
but exterminated, the Indians in certain
locations.
Fourth, we
consider slavery in the Roman Empire. In some respects
slaves were treated better in Rome than in other
societies. For example, as far as many of the Romans
were concerned a slave was an agricultural tool that was
too valuable to mistreat.
But still
there was abounding barbarism. As far back as Aristotle,
slaves were just things. In his book, On Farming,
the famous 1st Century Roman scholar
Varro
classified farm implements into three classes: the
inarticulate (which were animals), the mute (which were
tools and vehicles), and the articulate (which were
slaves). In that spirit, Cato, the
great Roman statesman, advised that the new owner of a
farm should throw out everything that was not useful,
which included throwing the old slaves on the scrap heap
to starve because they were just broken
tools. A slave that ran away but was then caught and
returned was sometimes killed or at least had his
forehead branded with the letter F for
Fugitivus.
One source
of slaves, of course, was war; thousands of slaves were
won in wars with surrounding civilizations. But Rome was
not satisfied with that. She had an insatiable thirst
for slave labor, so she began the practices of slave
raiding and slave trading. Slaves became so cheap that
they were freely sacrificed in the gladiatorial games
and even pitted against wild animals in the coliseum.
Ancient historians estimate that there were some
60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire, or about one-half
the population. In Paul’s
day a lethargy had settled on the citizens of Rome. They
felt that since Rome was “the mistress of the world”
that it was, therefore, beneath their dignity to work.
Because of this, slaves did all the work; even doctors,
teachers, secretaries, and financial stewards were
slaves.
Again, masters were
often good to their slaves, and there was even genuine
affection among some. But the rule was that the life of
a slave was a terrible one. Juvenal, a famous Roman
satirist, tells of a Roman matron who ordered a slave
killed only because she lost her temper with him. He
also records these words about one master, “[He]
delights in the sound of a cruel flogging, thinking it
sweeter than a siren’s song.” He also tells of the
master “who summons a torturer and brands the slave
because a couple of towels are lost.” Gaius, the famous
Roman lawyer, said, “We may note that it is universally
accepted that the master possesses the power of life and
death over the slave.”
Mistresses often
ordered a maid’s hair torn out, their cheeks torn with
the mistress’ fingernails, and their private parts
violated with foreign objects. Augustus crucified a
slave who accidentally killed his pet quail, and Pollio
threw a slave into a pond of deadly lamprey eels simply
because the slave broke a crystal goblet.
Does not all this
show how insidious a thing slavery is? Like abortion,
slavery demonstrates the depth of man’s depravity. Man’s
inhumanity to man is beyond
comprehension!
Fifth, there was
the slavery among the Greeks. Things were much the same
under the Greeks as they were under the Romans. In the
city of Athens most slaves were treated well; some were
even considered part of the family. But those in the
silver mines south of the city suffered every brutality.
They were manacled and literally worked to death.
Aristotle, who oddly enough has been praised as one of
the greatest philosophers in history, maintained, “A
slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate
slave.”
Sixth, we
consider slavery in the light of the Mosaic Law. What
does God say? When the Law was given, slavery was
universally accepted throughout the world because, as we
pointed out earlier, this attitude is part of man’s
depravity. Therefore, instead of banning slavery and
causing total culture shock, the Law carefully
restricted it. The Hebrews could only be hired servants,
not bondservants, that is, slaves (Lev. 25:39-40). This
situation usually came because of debts that could not
be paid any other way. Such a Hebrew could be redeemed
at any time by a relative (Lev. 25:48) but was still
freed after six years regardless (Ex. 21:2;
Deut.
15:12-14), unless they
voluntarily chose to remain (Ex. 21:5–6). If a
master abused a slave, the
slave was to be set free (Ex. 21:26–27). Religious
rights were also protected, such as enjoying the Sabbath
rest (Ex. 20:10). Foreigners
(Non-Hebrews) also became slaves; some became slaves the
same way Hebrews did; others were captured in war. But
the Law protected even these.
Here, then, we
already see a seed that God planted against slavery,
that the Bible does not condone slavery in way, shape,
or form. It was forbidden, for example, to kidnap anyone
to make them a slave (Ex. 21:16). That fact proves
without argument that Americans and Europeans who
practiced slavery were wrong! What Theological blasphemy
it was for so-called Christians of the Pre-Civil War era
to argue for slavery on “Biblical” grounds! It was
ludicrous! Furthermore, Non-Hebrew slaves enjoyed most
of the same religious privileges as the Israelites,
including: the rest of the Sabbath (Ex. 20:10), the
attendance of national festivals (Deut. 16:10-11), and
the privilege to gather for the reading of the Law
(Deut. 31:10-13). Asylum was even given to runaway
slaves (Deut. 23:15-16). So, God’s Law protected
everyone from the abuses of slavery. It is extremely
significant, then, that as a result of the influence
of the Law, slavery among the Jews had virtually
disappeared by Jesus’ time. We
say again: no one can justify slavery from God’s
Word.
Seventh, we now
consider slavery as referred to in Ephesians 6. We’re
going to deal with the applications of this passage to
today’s employee/employer relationship later, but we
need to deal here with what Paul is saying to slaves,
that is, literal
slaves.
At this point I must
admit to having a real problem with those commentators
who say that Paul’s words are a blanket statement that
the slave must be totally submissive to slavery, even to
the extent of not escaping if possible. I have read some
who speak of the “stigma” of being a runaway slave and
how repulsed people have been in past history, as in the
Civil War, by a runaway. I am appalled by such thoughts
because they imply that the slave is the one at fault!
We must wonder how differently such writers would feel
if they had ever been in a Russian gulag! Many
commentators say that the Bible doesn’t “explicitly”
teach against slavery, which we’ll come to in a moment.
As a sidelight, it is quite interesting to note that in
the history of Roman Catholicism not one pope has ever
declared slavery to be incompatible with Christianity;
here is just one more proof that Catholicism is pagan,
not Christian.
Well, we must say
that we disagree with such attitudes in light of what we
have already seen in the Mosaic Law. Even more than
that, we must disagree because slavery is as
diametrically opposed to the grace of God and liberty in
Christ as anything could possibly be. It is an insidious
thing. It is one of most vivid demonstrations of man’s
utter wickedness and his disregard for the Law of God.
Many Christians today are appalled by abortion and take
a firm stand against that horrendous evil, but slavery
seems to be one of those “gray areas” about which we
can’t be totally sure.
Now, we
should certainly note that neither the Lord Jesus nor
Paul said anything openly and publicly against slavery.
There are two reasons: to do so would have resulted in
complete alienation from society because slavery was an
accepted norm, and to do so would involved them in
social reform, which is not the main issue for the
Christian. Historically, for example, slavery and other
social diseases were not cured by political activism.
Political activism among Christians is error because it
has no biblical basis. Rather what changed society was
the powerful preaching of men such as John Wesley
and George Whitefield. Social conditions change nothing,
rather it is Christ Who changes everything.
That being
said, however, to say that “slavery is not
uniformly condemned in either the Old or New
Testaments,” as some commentators do, is clearly
inaccurate. While not doing so publicly, Paul
clearly
taught against slavery. Consider I Corinthians 7:21:
“Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but
if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.“ Some
teachers maintain that this means a slave should
surrender himself to gaining freedom only if his master
grants it. But may we submit, if that is true, then it
would be wrong for a prisoner of war to try to escape,
or for a Christian to try to escape or defect from a
communist country. May we also ask, if that is true, why
did God say in the Mosaic Law to give asylum to a
runaway slave? If it were wrong for the slave to escape,
then wouldn’t God be a party to sin by commanding
asylum? Rather, as some commentators will admit, this
verse can be translated: “if you have an opportunity to
be free, seize it.” Indeed, here in Ephesians Paul says
to obey and serve honestly as long as you are a slave,
but that does not mean one can’t escape if
possible.
The letter to
Philemon has also been cited as an example of a slave
staying under his master. Indeed, the record shows that
Paul sent Onesimus, a runaway slave, back to his master
Philemon. But verse 18 of that letter reveals the real
reason Paul sent him back: “If he hath wronged thee, or
oweth thee anything, put that on mine account” J. B.
Lightfoot, a recognized authority on Philemon,
comments:
The case is stated
hypothetically, but the words doubtless describe the
actual offense of Onesimus. He had done his master some
injury, probably had robbed him; and he fled to escape
punishment.[ii]
So, the point is not
that Onesimus was a runaway slave but that he was
a thief! Paul obviously told
him that even though he was forgiven, he must return and
make restitution. May we add, as most commentators
agree, there can be little doubt that Philemon freed
Onesimus after restitution was made. Why? Because seeing
the grace of God through Paul he realized that slavery
could not be justified; he realized that it is blatantly
and totally incompatible with the Gospel of
Christ.
I do want to add
here that the motive for the view that a slave should
stay a slave is admirable. The view says, “Christians
live no matter what the circumstances; Christianity does
not offer escape from circumstances but conquest of
circumstances.” We do indeed agree with that; a
Christian can and should do all this and in so doing be
a witness. We disagree, however, with the view that
says, “A Christian should never resist.” To illustrate,
what would a pregnant Christian woman do if the
government came to her and said, “You must abort that
fetus you are carrying?” This is, in fact exactly the
case the Communist China. She would, of course, resist
based upon the clear teaching of Scripture.
Now, we purposely do
not use the words “rebel” or “revolt” because of the
implied violence. We do not advocate armed rebellion,
taking up arms against the government. But there are
most certainly times when Christians not only can
but must resist, times when we must stand upon
the Truth of Scripture. Slavery is slavery and there is
nothing wrong with seeking freedom. To those who
disagree with that idea, may we say, You should leave
America because if America had not broken sought freedom
from tyranny, we would still be a British colony. Our
forefathers resisted an ungodly king. While American
schools teach that those early Americans revolted
against England, British history actually teaches the
truth, namely, that America was forced out of the Empire
by an act of
Parliament; this means that
The “Revolutionary” War was not a revolution at all,
rather a war of defense against a foreign
invader.[iii]
Likewise, if a slave
should stay a slave, then it would be wrong for a
Christian to go to war to fight for freedom. And if that
is true, then we should have allowed Hitler to do what
he started out to do—exterminate the Jews and enslave
all of Europe. America has her faults, some in fact that
might take her someday to her oblivion, but she has
historically, for the most part, defended freedom and
opposed tyranny. We rejoice in the history of our
nation, which was actually founded upon a Reformation
base.
We must maintain,
therefore, that God’s Word nowhere condones slavery nor
does It command a slave to remain in that bondage. With
the understanding of slavery both historically and
biblically, let us now go deeper into the application
for today by looking at six other
principles.
The Employee’s Conduct (“obedient”)
Indeed, a
Christian should be the most cheerful, the most
agreeable, and the most productive worker on the job.
The word obedient means exactly what it says. The
Greek used here is the same word used for children back
in verse 1, hupakouo. The
prefix hupo means “under” and the root
akouo means
“listen or hear.” So, the employee is to get under the
authority of the employer and heed his orders. The
construction of the verb is Present Imperative which
shows that God’s command is that the employee is to
continually obey his employer. So then, whether or not
the employee agrees with the employer, he is still to
obey him. He must not try to undermine his authority,
nor should he do things grudgingly. Rather, he is to
agreeably and cheerfully
obey.
At this point we
must ask the obvious question: “Are there any exceptions
to this rule?” Some expositors and commentators say,
“No, the employee must always obey.” One expositor, for
whom I have great respect, goes into detail. He starts
by saying, “There is no sin involved when a Christian
does things in connection with a system in which he is
involved, though he might prefer personally not to do
such things.” He then gives an example: many Christians
are involved in a business or industry which demands
that they work on Sunday, thereby forcing them to miss
church. “Are they sinning?” he asks. “No, provided that
if they had the freedom to choose in this matter they
would choose not to work on
Sunday.”
No matter how hard I
try, I just cannot make any sense of such a teaching. If
something is wrong, is it not wrong all the time? Are we
not flirting with Relativism to say that depending upon
the circumstances certain conduct is okay, namely, when
we are obeying an employer. Obedience
does not mean control. Oddly
enough, the same expositor then turns right around and
says that a Christian must :take a stand” if asked to do
something that “affects his personal relationship with
Christ.” He cites an example of how the early Christians
submitted to Caesar, but would have rather died than
say, “Caesar is Lord.” But may we submit, we see no
difference in this and working on Sunday. Why? Well, if
not being in church on Sunday does not affect our
relationship with the Lord, what would? How can our not
being under the preaching of the Word and our not being
with God’s people in worship not affect our relationship
with our Lord and our spiritual
life?
Some folks sound out
in fear at this point, “But what if such a stand causes
me to lose my job?” But we answer with another question,
“What is more important, our obedience and our standing
for what God says or some temporal job?” God’s promise
is that He will always provide, and if one loses his job
because he stands for God, God will give him another.
And may I add, I have personally never known or heard of
a Christian who lost his job because he took this stand.
There will certainly be special circumstances, that is,
emergencies that require missing attendance on the
Lord’s Day (Lk. 14:5), but these should be the
exception, not the rule. We must take a stand on that
which is unbiblical and would take us away from the
Truth.
So, we put the
matter this way: We obey an employer unless he orders
us to do that which is immoral, dishonest, illegal, or
otherwise unscriptural. We saw the same principle
when it comes to the wife submitting to her husband or
children obeying to their parents. The main reason for
this conclusion is that if something is wrong, it is
wrong! Indeed, we may be part of a particular “system,”
but God does not want us to contribute to the
ungodliness of that system. After all, we are all in
this “world system” (Greek kosmos), but we are not to conform to this world
system. Neither does God want us to conform to any
system on this earth. So, to apply all this, when we are
on the job, we shouldn’t obey if it cheats someone, if
we have to lie to someone or otherwise misrepresent a
product or ourselves, if it affects our spiritual life
in any way, or even if it keeps us away from our family
too much of the
time.
This principle is
further proven by Romans 13. God ordains the powers that
be, and we submit to those powers whether they are the
government or an employer. But when those powers demand
that we personally violate God’s laws, they immediately
forfeit the authority that originally God gave
them.
The Employee’s Outlook
(“according to the flesh”)
With this
prepositional phrase Paul not only emphasizes that this
submission is temporary, but he also implies that there
is a higher authority above the flesh—the Lord Jesus. So, even though submission to
authority is demanded, our true authority is above.
Keeping that thought in mind will continually encourage
us in our daily labor
relations.
The Employee’s Attitude (“fear
and trembling”)
This attitude is not
cowering in fear of our employer, rather a
respect for his position and authority. But deeper than
this is the thought of our fear of neglecting our
responsibility and in so doing disobeying the Lord. The
same thought occurs In I Corinthians 2:3, where Paul
wrote that he came to the Corinthians in fear and
trembling. This fear was a fear of failing both the
Corinthians and the Lord. We cannot help but wonder how
many preachers have this fear nowadays (and how many do
not). Many men today who are meeting so-called “felt
needs” are in reality failing their people and failing
God! If they really love both, they will meet the
real need of God’s Truth, not
the “felt-need” of fleshly desire. Do we really fear
failing the Lord and the people He has given us to
lead?
This thought is also
found in Philippians 2:12, where Paul writes, “Work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Notice, the
verse does not say work for salvation but work
out salvation. As believers we work out the
salvation we possess; that is, we manifest it, we
prove it to others. We do all
that with the attitude that we do not want to fail our
Lord.
