Lessons #261 and 262
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Slave-Master responsibilities: Masters (Eph 6:5-9)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9 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
We have come to our final consideration of the slave-master responsibilities that is concerned with the masters’ responsibility towards their slaves. However, the primary responsibility of the masters is not as clear cut as those in authority addressed in the previous relationships we have considered. For example, in the relationship of the husband and wife, the primary responsibility of the husband as one in authority is stated as love since husbands are commanded to love their wives although there are other secondary responsibilities. Likewise, in the case of children to their parents, the primary responsibility is that of raising them up. As we have indicated, there is no clear-cut primary responsibility given in our passage to the masters with respect to their slaves. This is not to say that they do not have responsibility towards their slaves but that it is not as clear as in the other examples we have given as will become clearer when we examine what the Holy Spirit gave through the apostle in verse 9.
Why is there no clear-cut instruction with respect to the primary responsibility of masters in verse 9? The passage does not directly provide the answer to this question but we can deduce the reason for this by considering the relationships of the two examples we have cited. The reason is that there is a unique bond involved in these two examples. The relationship between a husband and a wife is one that involves a unique bond ordained by God that is supposed to be permanent while both are on this planet. This being the case, it is a relationship that is like no other, as we have previously noted. So in order to keep the unique relationship between the husbands and wives, the husbands are given specific primary function of love that is necessary to deal with the ups and downs in human relationships to make marriage last and also be enjoyable. In case of children and parents’ relationship, the unique bond is that of birth. Thus, parents have the primary responsibility of rearing up their children. But in the case of slave-master relationship there is no unique bond that exists between then from the human perspective. A slave is often in that relationship because of social situations and so there is not a bond between a slave and master that is clearly recognized in which both master and slave have any indication of love relationship as that of wives and husbands and children and parents. It is probably because there is no bond between slaves and masters that can be traced to God’s initial order of relationship that may have been the reason for no clearly stated primary responsibility of the master with respect to slave.
That there is a difference in the relationship between that of the slave to master as compared to that of children to their parents or wives to their husbands is clear from the fact that the primary responsibility of either parents or husbands is not linked directly to that of the children or wives. However, there is a direct link of what is expected of masters to that of the responsibility of slaves because of the phrase in the same way in Ephesians 6:9. The phrase is an important one in examining the responsibility assigned to masters with respect to their slaves that we say is not clear cut as we will note later. The phrase holds an essential key to the responsibility of masters to their slaves.
The instruction of the Holy Spirit through the apostle to masters is given in the first sentence of Ephesians 6:9 in the NIV as And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. But before we get to the responsibility of masters as given in verse 9, we should pay attention to those addressed in the verse who are called masters. The word “masters” is translated from a Greek word (kyrios) with two general meanings. It may mean “owner” in the sense of one who owns or controls estate land and property such as slaves. It is in the sense of an owner of estate land that it is used in the parable of our Lord to describe the owner of a vineyard that employed workers in Matthew 20:8:
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
It is in the sense of owner of slaves that the word is used in Ephesians 6:5:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
Another general meaning of the word is “master, lord” in the sense of one who is a position of authority. In this general meaning, it may be used to refer to any human being in a high position and so it is used to describe a husband in relationship with the wife as it is used to describe Sarah’s relationship with her husband, Abraham, in 1 Peter 3:6:
like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
Our context demands the meaning of the word be taken as “owner.” This means that “masters” is to be understood as “owners” of slaves. The owner of the slave in a household refers generally to the husband as the highest authority in a household. We say this because there are those who assume a joint ownership of a slave between a husband and wife in connection of a slave girl who was a fortune-teller mentioned in Acts 16:16:
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
The phrase her owners is taken by some as a reference to a joint ownership of the slave by the husband and wife. This is unlikely. The situation must have been that the slave girl was owned by several men. This understanding is supported by the action taken by those described as owners in Acts 16:19:
When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
It is unlikely that a husband and wife could be those that seized and dragged Paul and Silas. Such actions are more fitting of a group of men than a husband and wife team. Thus, we are correct in stating that in our passage “masters” refers to “husbands” or “heads of households” who own slave. Anyhow, the meaning of the Greek word as “owner” helps us in the application of the word “masters” to the present situations of things in the world since generally the institution of slavery has been abolished worldwide. If we take the meaning “owner” in the general sense of one who is in charge by virtue of possession, then we should understand anyone who owns a business as “master.” This means that if you are an employer of anyone you are the one addressed in the instruction that is to follow. We should be careful to understand that being an employer ranges from such thing as hiring someone to help work in a home to hiring many people to work in a factory. Hence, if you hire anyone to work for you as an individual or as one in partnership with another, you are the one being instructed in this passage so that whatever is said to owners of slaves in the passage we are considering is applicable to you.
Our concern is to determine the instruction given to owners of slaves in our passage of Ephesians 6:9 that reads: And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. On reading this sentence you will say to yourself that it is obvious that the instruction concerns how masters or slave owners should treat their slaves and so you will wonder my reason for stating that the responsibility of masters over their slaves is not clear cut as that of the previous relationships of an ancient household. Your surprise to my assertion would be because of the translation we have in the NIV and some other English versions that are quite interpretative in their translation. However, you will not say the same thing if you read from other English versions such as the NASB or the ESV that are more literal in their translation since the literal Greek reads: And the masters, do the same things to them. The literal reading raises the question of as to what is to be done and so the responsibility of masters is not that clear cut as one would imagine by reading the NIV or other English versions that give similar translation. This is because if we bear in mind the instruction given to slaves is to obey their masters then if the masters are to do the same things, the implication would be then that they are to obey their slaves as well or even to serve them as some in the past have thought. This could not possibly be what the Holy Spirit intended to instruct since it is contrary to God’s order for the one who exercises authority over another to obey the one subject to the individual. Therefore, it is not that simple to understand what the apostle stated as the responsibility of masters by reading the literal Greek the masters, do the same things to them. Thus, the first thing we need to do is to establish how to understand the word “do” and the phrase the same things.
The word “do” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (poieō) with several interpretations and applications so that it is used in reference to a broad range of activity involving such matters as bringing something into being, bringing something to pass, or simply interacting in some way with a variety of entities. It can mean “to behave or act in a particular way with respect to someone”, as it is used in the Golden rule stated in Matthew 7:12:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
It is in the sense of doing something to others that is beneficial to them the word is used by the apostle to indicate it is beneficial to other believers for the Thessalonians to keep on showing love to each other in 1 Thessalonians 4:10:
And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
The word can mean to undertake something that brings about a state or condition so that the word may mean “to do, to accomplish.” It is in the sense of accomplishing or establishment of peace the apostle used the word about Christ’s work in Ephesians 2:15:
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
The word can mean to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature hence “to do, to keep” or even “to obey, as it is used in Galatians 5:3:
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
The sentence he is obligated to obey the whole law may be translated he is obligated to keep the whole law. The word may mean “to treat” as the meaning the translators of the NIV assigned our word seven times in the NT although six of these are in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. In each usage of this meaning, what is done is defined clearly in the context. For example, the translators of the NIV used the meaning “treat” in Matthew 18:35:
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
The sentence Father will treat each of you is more literally Father will do to you. The context is concerned with punishment that is meted to the servant in Jesus’ parable that was unforgiving to a fellow servant. Thus, the literal sentence is intended to convey the Lord will punish those who do not forgive others so the literal sentence may be rendered “That’s the way God will deal with you” as suggested in the UBS handbook. Another passage in which the translators of the NIV rendered our Greek word “to treat” is Luke 6:26:
Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
The clause for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets is literally for their fathers used to do the same things to the false prophets. Here, the action referenced is clearly speaking well of the false teachers. Another passage where the translators of the NIV used the meaning “treat” to translate our Greek word is in John 15:21:
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
The sentence They will treat you this way is more literally they will do all these things to you. The context indicates that the thing in view is persecution so that the literal sentence could be translated they will persecute you. In the passages we have cited and those we did not cite (Matthew 21:36, Luke 2:38; 6:23), what is to be done is clear but that is not the case with Ephesians 6:9. This notwithstanding, in our context that is concerned with interaction between slave owners and their slaves, the sense of the word is that of how to behave or act. This being the case, our Greek word may be translated “treat” or “act” or “behave” as is done in some English versions. That the sense of behavior is involved in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the apostle to slave owners is supported by similar instruction given in a parallel passage of Colossians 4:1:
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
The instruction provide your slaves with what is right and fair may be more literally translated grant your slaves justice and fairness so that it is the treatment or conduct of the slave owners with respect to their slaves that is intended. Hence, the rendering of the NIV using the meaning “treat” in Ephesians 6:9 is indeed a good one and so the responsibility of masters with respect to their slaves concerns their conduct or behavior towards them. This brings us to the consideration of the phrase the same things.
The word “same” is translated from a Greek pronoun (autos) that may be used as intensive marker, setting an item off from everything else through emphasis and contrast and so means “self.” In this usage, it can mean “this very” as it is used by the apostle to describe the request made of him in Galatians 2:10:
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
The word may be used to pertain to something that is identical with or closely related to something when it is used with a definite article, as in our passage of Ephesians 6:9, so that it means “the same.” Under this usage, it may be used with a noun as apostle used it in connection with the struggle the Philippians were experiencing in Philippians 1:30:
since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
It may be used without any noun, as it is used in Romans 2:1:
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
It may also be used as an adverb in which case it means “in the same way” as it is used to describe the robbers crucified with Christ who joined those who mocked Jesus during His crucifixion, as recorded in Matthew 27:44:
In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
In our passage of Ephesians 6:9, the sense of the word is that of being identical or closely related to something hence the meaning in the same way.
Having considered the meanings of the Greek word that literally means “to do” and having examined the literal phrase the same things, we are in a position to understand what the Holy Spirit intended to convey through the apostle to the owners of slaves in the literal sentence the masters, do the same things to them. The instruction is that the owners of slaves should apply the Golden Rule that tells us to treat others as we want to be treated or to do to others as we want done to us. You see, our problem in interacting with others is that we fail to obey the Golden Rule that Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount in the passage we cited previously, that is, Matthew 7:12:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
If we operate by this rule, we will actually be living according to the requirements of the Scripture. Let me cite few examples to make this point clear. We want people to love us. If we do the same to others we will be in compliance to the instruction of the Scripture first given in the OT in Leviticus 19:18:
"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
We expect to be fairly treated by others or that we get true justice. If we did the same thing to others, then we will be obeying the commands issued in Amos 5:14-15:
14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
There is more. We expect others to be compassionate and merciful to us in times of need and sufferings. If we did the same, then we will be meeting God’s requirements, as stated in Micah 6:8:
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
So, you get the point that observing the Golden Rule implies living in accordance with God’s word. As we indicated, one of our problems is that we fail to live by the Golden Rule and so we are to be reminded continually to do so. If we do not think in terms of this rule we will fail to treat others properly. A person who follows this rule is one that places himself or herself in the shoes of the other person. In effect, unless you can picture yourself in the position of the other person you are interacting with, you will not act correctly. Let me be more exact so that there can be no misunderstanding of what we mean here. Take for example, an employee who does not place himself or herself in the position of the owner of the business may fail to do his or her job well. A person in business is in it to make a profit. Therefore, if an employee places himself or herself in the position of the owner then by applying the Golden Rule the employee would have to work hard to ensure the owner is profitable because he or she would expect to be profitable if he or she was the owner. Similarly, an owner who places himself or herself in the position of the employee would expect to be well compensated for a job well done. Hence, if the owner applies the Golden Rule then he or she will endeavor to compensate the employee adequately. This will imply that the owner will share his or her profit with the employees in the right way. By right way, I mean the employer will compensate employees in accordance with the margin of profit. There is no doubt that many employers try to do this because it is a standard practice in the industry to give bonus to employees at the end of the year. However, if the bonus is not commensurate to the profit of the company and in accordance with the output of the employee then that bonus does not fit the concept of treating others as one would expect to be treated. The point we are making is that it is when you place yourself at the position of the others that you will treat them fairly regardless of whether you are the employee or the employer.
