Ephesians 6:5

My Notes

What Does Ephesians 6:5 Mean?

Ephesians 6:5 is one of the most challenging verses in Paul's letters for modern readers: "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ." The Greek douloi (servants/slaves) addresses people in a condition of bondage — Roman slavery, which encompassed a vast range of circumstances from domestic service to brutal labor.

Paul doesn't command the overthrow of the institution in this verse. He commands a transformation of the experience within it. The phrase "as unto Christ" (hōs tō Christō) is the revolution: the slave's obedience isn't directed at the master. It's directed at Christ through the master. The human authority becomes the occasion for divine service. The Greek haplotes tēs kardias (singleness of heart) means undivided, unmixed, whole — the heart isn't split between resentment and compliance. It's oriented entirely toward Christ, and the service flows from that orientation.

Verses 8-9 complete the picture: the Lord rewards every person for good work regardless of social status, "and there is no respect of persons with him" — God doesn't evaluate you by your position. The master and the slave stand before the same Lord. Paul's instructions to masters (verse 9) are equally radical: "do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven." Both master and slave have the same Master. The hierarchy that seemed absolute is relativized by a higher authority. The earthly relationship is real. The heavenly relationship is realer.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Paul says to obey 'as unto Christ.' How does redirecting your work — whatever it is — toward Christ as the ultimate audience change the meaning of your daily labor?
• 2.The verse addresses people with no power. How does 'singleness of heart' toward Christ provide inner freedom even in situations of external constraint?
• 3.Paul tells masters their Master is in heaven. How does knowing that every authority is under a higher authority change how you relate to both power and powerlessness?
• 4.Paul didn't abolish slavery directly but undermined it theologically. Where do you see seeds of transformation planted that haven't yet fully grown into institutional change?

Devotional

Paul tells slaves to obey their masters "as unto Christ." Modern ears hear an endorsement of slavery. First-century ears heard something revolutionary: your obedience isn't really to the master. It's to Christ. The human authority is the occasion. Christ is the audience. The slave who works "as unto Christ" has an inner freedom the master can't touch — because the slave's true allegiance is above the master's pay grade.

The phrase "singleness of heart" is the key that keeps this from being mere compliance. It's not "grit your teeth and obey." It's "orient your whole heart toward Christ, and let the obedience flow from that orientation." The heart isn't divided between resentment and duty. It's unified in its direction: toward Christ, through the work, regardless of who benefits from the labor. The master gets the product. Christ gets the worship. And the slave knows which one matters more.

Paul doesn't abolish slavery in this verse. He does something arguably more subversive: he strips the master of ultimate authority. Verse 9 tells masters their Master is in heaven. The slave and the master serve the same Lord. The power differential that seemed absolute is suddenly relative — both are under a higher jurisdiction. Paul plants a seed that will eventually destroy the institution: if master and slave have the same Master, if there's no respect of persons with God, if the slave's work is directed at Christ — then the hierarchy is already morally dissolved even before it's legally abolished. The legal structure remains. The moral foundation has been removed from under it.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture