This document discusses the concept of slavery from a Christian perspective. It examines multiple passages from the Bible that describe believers as slaves or servants to various masters, including righteousness, sin, false gods, money, and the law. The document then focuses on Ephesians 6:5-9, which instructs Christian slaves to obey their earthly masters and Christian masters to stop threatening slaves. It emphasizes that both slaves and masters serve the same heavenly master and will be judged equally by God. Overall, the document explores what it means for Christians to be slaves or servants both spiritually and in earthly social relationships.

1. Me, a Slave?
Ephesians 6:5-9

2. Prayer of Adoration
Blessed are You, O Lord, God of Israel, our
father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the
greatness and the power and the glory and the
victory and the majesty, for everything in
heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the
kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You, and You
are the ruler of all things. In Your hand is power
and might to exalt and to give strength to all.
Therefore, my God, I give You thanks and praise
Your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

3. No one is Free

4. To Whom/What
Do You Serve?

5. We are Slaves to lawlessness or
slaves to righteousness
Romans 6:19
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of
your natural limitations. For just as you once
presented your members as slaves to
impurity and to lawlessness leading to more
lawlessness, so now present your members
as slaves to righteousness leading to
sanctification.

6. Slaves to various passions and
pleasures
Titus 3:3
3 For we ourselves were once foolish,
disobedient, led astray, slaves to various
passions and pleasures, passing our days in
malice and envy, hated by others and hating
one another.

7. Slaves to whatever overcomes
us
2 Peter 2:19
They promise them freedom, but they
themselves are slaves of corruption. For
whatever overcomes a person, to that he is
enslaved.

8. Slaves to False gods
Galatians 4:8
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you
were enslaved to those that by nature are
not gods.

9. Slaves to the elementary
principles of the world
Galatians 4:3, 9
3 In the same way we also, when we were
children, were enslaved to the elementary
principles of the world. …9 But now that you
have come to know God, or rather to be
known by God, how can you turn back again
to the weak and worthless elementary
principles of the world, whose slaves you
want to be once more?

10. Slaves to Money
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and money.

11. Slave to the Law
Romans 7:1
7 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am
speaking to those who know the law—that
the law is binding on a person only as long
as he lives?

12. Slaves to Sin
John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them,
“Truly, truly, I say to
you, everyone who
practices sin is a slave to
sin.

13. No longer Slaves
to Sin
Romans 6:6
6 We know that our old self
was crucified with him in
order that the body of sin
might be brought to nothing,
so that we would no longer
be enslaved to sin.

14. In Christ,
You are no longer to be slaves to:
Impurity and lawlessness
Passions and pleasures
The gods of this world
The elementary principles of the
world
To the Law
To Sin

15. But, In Christ
We:
Serve Christ
Serve Righteousness
Serve one another

16. Not free, yet free
Free, yet not free
1 Corinthians 7:22
22 For he who was called in
the Lord as a bondservant
is a freedman of the Lord.
Likewise he who was free
when called is a
bondservant of Christ.

17. But there is still earthly
masters.
There are still bosses, employers, officers,
teachers, people in authority over others.
How should Christians under authority
respond to those over them?
How should Christians in authority act
towards those under them?

18. Ephesians 6:5–9 (ESV)
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with
fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you
would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as
people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering
service with a good will as to the Lord and not
to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone
does, this he will receive back from the Lord,
whether he is a bondservant or is free.
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your
threatening, knowing that he who is both their
Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is
no partiality with him.

19. Christian servants
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters
with fear and trembling, with a sincere
heart, as you would Christ,
Bondservants (δοῦλος) - slave

20. Christian servants
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters
with fear and trembling, with a sincere
heart, as you would Christ,
earthly masters – “fleshly
lords (κύριος)” – Paul
intentionally uses the same
name for lords as he does
for the Lord.

21. Christian servants
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters
with fear and trembling, with a sincere
heart, as you would Christ,
Fear and trembling - not slavish terror, but an
anxious eagerness to do your duty, and a fear of
displeasing

22. Christian servants
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters
with fear and trembling, with a sincere
heart, as you would Christ,
With a sincere heart – Literally “simple heart”.
Means “purity of heart”, “wholehearted” or
“without ulterior motives”

23. Christian servants
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters
with fear and trembling, with a sincere
heart, as you would Christ,
As you would Christ – “you
obey your earthly lord in the
same manner that you’d
obey Christ”.

24. Christian servants
6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-
pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart,
Not by the way of eye-service – “not with the
intent to attract attention or be noticed”, “not only
when you’re being watched”.
Not as people-pleasers – “men pleasers” “don’t do
your work with the intent of simply making people
happy”

25. Christian servants
6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-
pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart,
Obey as a slave of Christ, doing the will of God –
“When you serve your earthly lord in this manner,
you are ultimately serving your heavenly Lord and
doing His will.”
From the heart – literally “from the psyche (ψυχή)”
inner person (heart, soul). Opposite of external
performance.

26. Christian servants
7 rendering service with a good will as to the
Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that
whatever good anyone does, this he will
receive back from the Lord, whether he is a
bondservant or is free.
Good will – “eagerness, zeal” Serve your earthly
lord with the same zeal that you would the Lord.

27. Christian servants
7 rendering service with a good will as to the
Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that
whatever good anyone does, this he will
receive back from the Lord, whether he is a
bondservant or is free.
Your good deeds will be rewarded. Whether your
earthly lord acknowledges them isn’t significant.
The Lord in heaven is watching and will see that
you receive a reward (inheritance).

28. Christian servants
7 rendering service with a good will as to the
Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that
whatever good anyone does, this he will
receive back from the Lord, whether he is a
bondservant or is free.
The criteria for rewards and inheritance is the
same for all, whether you are a slave or free. God
shows no partiality. Social status is immaterial with
God.

29. Bosses, don’t celebrate just
yet.

30. What about Christian lords?
Paul’s statements to the Christian Slaves
were revolutionary. But his following
statements to the lords is even more so.
“According to a proverbial statement known to
Seneca, ‘all slaves are enemies’, while many
masters were tyrants and abusive. In order to deal
with their slaves, owners were known to threaten
beatings, sexual harassment, or selling male slaves
away from the households with the result that they
would be parted forever from their loved ones.”

31. Christian Earthly lords
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop
your threatening, knowing that he who is
both their Master and yours is in heaven,
and that there is no partiality with him.
Do the same – Does not mean that they are to
serve the slaves, but “show the same regard to
God’s will, and to your servants’ well-being, in your
relation to them, as they ought to have in their
relation to you.”

32. Christian Earthly lords
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop
your threatening, knowing that he who is
both their Master and yours is in heaven,
and that there is no partiality with him.
Christian lords, Stop threatening your servants:
Because you both serve the same Lord in heaven.
The standards/criteria set of doing good by the heavenly
Lord is the same for the slave, the free and the earthly
lords. You will be held accountable.

33. Not a vertical relationship
Lord in
Heaven
Lord in
the Flesh
Slave

34. Lord in
Heaven
Slaves
Lord in the
Flesh
Brothers in Christ

35. Christian Slaves and Masters
are brothers
Philemon 10–16
10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I
became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless
to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.
13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order
that he might serve me on your behalf during my
imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do
nothing without your consent in order that your
goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own
accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from
you for a while, that you might have him back forever,
16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a
bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but
how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

36. If both are Christians?
1 Timothy 6:1–2
Let all who are under a yoke as
bondservants regard their own masters as
worthy of all honor, so that the name of God
and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those
who have believing masters must not be
disrespectful on the ground that they are
brothers; rather they must serve all the
better since those who benefit by their good
service are believers and beloved.

37. If the Master isn’t a Christian?
Titus 2:9–10
9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their
own masters in everything; they are to be
well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not
pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that
in everything they may adorn the doctrine of
God our Savior.

38. If the Master isn’t a Christian?
1 Peter 2:18–21
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all
respect, not only to the good and gentle but
also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing,
when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows
while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it
if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you
endure? But if when you do good and suffer for
it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the
sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving
you an example, so that you might follow in his
steps.

39. First Century Slaves
The masters had their faces dead set against these
Christian slaves. We can understand that attitude when
we remember that these slaves lived lives of singular
purity, meekness, honesty, willingness to serve, and
obedience in the households of their heathen masters.
This was a powerful testimony for the gospel, and
brought them under conviction of sin. All this irritated
them, and they reacted in a most unpleasant way toward
their slaves, whom they would punish without
provocation. Yet they did not want to sell these Christian
slaves and buy pagan ones, for the Christian slaves
served them better. So they just had to make the best of
the situation.
Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the
Greek New Testament : For the English reader (1 Pe
2:18). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

40. Serving two masters
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and money.

41. Slaves encouraged to be free
1 Corinthians 7:21
21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do
not be concerned about it. (But if you can
gain your freedom, avail yourself of the
opportunity.)

42. Christ Became a Servant
Philippians 2:5–8
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is
yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was
in the form of God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a
servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross.

43. Christ Became a Servant to
Others
In washing the
apostles feet, he not
only performed as a
servant, but
requested that his
followers do the
same.

44. His Disciples Were servants
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle, set apart for the
gospel of God,
2 Peter 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ, …
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of
the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jude 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and
brother of James,

45. We are servants
1 Peter 2:16
Live as people who are free, not using your
freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as
servants of God.

47. Closing Prayer
I know that my Redeemer lives
And that in the end He will stand upon the
earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
Yet in my flesh I will see God;
Whom I myself will see
And behold with my own eyes and not
another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-
27)