A Willing Bondservant

Eph. 6:5 – Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ

The world sees servitude as a loss of dignity. The gospel sees it as the path to glory. In the ancient Roman world, there was no lower rung on the social ladder than that of a “doulos“, a slave. To the mind of the day, the doulos was property, not person, but “tools with breath” they were considered as. Disposable labor with a name. And yet, it is precisely this word that Paul reaches for, this name, this shameful identity, when describing his own relationship with Christ. Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus. (Rom. 1:1) In fact, it is a name worn not only by Paul, but by James, Peter, Jude, and even John. The word appears again and again in the opening lines of their letters, not as an embarrassment to downplay, but as a badge of honor, the mark of one purchased, owned, and gladly mastered by Christ.

This is not accidental. Paul’s command in Eph.6:5, “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters,” is not a concession to culture, but a radical transformation of identity within it. The word doulos, was deeply offensive to Roman sensibilities, but is infused with gospel dignity when it is connected to Christ. It becomes the symbol of redemptive submission, of a will swallowed up in the will of One infinitely good.

Paul calls Christians not to escape their circumstances, but to reframe them in light of the Lordship of Christ. Barclay notes, “Christianity does not offer us escape from circumstances, it offers us conquest of them.” That is precisely what Paul is doing here. He speaks into a world where injustice is real and power is abused, and he places Christ right at the center of it, not as a passive observer, but as the ultimate Master who dignifies every act of faithful service and humbles every master with impartial judgment. Paul reminds the believing bondservant: you are not ultimately working for your human master. You are serving the Lord Christ. And this changes everything.

“Obey… as you would Christ.”

The word translated “obey” (hypakouō) is the same word used for children in verse 1. It means more than outward compliance; it is to hear under, to submit with the intention of doing. It implies attentiveness, humility, and readiness to act. This is not about putting on a face to avoid punishment. It is about an inward transformation that compels genuine obedience from a heart revering Christ.

This obedience is to be carried out “with fear and trembling,” not because the earthly master is to be feared, but because the believer understands that all service is ultimately done under the watchful eye of the true Master: Christ Himself. This phrase, used elsewhere by Paul (Phil. 2:12), always carries the sense of reverent awe before God, a holy seriousness about our conduct in light of divine authority. In the Christian workplace ethic, there is no such thing as secular work. All is sacred when it is rendered “as unto Christ.”

And so Paul continues: it must be done “with a sincere heart.” The word haplotēs here refers to simplicity, purity of motive, and singleness of purpose. It is a heart without guile or divided loyalty, a heart not seeking to please men, but Christ. How easily we fall into duplicity at work, presenting one face to leadership while harboring resentment, gossip, or laziness when they’re not around. But the Christian is called to serve from the heart, not the eyes. We work not for the applause of men, but the smile of Christ. Not to be seen, but to be faithful.

As You Would Christ

This is the axis on which all Christian labor turns: as unto Christ. It is not enough to work hard when being watched. It is not enough to comply to avoid consequences. We are not called merely to submit to our masters, we are called to serve our Savior in the very act of serving them. In doing so, we transform our daily labor into an act of worship.

No task is too small, too mundane, or too lowly when done for Him. Whether scrubbing floors or preparing budgets, sorting mail or managing teams, each act can be rendered unto the Lord with joy. Christ redefines labor, not by changing the task, but by changing the Master. The lowliest slave, redeemed by Christ, now serves the King of kings in their earthly role. This lifts the dignity of work to heavenly heights.

This command echoes Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 7:24, where he tells believers to remain in the condition they were called in, but to serve Christ within it. The goal is not upward mobility but upward devotion. It is not our position that makes us holy, but our obedience in it. In a society obsessed with status, Paul calls us back to servanthood as the path of Christ.

Ironically, only those who become bondservants of Christ are truly free. Before we were in Christ, we were slaves, doulos, to sin. Paul says this plainly in Romans 6:17: “You were once slaves of sin, but now you have become obedient from the heart.” The old master was cruel. He gave us no rest, no reward, no hope. But Christ, our new Master, laid down His life for us. The world sees service as enslavement. The Christian sees it as worship. To be His slave is to find true liberty.

This redefinition of identity is not theoretical, it’s transformational. It changes how we respond to our supervisors, how we handle mistreatment, how we carry ourselves in lowly roles. It instills in us a reverent fear, a sincerity of heart, and a purpose that reaches beyond every paycheck.

Let the world serve for applause. Let others work only for the next promotion. But we who belong to Christ will serve with fear and trembling, with sincerity of heart, as unto the Lord, for we are not our own. We were bought with a price. And in every act of obedience, even the hidden ones, we say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”