The Employee’s Dedication (“singleness
of heart”)
Singleness is
haplotes, which in Classical Greek carried a numerical
meaning of “single” in contrast to “double”
(diplous). In the ethical
sense, it came to mean straightness, openness, speaking
without a hidden meaning. This developed into the New
Testament usage of “personal wholeness, undividedness,
and hence uncomplicated
simplicity.”[iv] One
expositor, therefore, writes that such “obedience
was to be rendered, not in formality, pretence, or
hypocrisy, but in inward reality and sincerity, and with
an undivided heart.”[v] It does little or
no good to do work with complaint, a negative attitude,
or hypocrisy. One may get the job done but he has really
failed the overall task. As one commentator puts
it:
The slave [or employee] is ever
tempted to labour while yet he is loitering, to put on
the seeming of obedience and obey with a double heart.
The counsel of the Apostle, therefore, is, that he
should obey in singleness of aim, giving undivided
effort and attention to the task in
hand.[vi]
Years ago I worked
as an electrician and worked on several large
construction sites. In the building trades this
pretending to work is called “hiding” and means just
what it says, hiding from the work to be done or
pretending to look busy. The Christian should be the
best worker on the job. Another expression in the
building trades is, “I’ll give you eight for eight,”
eight hours work for eight hours
pay.
It is fascinating to
see this principle illustrated in history. For example,
the Roman emperor Constantine lifted persecution of
Christians when he discovered that they were not
troublemakers as were many of his other subjects. He
found them to be honest and hard working. He even fired
most of his government officials and put Christians in
their place. A similar thing happened in Russia during
World War II. Stalin suddenly relaxed laws governing
Christians because he found them to be the most reliable
and productive workers. This is a tremendous challenge
to us today. Such dedication is one of the most
effective ways we can be witnesses of
Christ.
At this point we
should interject a word concerning “evangelizing on the
job.” Some folks see nothing wrong with taking the
employer’s time to sit down and witness to someone. But
may we submit, this is the same thing as stealing
merchandise from the company. We most certainly should
witness at all times by our actions, but any more than
this must be done on our
time.
The Employee’s Incentive (“as
unto the Lord”)
Here is without
doubt the key to understanding the employee’s labor.
What is it that drives the employee? What keeps him
going? The answer to this should be that all is done
as unto the Lord. As Paul
said to the Corinthians, “Whatever you do, do all to the
glory of the Lord.”
Paul goes
even further in our text by saying, Not with
eyeservice, as menpleasers. Here is a tremendous
principle! The Greek behind menpleasers is
anthropareskos, from anthropos (man) and
aresko (to
please). Augustus Strong offers the most graphic meaning
of “man-courting, i.e., fawning.” How many people there
are today who fawn over someone else to get their
approval or praise. Likewise, the Greek for
eyeservice (ophthalmodouleia) is comprised of
ophthalmos (“eye,” English “ophthalmologist”) and
douleia (“service, slavery,
bondage”) and means that one serves only when someone
else has their eye on him, only serves for the sake of
appearance.
But the godly employee doesn’t do that, as
Constantine observed. He doesn’t look busy only when the boss is
around; he doesn’t just do the minimum of work to get
by; he doesn’t need to be constantly watched; he doesn’t
even do his work to please his boss, get commended by
his boss, or even to get a raise in pay. In short, he
is not trying to please men! His incentive is to
please the Lord, to [do] the will of God from the
heart. Commenting on the words
“as unto the Lord,” one expositor
writes:
Mark how this motive sweetens,
sanctifies, ennobles our earthly work. It then becomes a
part of our worship. Animated by such a thought, the
school boy diligently, joyfully applies himself to his
task. The clerk needs no other master’s eye over him to
keep him to his work. The tradesman carefully executes
his orders to the last stitch, when he feels that he
works not merely for men, but for Christ. The merchant
no longer sells spurious or adulterated goods, when he
feels that he sells, not to men, but to the Lord
Himself. The minister, the physician, the lawyer, are no
longer content with a formal or perfunctory discharge of
duty. The creditor, presenting his account, asks no more
than is really due, and the debtor faithfully pays
it.[vii]
The Employee’s Reward (v.