We should emphasize that the employer is expected to make it his or her habit to treat their employees fairly on a consistent basis. In other words, the Christian employer should ensure that all the time he or she interacts with employees, there is consistency in how well they are treated. There is also the sense that it can be said that Christian employers should begin and continue to carry out the instruction we have here if they have not begun to do so. We say this because the apostle used a present tense in the Greek to give the instruction that we are applying to employers. In the original instruction, it is possible that some of the Christian slave owners had not treated their slaves as the apostle instructs, in which case the instruction would be for them to begin right away and then make it their habit to continue to do so. Hence, if you are a Christian employer who has not treated your employees fairly then from today that you hear this message you should determine to follow the instruction of this passage but your determination should be actualized by your actions. This point is important because too often we Christians hear the teaching of the word of God but make no effort to implement what we heard. This is wrong. We should immediately put into practice whatever truth we are taught from God’s word.
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul has instructed slaves how to treat their human masters or how to interact with them as far as their service is concerned. Since the Golden Rule is not dependent on a person’s social status or the power a person wills, the Holy Spirit through the apostle wants those in the position of authority to apply the rule to themselves in their interactions with those under their authority. Thus, the instruction to the owners of slaves or in modern terms, employers, is given in the first sentence of Ephesians 6:9 masters, treat your slaves in the same way. The phrase in the same way is a key one in how a Christian slave owner or Christian employer should deal or act with respect to their slaves or employees. This being the case, the phrase gives conditions or state of mind that should govern masters or every employer in the same fashion as those described for the slaves or employees in Ephesians 6:5-8, especially verse 5.
Every employer should deal with his employee with respect. This is because the phrase in the same way goes back to the requirement given to the slaves in the phrase with respect and fear of Ephesians 6:5. In the context of Ephesians, Christian slave owners were instructed to treat their slaves with respect. Everyone wants others to treat them with respect; so, in keeping with the golden rule, even Christian masters should treat their slaves with respect. This instruction of the Holy Spirit through the apostle is one that must have been quite foreign to the pagan world where slave masters were probably inclined not to respect their slaves because they see them merely as their property. The Christian doctrine tells those who are Christian slave owners to regard their slaves with respect. I suppose that this would have been shocking to Christians who owned slaves at that time but it is teaching that should be, and was, presented to Christians. You see, the Christian doctrine comes from God so that we Christians are usually taught those things the unbelieving world will find quite distressing. Anyway, when the apostle wrote down this requirement, it would have been shocking to the recipients but the Christian doctrine is intended to shake us so we can align our conduct with God’s word. This requirement stipulated by the apostle regarding masters showing respect to their slaves is not uniquely given to the Apostle Paul. No! Similar truth is implied also in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:17:
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
The instruction is to show respect to everyone without exception. When the Holy Spirit directed Peter to write the instruction of showing respect to everyone, there must not have been any exception in the mind of the apostle when he wrote. He knew that there were some humans who were slaves but he still wrote Show proper respect to everyone. He certainly knew of the existence of slaves in the Christian community for otherwise, he would not have instructed slaves to show respect to their human masters as they submit to them, as in indicated in the next verse, that is, 1 Peter 2:18:
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
The argument we are making is that when the Holy Spirit through Peter instructs Christians to show respect to everyone, he included showing respect to slaves. It will be contrary to God’s desire for a slave master not to show respect to his slave. Service is an important activity people receive from each other. Some of us receive service from those who wait tables when we go to restaurants; the instruction we have in this passage applies to how we treat such individuals. It is true many people usually give tips to those who serve as waiters but it is important to go beyond the concept of tip and be filled with respect for the one who serves you in a restaurant or at any other location. Nonetheless, our focus is the application of the instruction of Ephesians 6:9 to employers. Thus, if you are an employer you should respect your employees. In fact, we can go a step further to state that as a Christian you should even be more respectful of your fellow believer who is your employee. Just as Christian slaves were instructed to serve their masters better because they are their brothers in the faith, the phrase in the same way implies that we can also state that Christian employers should treat their employees who are Christians in a special way because of their relationship in Christ with such individuals. We make this assertion based on the instruction given to Christian slaves in 1 Timothy 6:2:
Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
The reason Christian slaves are to serve their Christian masters better is because they are fellow believers. So, the phrase in the same way of Ephesians 6:9 requires Christian employers should treat their employees who are believers much better than they would even treat an unbeliever employee because such individuals are dear to them as members of the same family of God in Christ. It is probably that when the Apostle Paul wrote the phrase in the same way and linked it back to the concept of respect found in Ephesians 6:5, he was probably implying not only special treatment of slaves by their masters but their eventual freedom in keeping with the instruction given to the Israelites of their treatment of their slaves who are fellow Israelites in Leviticus 25:39–41:
39 “‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. 40 He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers.
