Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done” (Col 3:22-25).1
Introduction
In the ancient world, it was easy for the slave to keep his eyes down. Whether physically looking down at the ground or metaphorically downcast due to his status in the Roman empire, he had little reason to look up. However, the Bible shows us that any vocation can have transcendent significance. We should fix our eyes on its spiritual realities, which, if believed and obeyed, will transform our physical work. The two main ideas to fix our eyes upon are the Lordship of Christ and the gain of eternal reward for our employment. If we labour with these in view, our work will be transformed.
The Body
Paul reminds us that every employee has a “master according to the flesh” (v22). In the Roman Empire that meant that the slave was owned by another. This is why Paul addresses the major parts of the human anatomy in this section: flesh, eyes, heart, hands and mind. However, “the master according to the flesh” implies that we also have a spiritual master. The Lord in heaven has redeemed us and owns us entirely. Our work now serves a redemptive purpose, and how I serve my earthly boss reflects how I serve the Lord Himself.
The Will
There isn’t much wiggle room for the employee to disobey his employer; we are to “obey in all things” (v22). If asked to go the extra mile, do the admin or work late, Christians are expected to obey. This is a matter of the will. Yielding our will to the will of the boss is, in fact, yielding to the will of God.
The Heart
Paul reminds the slave that he must not work only when the boss is watching in order to get into his good books. The employee that is marked by this “eyeservice” (v22) is very short-sighted. He might fool his boss for a short while, but ultimately the eye of God is always upon him. The worker that only labours to please others is not working in “singleness of heart” (v22). He is a hypocrite, is insincere and is not wholehearted in his work. The fear of God is the remedy for such a duplicitous heart. The fear of God will drive away the vice of people-pleasing and create a heart of sincerity that loves God, loves his boss and loves his work. The ethic of love should permeate our hearts as we work. Joseph is a wonderful example of this. Because he feared God (Gen 39:9), there was a genuine affection between boss and slave (Gen 39:4,21). Such affection produced a harmonious workplace.
The Hands
The single heart (v22) will show visibly in the hands – “whatsoever ye do” (v23). Many people arrive at work on a Monday with their hearts burdened with cares, and some are filled with bitterness and complaint; others are dreaming of a holiday or hedonism. Such divided hearts produce shoddy work. What is in the heart always shows itself externally.
The Bible places great dignity on the work of our hands – “In all labour there is profit” (Pro 14:23). Paul says, “Whatsoever ye do, do it … as unto the Lord” (Col 3:23), echoing the words of the ancient sage, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecc 9:10). The Protestant work ethic is built on the transcendent assumption that whether I’m sweeping streets or building spaceships, all is done in service to the Lord Jesus. He is my direct and ultimate employer; He sits at the top of the company organogram. Therefore, my work is for Him.
The Soul
To work heartily is literally to “work from the soul” (v23 AMP). We should pour ourselves into the job we perform. This soul work will produce highly desirable qualities such as dependability, commitment, honesty. Since we are owned by the Lord Jesus, to work with all our soul is to give to the Lord what is rightfully His. Such an attitude is for our blessing; it will preserve us from laziness, complaint and slipshod work. Positively, an individual who works like this will have a good testimony, over time will gain a promotion or two, and ultimately will please the risen Lord in heaven.
The Mind
Our heart and soul should energise our hands, but our heads must direct them. Our work should be with zeal and wisdom. Paul says we are to labour with the knowledge that the Lord Himself will reward us with an eternal inheritance (v24). Earthly masters only know a fraction of our work, but the Lord Jesus will pay fairly and fully because He knows everything we do. The reward that He gives is an inheritance in the kingdom. Like in the parable of the talents, if we use our secular employment well, we will be given more to reign over (Mat 25:21). The quality of the work we weave on earth will show eternally in heaven (Rev 19:8). The “righteousness of saints” is not only “spiritual service,” like gospel work, but our secular work becomes a form of spiritual service that will be recognised eternally. Reward for employment is an incentive to work hard. The warning of “receiving for the wrong” (Col 3:25) is a general truism that applies in time and eternity. The main point is that doing wrong – speaking ill of the boss, gossiping in the workplace or wasting the company time – will be reviewed at the judgment seat, and we will suffer loss. The judgment seat will audit all our work: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body … whether it be good or bad” (2Co 5:10).
Conclusion
Slaves in the Roman Empire could hardly dream of an inheritance; it was only sons who received such. However, Paul opens their eyes to their true position: Since they receive an inheritance, it means they are sons of God and heirs with Christ. This revolutionises our position in work. We are sons of the Sovereign, and our nine-to-five job can earn us eternal wages if we work with our eyes up.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
