Christians Who Obey Their Masters

Obeying Your Master

(Ephesians 6:5-8)

“Why should I obey a man? I only obey God.” Many Christians today speak this way. But the apostle Paul says, “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ.”

1. Obedience to Christ
For Christians, obedience to their masters according to the flesh is part of their obedience to Christ. Whether the master’s character is admirable or not, we must serve with a sincere and thoughtful heart, asking, “How can I succeed in my master’s work? How can I please him?” This attitude becomes a testimony to unbelievers, gives courage to fellow believers, and before God, it becomes an act of serving His name.

2. A Command from Christ
“I am not a servant of man, but a servant of Christ!” If you want to make such a claim, then to back it up, you must obey your earthly master—because doing so is Christ’s command. If someone tries to please their master only when being watched, that person is merely a servant of man. But obedience to one’s master according to the flesh is, in itself, obedience to Christ.

3. Christ Will Reward
To carry out their master’s work outwardly, yet criticize him behind his back, is to compromise one’s own integrity. Let us serve our masters with goodwill, so that our souls may be found by God as people of integrity and sincerity. Your master may not recognize your efforts. But we must overcome such inner struggles and rise above them. God knows everything, and He will reward each of us on the day of judgment. Whether high or low, no position is eternal—and it will not benefit us in the final judgment. Let us abandon a short-sighted way of thinking and make the precious time given to us truly meaningful.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim