Throughout our study of Ephesians, we have been emphasizing one of Paul’s major themes which is love, and we have been talking about how to plug into the power of love. Today, we are going to examine some verses from Ephesians 6 that appear, at first sight, to go against Paul’s ethic of love. The passage we are about to read raises the question: how could Paul not call for the abolition of slavery?
This is a thorny question that will take some time and patience to answer. But let’s begin by reading the passage in question. Listen for God’s word to you from Ephesians 6:5-9…
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
BACKGROUND
The first thing we need to remember when reading this passage is that it constitutes a continuation of what we might call Paul’s household code. In the ancient world there were various household codes among the Greeks and Romans that spelled out how husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves should relate to one another. Paul is, in a sense, responding to those ancient household codes and telling Christians of his time how they should relate to one another within these various household roles as already established in secular culture.
Secondly, we need to remember the situation regarding slavery in the first century. Some scholars have estimated that in the first century there may have been as many as 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. Many early Christians were slaves as well. But unlike slavery in 19th century America, slavery in the first century Roman Empire was not based on race.
This does not mean that slavery in the first century was not awful. It was. And slavery in ancient times was supported by many, if not all the great writers of the ancient world. For example, in ancient Greek culture, Aristotle taught that there could never be friendship between master and slave, for they have nothing in common. “For a slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave.”
In Roman law, the situation of slaves was quite clear. Gaius, a Roman lawyer, laid down in his Institutes, “We may note that it is universally accepted that the master possesses the power of life and death over the slave.”
We must read what Paul has to say in Ephesians 6 about masters and slaves with all this background in mind. Of course, what Paul says here about slaves and masters raises the question: did Paul believe that slavery was a good thing? Here is how one expert on the New Testament and the classical world answers that question. Tom Wright says…
The answer is that Paul could no more envisage a world without slavery than we can envisage a world without electricity. Most of what the modern world takes for granted—television, computers and a million lesser inventions—are impossible without electricity. And yet for most of human history it was unknown. In the same way, the way Paul’s world worked was through slaves taking a vital place in most households except the very poor.
Wright goes on to say…
Treatment of slaves, and its legal regulation, varied enormously in the ancient world, from country to country and owner to owner. Many slaves were valued, respected and trusted family members—and many were used and abused in every way imaginable by careless and inhumane masters and mistresses. But they were simply part of the way the world worked. In this area at least, Paul wasn’t starting from scratch and attempting to design a new way for the world to run.
Paul believed that…
Everyone would be liberated from every form of slavery, in the age to come; but in a world where many Christians were slaves working for non-Christian masters it was worse than useless to suggest instant emancipation. Paul wisely chooses a different route.
Perhaps the most important point that Tom Wright makes is this…
The remarkable thing about this passage… is that … slaves evidently have, in Paul’s eyes, what we would call ‘rights’ … When ancient philosophers drew up codes of behaviour, as they did from time to time, the weight was always the other way round. Slaves and children were to be obedient, and that was the end of it. Now Paul insists on a mutual responsibility… Masters must remember that they, too, have a Master—the Lord Jesus himself.
The final phrase says it all: there is no respect of persons before the Messiah. Paul comes back to this point frequently in his writings, whether he is referring to the equality of Jew and Gentile before the gospel, the equality of Christians from different backgrounds within the church, or, as here, the equality of masters and slaves.[1]
If you want to see how Paul responded to a situation with a slave who ran away from a Christian master, then all you need do is read Paul’s letter to Philemon. The bottom line is this: Paul does not directly try to overturn the institution of slavery, but he does put forth Christian principles that would, in the long run, lead to the abolition of slavery, first in the British Empire, and then, eventually, in the United States, among other places.
The fact that Paul addresses slaves at all in this passage is amazing. The fact that he addresses them shows that slaves were accepted as members of the Christian community and that Paul regards them as responsible people to whom, as much as to their masters, Paul sends a moral appeal.
Let’s examine together the specific commands that Paul addresses, first to slaves, then to masters. Paul’s command to slaves has several aspects to it…
SLAVES
First, Paul tells Christian slaves to obey their earthly masters with respect and fear…literally with “fear and trembling”. John Stott says this “implies not a cringing servility before a human master but rather a reverent acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus whose authority the master represents.”[2]
Second, Paul tells Christian slaves to obey with sincerity of heart. This suggests that Paul expects Christian slaves to obey their masters “with integrity or wholeheartedness, without hypocrisy or ulterior motives.”[3]
Third, Paul tells Christian slaves to obey their earthly masters as they would obey Christ. The fact that Paul calls the masters “earthly”, or literally, “masters according to the flesh”, immediately places this part of Paul’s household code in a wider context. The mention of “earthly masters” suggests that there may be other kinds of masters who are “unearthly”. In other words, the “earthly masters” are not the ultimate authority. In fact, Christ is the ultimate master of the Christian slave, and indeed, of every Christian. So, Paul is telling Christian slaves they need to do all their work as though they are serving Jesus directly. Paul elaborates on this in his next point…
Fourth, Paul tells Christian slaves to be conscientious. Slaves should obey their earthly masters not only to win their favor when their eye is upon them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from their heart. John Stott notes that the Lord is watching us all the time and he is not deceived by shoddy work.
This raises a question for us: Is our work always good enough to show to God? If not, perhaps we need to ask God’s forgiveness and ask for his strength to be better workers.
As Christians, we should, of course, be always working to improve labor conditions across society. But improving conditions will not, by itself, produce a better end-product. Better results in the workplace will only come from a change in the worker, a change that works from the inside out. I believe the person who does their work to please the Lord, will, given adequate skills and training, and a good working environment, produce good results that will benefit all.
Fifth, Paul tells Christian slaves that their service should be willing and cheerful. Again, Paul emphasizes that the focus of the slave should be on serving the Lord, not people. That’s why they should serve wholeheartedly. They need to keep their eye on the ultimate prize, namely the reward they will receive from the Lord on Judgment Day.
William Barclay sums up Paul’s command to slaves in this way… Paul tells slaves to be Christians where they are. This is true for all of us today. Even though our situation is different, even though we are not slaves (thank God) still, none of us get to live out the Christian life in an ideal situation. Wherever we are and whatever our work may be, God calls us to live out a Christian life where we are. We are called to bloom where we are planted.
Certainly, at times we may feel like life is against us. It is especially at such points we must remember that God is not against us. Rather God is for us in Christ. (Romans 8) Jesus does not offer us an escape from our circumstances. Rather, Jesus helps us to triumph in the middle of our circumstances.
Now let’s examine Paul’s command to masters…
MASTERS
First, Paul tells Christian masters to treat their slaves in the same way. Paul’s command suggests that, if masters hope to receive respect, then they need to show it. If they hope to receive service, they need to give it. As John Stott points out, this is an application of The Golden Rule. Christian masters need to remember to “Do unto others as they would have others do unto them.” (Matthew 7:12)
The fact that Paul says this really turns all the ancient household codes upside down. This seemingly simple command to masters is radical indeed. If followed, Paul’s advice will lead to the abolition of slavery itself.
Second, Paul tells Christian masters to forbear threatening. Just as Paul tells Christian parents not to provoke their children, he also tells Christian masters not to threaten their slaves. In other words, Christian masters should not abuse their position of authority.
This too is radical. In the Roman Empire of Paul’s day, punishment was accepted as the only way to keep slaves under control. As we have seen, masters had the power of life and death over their slaves. But Paul is basically telling Christian masters not to exercise this extreme kind of authority by threatening violence.
Third, Paul tells Christian masters why they should behave differently than their secular counterparts. Christian masters should behave differently because they have a master in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian must recognize that all people have equal value as they stand before Christ. The Lord shows no favoritism based upon rank or position in earthly society.
Just as Paul’s command to slaves has application to us today in our very different situation, so also Paul’s commands to masters has application to us. Christian employers today need to remember that although they are in a position of authority, they are also under authority. We all must give an account of our life and work to God. Everything we do, whether as employees or employers, is done in the sight of God. One day we shall all stand before God in the judgment, and at that time rank will not matter, position will not matter. All that will matter is whether we have sought, by God’s grace, to serve God in the place to which he has called us. In the meantime, problems in the workplace can be solved if both employers and employees take their cues from the Lord.
CONCLUSION
I believe all these commands in Ephesians 6 were designed by Paul to lessen the cultural and social gap between slave and master. Still, people wonder: why didn’t Paul call for the abolition of slavery outright? To answer this question, let me return to what I said at the beginning and sum it all up with these four points…
- Christians were, in the first century, an insignificant group in the Roman Empire. Their religion was, for a time, unlawful, and they were politically powerless.
- Slavery was, in the first century, an indispensable part of the fabric of Roman society. Few, if any people, could imagine life without slavery.
- Within Roman society, many slaves were already being freed. Between 81 and 49 BC, half a million Roman slaves were freed. Paul did advise Corinthian slaves, if they could gain their freedom, to seize the opportunity. (See 1 Corinthians 7:21.)
- Other improvements in the institution of slavery were already happening in the first century. Steadily, slaves were being granted many of the rights of free people, including the right to marry, have a family, and own property. In AD 20, a decree of the Roman Senate specified that slaves were to be tried in the same manner as free people.
Of course, it is shameful that slavery has ever existed in human history, and even more shameful that it took Christians so long, after gaining political power, to abolish slavery. Nonetheless, I believe Paul lit the fuse that eventually led to the explosion of the institution of slavery. How did Paul do this?
- By establishing the equality of all people before God. (Ephesians 6:9)
- By establishing justice as the principle of the relationship between masters and slaves. (Ephesians 6:9) Paul wrote in Colossians 4:1, “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” Paul emphasized the reciprocal nature of the master-slave relationship. He urged each side to focus on their responsibilities, not on their rights.
- By establishing the principle of brotherhood. This is made clear by Paul in his letter to Philemon. He challenges the slave-owner, Philemon, to look at his slave, Onesimus, as a brother in Christ. As we saw in our study of Galatians, Paul enunciates his most radical principle in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
As I have mentioned throughout this message, I believe the principles that Paul enunciated eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade. One place where Paul’s influence was eventually felt was in England. In the middle of the eighteenth century, Christians in England became increasingly concerned about the slave trade. They amassed information on the inhumane treatment of the slaves and believed that eventually they could generate sufficient public support to overcome the slave trade interests in Parliament. But they needed political leadership.
William Wilberforce was elected to Parliament in 1780. He was converted in 1785, in part through the ministry of John Newton, once a slave trader and then a clergyman in the Church of England, who later become famous for writing the words to the hymn, Amazing Grace. Newton and others urged Wilberforce to investigate the slave trade and to consider whether he could fight for its abolition in Parliament. Wilberforce concluded, “So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. A trade founded in iniquity and carried on as this was, must be abolished.”
Wilberforce’s effort took 20 years. He was vigorously opposed by the slave traders, who had powerful allies in Parliament. There was also resistance because this was a moral battle: “Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade public life,” complained Lord Melbourne. But with the help of Christians throughout England, Wilberforce eventually succeeded, and in 1807 Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade.[4]
Perhaps it is needless to say… but we need more people like Wilberforce today. We need more Christian political leaders who are willing to fight for what is right on the local, national, and international stage.
Let us pray that God would raise up such leaders and that we might be among them…
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