The apostle was aware of this passage, so it is very likely the Holy Spirit brought into his mind the anticipation that Christian slave owners would want to eventually free their slaves who are Christians as they have become their brothers. In any event, the first condition that should be present with a Christian employer is respect of the employees, especially those who are fellow believers.
A second condition that should be present with a Christian employer with respect to his treatment of any employee is that of being genuine in his or her treatment of the employee. This is because the phrase in the same way refers back to the phrase with sincerity of heart of Ephesians 6:5. Slaves were required to have obedience that is free of pretense in that they obey their masters when they are present or they give them a lip service while in their minds they are resentful of them. In keeping with our phrase in the same way of Ephesians 6:9, it is important for Christian employers to be genuine in their treatment and concern for their employees. Just as a Christian slave was expected to be devoted to the service of his master so also is the Christian master expected to be devoted to him. The application is that just as a Christian employee is expected to be devoted to his or her employer so should the Christian employer be devoted to the employee.
A third condition or state that should be present with a Christian employer in his treatment of an employee is a focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. This condition or state is required because the phrase in the same way refers back to the clause just as you would obey Christ of Ephesians 6:5. Of course, the literal Greek reads as to the Christ. This literal phrase when applied to the master because of the phrase in the same way implies that a Christian slave owner was to interact or treat his slave as he would treat Christ if He were present with him. This means that as the Christian slave owner interacts with his slave he should be mindful of doing anything that would offend his Savior. His measuring stick is not the response of the slave or even that of the society but the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to be concerned with pleasing the Lord that whether in word or in action he would not do anything to the slave that will displease the Lord. In application, the Christian employer should be so focused on not offending the Lord that when he interacts with an employee, he would not do anything to the employee that is incompatible with truth or the word of God regardless of how others may view his action. He may act in a manner that is approved by the society or the particular profession but that should not be the measuring stick for him but the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, if such a person is so focused on the Lord Jesus then the individual will treat his employee in a manner that will be pleasing to the Lord.
How will an employer know he is treating his employee in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord? This question is important because of our tendency for self-deception. An employer could deceive self by claiming to respect his employees or being genuine or being focused on the Lord as he deals with them. However, there is one result that should help such employer determine whether he is treating his employees in the right way. This result is the general environment of the work place. By this we mean that if the working environment is such that employees are not constantly afraid of losing their jobs then that is an environment that indicates the employer treats his employees in the manner that will please the Lord. It may surprise you we gave this result as a test of whether an employer meets the instruction of treating his employees in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. This result is derived from what the apostle wrote next in Ephesians 6:9 Do not threaten them. Of course, this expression as given in the NIV is certainly a command and not a result so that you will still wonder how we arrived at the interpretation that has to do with result. The rendering of the NIV that is reflected in most of our English versions is an interpretation of what the Greek actually says. Surprisingly, even the English versions such as the NASB and ESV that are often more literal follow this interpretation. Literally, the Greek reads giving up the threat. The literal reading is reflected in a handful of our English versions such as the NET and the Authorized Version.
