A while back, I wrote an article on work, particularly why we work. I explained that work is primarily a creation ordinance. While some may have drawn enough encouragement from that attempt to answer the very basic questions about work, others, weighed down by emotions, could use even more pointed encouragement. You might struggle with feeling unappreciated at work. Or that you are on the cliff’s edge, contemplating quitting.
Valid as those emotions might be, work is not a curse but God’s gift to man. Scripture invites you to consider where your identity lies. It presents one certain path to perseverance, which is to fix your gaze upon your heavenly master. Why? Because, as Ephesians 6:5-8 reminds us, he will ultimately vindicate us.
God is for Your Good
A general emphasis in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was the importance of the saints’ new identity in Christ. It ought to have shaped their lives. In particular, it would affect their work (Ephesians 6:5-9). Paul’s arguments radically shifted the slave-master dynamic that had long permeated the Greco-Roman world. By addressing slaves directly (6:5-8), he elevated them to equal importance in God’s house as their masters. It was a radical alteration of what was, as slaves weren’t even considered human. They had barely any rights and were viewed as property. By acknowledging them, Paul quietly altered the course of human history. Indeed, how sweet, dear weary saint, to be reminded that however lowly your estate, our good God acknowledges you. He knows your plight and is for your good.
Obey with a Sincere Heart
Paul asked the slaves to “obey your earthly masters” (6:5). On the face of it, this appears to be a strange command, as the slaves had no choice in the matter. Their lot as slaves was that they would obey whether they wanted to or not. Why would Paul still care to encourage them this way? Because they were to do so differently—”…with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ.” While as slaves they might have had no choice in the matter, as Christians they did! Paul was saying to them, “Yes, your earthly master requires your continuous, uninterrupted obedience to them. What I am asking you to do is to do it willingly.” They were to obey with sincerity of heart, doing it in light of their new identity and master, Jesus Christ. An obvious and necessary caveat was introduced: that a slave’s obedience to his earthly master would only last as long as it did not involve disobedience to God.
Paul asked not only for their obedience, but also for it to be with fear and trembling. They were required to respect the authority that their earthly master had over them. Did these masters deserve that respect? Probably not—unless they too believed and heeded Paul’s instructions. Nevertheless, that didn’t lessen God’s requirement for honor, and the same is true in the employer-employee relationship. This respect is not only to be given with a reverence for their authority, but ought to be borne out of a sincere heart. In short, even if your employer hasn’t earned your respect, you are still to joyously and gladly serve him. By doing this, you would be heaping burning coals on his head, leaving him to a vengeance far worse than any you could inflict (Romans 12:17-21).
The Example Set By Jesus
It is all to be done as one “would Christ”. The mention of Christ is purposeful—in the two other instances of subjection, that is, either the wife (Ephesians 5:22) or children (Ephesians 6:1), Paul preferred the term “Lord”. The difference must be owed to the fact that the slave’s obedience to his master has a direct correlation to Christ fully and willingly submitting to all that the Father asked of him, including dying for an ungrateful people. Such is the gravity of the command given to the slave. He was to work the glory of Christ, following the example of Christ (Philippians 2:1-11).
Were you to ever feel as though your colleagues at work or your boss are not deserving of your diligence, you should know that God expects you to strive unto even greater diligence. By contrast, the Ephesian slaves, unlike you, had no agency. Their obedience was mandatory. Yet they still had to obey their abusive masters for Christ’s sake. Your circumstances are a lot better, and thus much more is expected of you. You might feel as though no matter what you do, nothing will change for the better. That’s not true, as we shall see. Yet even if it were, like those slave saints of old, you are commanded to press on, not begrudgingly but willingly. Both your words and actions ought to clearly portray the gospel.
Your Lot Will Ultimately Change
Even though it all should seem futile for the moment, it is not meaningless. For “…whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or free” (Ephesians 6:8). Your reverential, sincere obedience to the undeserving will not count for nothing. It will be repaid in kind by the one through whom all things were made—the one for whom you are actually working. He gives no heed to your state; whether bondservant or free, the good you do out of a sincere heart will surely be rewarded.
Therefore, dear saint, do not live merely fixated on the now. Live instead in light of eternity. Live with the knowledge that your labor will never be in vain, and thus be stirred unto love and good works. Live and work all the more diligently for Christ’s sake, assured of your vindication.