Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. (Eph. 6:5)
Expanded Passage: Ephesians 6:5–9
Have you ever been in a situation where someone in authority over you has asked you to do something wrong? Or maybe they haven’t asked you to go against your own Christian principles but have treated you unfairly or unreasonably? These situations can be complicated to know how to handle in our hyper-individualistic modern culture, which often bristles at the idea of submitting to authority.
Most of us probably work for a supervisor or boss who is not a Christian, so we might question how we should handle situations where a non-Christian is in authority over us.
First, let us be clear that the Bible does not condone slavery. Paul was not condoning slavery here. Instead, Paul addressed the situation in which Christian slaves found themselves in the first century, to help them understand how to relate to those in authority over them.
Paul’s instruction was to serve those in authority over you as if you are serving the Lord. We do not have to approve of the actions of those in authority to follow God’s command in this. And while there may be times when we are called to stand up for biblical principles in the workplace, we are first and foremost called to serve those in authority cheerfully because we are serving the Lord.
God, please help me to serve those you have placed in authority over me.
Serve God by serving those in authority over you.
Branden Petersen is the cofounder/pastor of Resurrection Life NYC in Manhattan with his wife, Jenn. He is also the founder and director of the urban church planting network, Global Cities Network.