8)
Verse 8 declares the
servant’s reward, Knowing that whatsoever good thing
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord,
whether he be bond or free. How
many people there are today who labor on the job while
thinking of only one reward—a paycheck. Well, that is
the wrong reward to desire. What about the reward of “a
job well-done?” I saw many in the building trades who
did not care about the quality of their work. While no
longer in those trades, I have still had opportunity to
observe them even today, and the situation has gotten
even worse among many. They do their job just to get by,
just to get paid, with no care whatsoever for the
quality of the work. But how refreshing it was when I
see a true craftsman, one who doesn’t cut corners, one
who does his work with an attitude of satisfaction that
it was done right and done well.
The greatest reward
we should seek, however, is just the knowledge that we
have pleased the Lord by our work. We can also feel the
reward of knowing we have been a witness to others by
our diligence and other work habits. Finally, He shall
reward us in glory. Oh, such rewards last much longer
than a paycheck!
One
commentator recounts the story of an elderly
missionary couple who, after many years of sacrificial
service in Africa, returned home on a ship, a ship that
also carried Theodore Roosevelt, who had just completed
a highly successful big game hunt. (The folks in my
church could really appreciate this because Teddy also
used to hunt in the very area of our church in Colorado
and stayed in an old local hotel that still exists.)
While thousands of well–wishers and dozens of reporters
lined the pier to welcome Roosevelt home, not a single
was there to there to welcome the missionaries. As the
couple rode to a hotel in a taxi, the man complained to
his wife, “It just doesn’t seem right. We give forty
years of our lives to Jesus Christ to win souls in
Africa, and nobody knows or cares when we return. Yet
the president goes over there for a few weeks to kill
some animals and the whole world takes notice.” But as
they prayed together that night before retiring, the
Lord seemed to say to them, “Do you know why you haven’t
received your reward yet, My children? It is because you
are not home yet.”[viii]
II. The
Submission of the Employer (v. 9)
And,
ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven;
neither is there respect of persons with
him.
As he did with wives
and children, Paul once again makes a startling and
revolutionary statement; he says that employers are
do the same things that his
employees are to do. Why? Because it is very easy to
abuse the power we hold over others. After all, we all
the old adage goes, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute
power corrupts absolutely.”[ix] It was Plato who
well-said that the treatment of slaves is a test of
character, because a man can easily abuse them with
impunity.[x] While there are
labor laws today that help control tendencies, there
still ways that the employer can abuse his
wokers.
We should
greatly appreciate commentator Kent Hughes’ comment here
that the words do the same things are the
“Managerial Golden Rule.” In other words,
the godly employer will treat his employees as he would
like to be treated. He treats
them, for example, as he hopes that his customers or
clients will treat him. What a sad situation it is when
an employee says, “My boss
says he’s a Christian, but you’d never know it!” There
are, therefore, at least three principles in our
text.
First, the
employer is not to be intimidating. The words
forbearing threatening demonstrate the fact that
masters commonly threatened their slaves. Paul’s
command, then, is to “give up, or cease”
(aniemi,
forbearing) such a practice, to not mistreat
those under their authority, to be considerate of them.
A godly employer will, therefore, give his workers fair
wages for a reasonable number of hours, and he won’t
take advantage of them. As Paul wrote to the Colossian
believers, “Masters, give unto your servants that
which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a
Master in heaven” (4:1).
The story is told of the celebrated
18th Century Earl of Chesterfield that in his
will he left legacies to all his servants, equal to two
years’ wages each, considering them to be “his
unfortunate friends, equal by birth, and only inferior
by fortune.”[xi] What character! While the
superrich today often think they are superior in every
way, the godly rich man does not.
Likewise, the beloved J. Vernon
McGee recounts his knowing several businesses run by
dedicated Christians who had chapel service on company
time and paid their workers while they are attending.
God blessed the employer and employee alike, and
certainly no union was needed. One employee told McGee,
“If we were under a union, we wouldn’t be making what we
are making right
here.”
Second, the employer is to be influenced by God.
When a master knows that his master also is in
heaven, that will make him
realize that he should act like God in his treatment of
those under his authority. A godly employer realizes
that he is only the boss “according to the flesh” (v. 5)
and would never even dream of asking his employee to do
something unscriptural.
I have yet to read a
more comprehensive and eloquent description of the
employer’s responsibility to his employees than the one
written by the great expositor Joseph Lathrop in
1810:
And with respect to all servants
of every denomination, equity requires that we treat
them with humanity and kindness: that we endeavour to
make their service easy, and their condition
comfortable; that we forebear rash and passionate
language; that we overlook accidental errors, and remit
trivial faults; that we impose only such labour as is
reasonable in itself and suitable to their capacity;
that our reproofs be calm and our counsels well times;
that the restraints we lay upon them be prudent and
salutary; that we allow them reasonable time for rest
and refreshment, for the culture of their minds, and for
attendance on the worship of God; that we set before
them a virtuous example, instill into them useful
principles, warn them against wickedness of every kind,
especially against the sin which most easily besets
them; that we afford them opportunity for reading and
private devotion, and furnish them with the necessary
means of learning the way of salvation; that we attend
to the preservation of their health, and have compassion
on them in sickness; and in a word, that we contribute
all proper assistance to render them useful, virtuous,
and happy.[xii]
How many workplaces
would be transformed if employers would post that on
their bulletin boards and live out those
principles?
Third, the employer is to be impartial. Just as
there is no respector of persons with God, the employer is to be fair and just;
he doesn’t show partiality to one employee over another
or set one against the
other.
Godly labor
relations can really be summed up this way: The
employee dedicates himself to his WORK, while the
employer dedicates himself to his WORKER. Oh, how different today’s world would be if
that principle were followed! Everything from laziness
to labor unions would
disappear.
We come to
the end of our lengthy study of Paul’s instructions
concerning “Walking In Submission.” Dear Christian, when
we all walk in submission to one another, being filled
with the Holy Spirit, what great blessing it will bring
to the Body of Christ, our local churches, our homes,
our workplaces, and even our country and the
world.
[i] To study this, see any scholarly encyclopedia.
Other sources include: Manners and Customs of Bible
Lands (Fred Wight. Chicago: Moody Press, 1965, pp.
290-293), which cites other historical works;
Essentials of Bible History (Elmer Mould. New
York: Ronald Press, 1951); History of the Christian
Church (Philip Schaff. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Vol.
I pp. 445-448, Vol. II pp. 347-354, Vol. III pp.
115-122, Vol IV pp. 334-339); A History of
Civilization (Craig Brinton, John Christopher,
Robert Wolff.
New York: Printice, 1955).
See also the historical comments of Barclay, pp.
212-214.
[ii] J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the
Colossians and to Philemon
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan), p. 343. See also pp.
311-314.
[iii] We call the
reader’s attention to Gene Fisher and Glen Chambers,
The Revolution Myth
(Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1981).
[iv] Brown, Vol. 3, p.
572.
[v] Expositor’s
Greek Testament.
[vii] W. Grant in The
Biblical Illustrator.
[ix] Lord Acton
(1834-1902) in a letter to Bishop Mandell Crighton
(April 5, 1887). Cited in Bartlett’s Familiar
Quotations, p. 521.
[x] Plato,
Leges, lib. Vi. Opera, vol.
viii, p. 245. cited in Eadie, p.
452.
[xi] Cited in The
Biblical Illustrator.
[xii] Joseph Lathrop, Discourses on the
Ephesians (Worcester, US, 1810),
p. 538. Tragically, this is not readily available, but
thankfully is cited by Eadie, pp.
453-54n.
