The Office, Pt 2: The Grind

Ryrie

• (22-23) “Slaves are to work wholeheartedly unto the Lord, whether their masters are checking on them or not. Undesirable as slavery was, the NT does not promote or sanction revolt of slaves (1 Cor 7:20-24). Had it done so, many would doubtless have flocked to the antislavery cause and not to Christ.”
• (25) “God will show no favoritism, either for the unfaithful slave or for the unjust master.”

Henry

• “The fear of God ruling in the heart will make people good in every relation.”
• “Servants who fear God will be just and faithful when they are from under their master's eye, because they know they are under the eye of God.”
• (23) “work at it with all your heart” = “with diligence, not idly and slothfully:" or, "Do it cheerfully, not discontented at the providence of God which put you in that relation."
• “It sanctifies a servant's work when it is done as unto God—with an eye to his glory and in obedience to his command, and not merely as unto men, or with regard to them only.”
• “We are really doing our duty to God when we are faithful in our duty to men.”
• “For servants' encouragement, let them know that a good and faithful servant is never the further from heaven for his being a servant”
• “Serving your masters according to the command of Christ, you serve Christ, and he will be your paymaster: you will have a glorious reward at last.”
• “Though you are now servants, you will receive the inheritance of sons.”
• “There is a righteous God, who, if servants wrong their masters, will reckon with them for it, though they may conceal it from their master's notice. And he will be sure to punish the unjust as well as reward the faithful servant: and so if masters wrong their servants.”
• “The righteous Judge of the earth will be impartial, and carry it with an equal hand towards the master and servant; not swayed by any regard to men's outward circumstances and condition of life. The one and the other will stand upon a level at his tribunal.”
• “It is probable that the apostle has a particular respect, in all these instances of duty, to the case mentioned 1 Cor. vii. of relations of a different religion, as a Christian and heathen, a Jewish convert and an uncircumcised Gentile, where there was room to doubt whether they were bound to fulfil the proper duties of their several relations to such persons. And, if it hold in such cases, it is much stronger upon Christians one towards another, and where both are of the same religion.”
• “And how happy would the gospel religion make the world, if it every where prevailed; and how much would it influence every state of things and every relation of life!”
• “Justice is required of them: Give unto your servants that which is just and equal (v. 1), not only strict justice, but equity and kindness.”
• “Require no more of them than they are able to perform; and do not lay unreasonable burdens upon them, and beyond their strength.”
• “Provide for them what is fit, supply proper food and physic, and allow them such liberties as may fit them the better for cheerful service and make it the easier to them, and this though they be employed in the meanest and lowest offices, and of another country and a different religion from yourselves.”
• “You who are masters of others have a Master yourself, and are servants of another Lord. You are not lords of yourselves, and are accountable to one above you.”
• “Deal with your servants as you expect God should deal with you, and as those who believe they must give an account. You are both servants of the same Lord in the different relations in which you stand, and are equally accountable to him at last.”

Reflecting God

• (3:22-4:1) “Paul neither condones slavery nor sanctions revolt against masters. Rather, he calls on both slaves and masters to show Christian principles in the relationship and thus to attempt to change the institution from within.”
• (3:22-4:1) “The reason Paul writes more about slaves and masters than about wives, husbands, children and fathers may be that the slave Onesimus (4:9) is going along with Tychicus to deliver this Colossian letter and the letter to Philemon, Onesimus's master, who also lived in Colosse.”

Personal

• (22) The word rendered “obey” (NIV) is the 2nd person (plural), present-tense, active voice of upaxouo (hupachouo), which means:
• to listen, to harken
• of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is,
• (the duty of a porter)
• to harken to a command
• to obey, be obedient to, submit to