Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

Introduction:

Previous lessons:

            Living by the Spirit’s Power
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents

Today’s lesson:

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 5:18 NLT tells us to:
¹⁸ …  be filled with the Holy Spirit,

• A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (This theme is repeated from the two previous lessons.)

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
⁹ Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters 

⁵ Slaves,

Slaves – Servants – Bondservants

Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.  One-third of the population in Ephesus would have been slaves.

• Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.

Slaves were, indirectly, a part of the family (household).

Husbands/wives
Children/parents
Slaves/masters

These passages all involve relationships between people.

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT
²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

There would have been Christian slaves under Christian masters.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

• A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.

This passage is not approving of or condemning slavery.

Slavery was a fact of life in that culture.

This passage is addressing relationships that existed in the Roman Empire. 

obey your earthly masters 

• We are commanded to obey those who are in authority over us. (Repeated from previous lesson.)

Romans 13:1 NLT
Respect for Authority
^13:1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

Colossians 3:22 NLT
²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. …

The principles taught here would apply to employee/employer relationships today.

Obey those in positions of authority over you.

We are to practice continuous, uninterrupted submission to those in authority. (as long as the expectations do not contradict scripture.)

• Obedience is the right thing to do.
• Obedience pleases the Lord. 

with deep respect and fear 

With:

Respect for their authority.

Sincerity.

A healthy fear.

1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
¹⁸ You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. 

1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT
6 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. ² If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved.

Everyone should show full respect for those in authority so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.

• We are commanded to obey AND respect those who are in authority over us.

Romans 13:7 NLT
⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. 

Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 

Colossians 3:22-23 NLT (repeated)
²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. ²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
for this is the right thing to do.  

⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. 

Not just when it is easy to do so.

1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
¹⁸ You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. ¹⁹ For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. ²⁰ Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
²¹ For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
²² He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
²³ He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
    who always judges fairly. 

As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Titus 2:9-10 NLT
9 Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back 10 or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.

• Obey with obedience that comes from your heart.

• Obey because you belong to the Lord. (6:1)

 ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 

• The will of God is that Christian slaves honor Him by serving their human masters faithfully and with enthusiasm.

• The will of God is that Christian employees honor Him by serving their employers faithfully and with enthusiasm.

⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

⁹ Masters, treat your slaves in the same way.

With integrity and concern.

Mutual honor and respect.

Colossians 4:1 NLT
^4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves.

Paul speaking to Philemon about his slave Onesimus.

Philemon 1:16 NLT
¹⁶ He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

Application:

Teachers, treat your students in the same way.

Administrators, treat your teachers in the same way.

Don’t threaten them; 

More application.

Teachers, don’t threaten your students.

Administrators, don’t threaten your teachers. 

• Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. 

remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. 

Romans 2:11 NLT
¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

1 Peter 1:17 NLT
¹⁷ And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT
²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

With different roles.

God will fairly judge both masters and servants.

• A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (Repeated)
•  

“We will…tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord…
so that they should set their hope in God.” 

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters 

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
⁹ Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

• A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (This theme is repeated from the two previous lessons.)

• Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.

• We are commanded to obey those who are in authority over us. (Repeated from previous lesson.)

• Obedience is the right thing to do.

• Obedience pleases the Lord.

• We are commanded to obey AND respect those who are in authority over us.

• Obey with obedience that comes from your heart.

• Obey because you belong to the Lord. (6:1)

• The will of God is that Christian slaves (Christian employees) honor Him by serving their human masters (employers) faithfully and with enthusiasm.

• Masters, be just and fair to your slaves.

• A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.