The literal expression “giving up” is translated from a Greek word (aniēmi) that may mean “to loosen, unfasten” as in the loosening of the chains on prisoners during an earthquake in Philippi when the apostle was put in jail, as we read in Acts 16:26:
Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
The clause everybody’s chains came loose may be translated all the chains were unfastened. The word can mean “to forsake or to abandon or to desert” a person, as it is used in the promise of God stated in Hebrews 13:5:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
The word can mean “to cease from, to give up.” It is in this sense the word is used in our passage of Ephesians 6:9. This aside, the problem is how to interpret it in our passage because the apostle used a present participle in the Greek. There are two general approaches to interpreting it. A first approach is to take the word as an independent word in which case it may be translated as a command in which an action is prohibited as reflected in the NIV and majority of our English versions. Another general approach of interpretation is to take it as dependent on the Greek verb that literally means “to do” at the beginning of verse 9. This approach leads to at several possible interpretations with the most plausible being that our word expresses the result, or the outcome of the instruction given in the first part of verse 9.
Which of these two interpretations was in the mind of the apostle? Is he issuing another command in addition to the first one or is he stating the outcome of the first command? It is difficult to be certain. However, it does not seem the apostle issued another command. This is because if that is the case then the reason that follows, that we will get to shortly, will then be associated with the assumed command of prohibiting threatening of the masters instead of the command that is involved with treatment of slaves by their Christian masters. This is unlikely since the reason that follows is the same as given in a parallel passage associated with the treatment of slaves by Christian slave owners. I am referring to a passage we cited previously, that is, Colossians 4:1:
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
In this passage, the main instruction has to do with treatment of slaves and the reason for it is given in the second clause because you know that you also have a Master in heaven that is similar to the one we have in Ephesians 6:9. Thus, the clause is associated with how Christian slave owners treat their slaves. For this reason, we believe the interpretation of the literal Greek reading giving up the threat of Ephesians 6:9 that takes it as providing an outcome is probably what the apostle had in mind. This being the case, the apostle meant to tell the masters that a result of their treating their slaves in a manner that pleases the Lord is that of their stoppage of their constant threatening of their slaves. The implication of this result is that slave owners constantly threatened their slaves probably with death or harm. This means that slaves lived in constant fear of physical harm. Bearing in mind that the threat slaves had to live under was fear of harm then in application of that concept to the work environment the most pressing fear an employee would face is that of losing his or her job. It is for this reason we stated one result that would indicate an employer deals with the employees in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord is if the work environment is such that employees are not living in fear of losing their jobs because of unnecessary harassment of the employer. The point then is that whenever a Christian employer treats his employees in the manner that pleases the Lord then there must be a good working environment in which employees will thrive and improve themselves in their jobs.
The apostle not only provided the result that would indicate that a Christian employer treats his employees in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord but he also gives the reasons for such treatment. These reasons are related to the knowledge of God such an employer should have. Specifically, there are two reasons the apostle gave. A first reason a Christian employer should treat his employees right is because God is over him and his employees. This reason is given in the clause since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven of Ephesians 6:9. In the original context, it is assumed both masters and slaves are Christians so that the sense is that both have the same Lord, that is, Jesus Christ who is in heaven. However, a Christian employer would generally have employees who are believers and unbelievers so that what is intended is that such an employer should remember that the overall master or ruler both of him and the unbeliever is the Lord Jesus Christ who is in heaven. The mention of heaven is probably to remind the employer or the Christian slave owner that God who is the righteous judge foresees everything from His elevated position in heaven. This point is supported by the second reason given in the passage. A second reason a Christian employer or Christian slave owner should treat those in view fairly is because God is the One who executes perfect justice, implying He would not judge the slave or employee with a different standard from that of his master or employer. Rewards and punishments follow the same righteous standard of God. It is this reason that is given in the last clause of Ephesians 6:9 and there is no favoritism with him. The sense of this clause is that God will punish both slaves and masters alike if they do not keep His instructions. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul makes the same point in Colossians 3:25:
Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
An employer or a Christian slave owner could mistreat his slave because he could but the individual’s position does not shield him from God’s judgment since God punishes people for all wrongdoing. Therefore, it is to the interest of the Christian employer or slave owner to treat his employees or slave right.