Colossians 3:22, commentary and pictures

Servants are to obey their earthly masters fully in all things. This means not working only when watched, only to be seen, only enough to earn wages, or only to win human approval. It means working with sincere, wholehearted reverence toward God, with conscience and moral obligation, as under His eye at all times. Daily work for an employer is ultimately service done to the Lord Christ in His presence, to be done wholeheartedly for God's approval rather than by any human standard. God sees and tests motives and witnesses faithfulness, and faithful service will receive from Him the reward of the inheritance, while wrongdoing will receive its due without partiality.

Meaning of Sincere Obedience

Servants are commanded to obey their earthly masters fully in all things, in everything, with complete obedience that extends to small duties and low positions. This obedience is to be rendered with humility, without dictating to others or seeking notice, and a worker's standing before God does not depend on being regarded as socially inferior. Not with eyeservice as menpleasers means not working only when watched, only to be seen, or only to appear diligent under observation. It means not doing merely the least possible to earn wages and not laboring only to win human approval or to please people. Faithfulness is owed to God rather than performed for human praise, including careful, diligent and honest work in the employer's absence.

But in singleness of heart fearing God means sincere, wholehearted reverence, serving with a sincere heart and a single heart toward God. It is obedience from conscience and moral obligation, being true and faithful as a duty owed to guardians and to God, seeking God's approval rather than taking any person as the standard. It is lived with a constant sense that the eye of God is upon the worker, as if in view of the whole universe of heaven. Those who profess to follow Christ yet remain eyeservants, doing work only when watched, are without conscience in this sense and without that moral obligation. They are not transformed by the renewing of the mind nor sanctified through the truth, but insist on moving as they please in their own persistent way and resent being restrained or corrected.

Service Rendered to Christ

Daily labor for an employer is ultimately service rendered to the Lord Christ and not merely to a human master, and it is to be performed as in His presence. The worker does not labor only for wages or for human notice, but renders thorough and faithful service because the service belongs to Christ and its reward comes from the Lord.

It is to be done wholeheartedly and intelligently for the Lord, seeking God's approval rather than taking any person as the standard. The same spirit and principles brought into common daily labor for an employer are brought into the whole life work for God, so employees must be as careful to work diligently and thoroughly through all the hours of labor as they are careful not to exceed the specified time.

God sees all work and tests motives, witnessing faithfulness in daily labor. Wrongdoing in service will receive its due consequence without partiality or favoritism.

Faithful service receives from the Lord the reward of the inheritance.

Such obedience belongs to the character of God's holy chosen people, marking the clear distinction between those who honor God by keeping His commandments and those who disobey. It is the purified life of the heavenly order lived on earth now in preparation for the higher life, lived separate from disobedience with regard for the future reward so that calling and election are made sure. Talents are thus kept uncorrupted for wider service in the future life, and those who so obey will be taken by Christ at His coming, glorified, and given the reward of the inheritance.

Faithfulness in Daily Work

The verse calls for faithful, thorough work rather than doing the least possible to earn wages, giving full devotion to duty as sacred service done sincerely before God and not merely when watched or to please people. It requires giving oneself fully to the work and helping wherever most useful and most needed, rather than working only enough to satisfy an earthly supervisor. Faithfulness includes diligent, unselfish effort in needed duties that were not expressly assigned when the worker can see they are needed, and such care prevents loss. Neglect of that extra needed care is unfaithfulness to God, who owns the worker's talents and claims his service.

Faithfulness means careful, diligent and honest labor in the employer's absence, owed to God rather than performed for human praise or approval. It requires accounting accurately for time, handling means justly, and doing duty from love of right and a sincere conscience and sense of accountability to God. Laboring honestly when alone as well as when watched is the standard, and whether a man can be trusted to work alone after others have finished is the test of whether he is an eyeservant who works only under the eye of others.

Applied to a helper in a low position, the verse calls for humility and faithful service in small duties, without dictating to others or seeking notice. The worker's standing before God does not depend on whether he is regarded as socially inferior, since service intelligently and wholeheartedly done is witnessed and judged by God. Keeping the eye fixed on Jesus produces faithful work under all circumstances, watchful and prayerful whether human eyes watch or not, while taking the eye off Him soon shows in the work. In God's publishing work Christ is the faultless pattern for faithful performance of duty at all times instead of eye-service done only to be seen, and when professed believers show eyeservice and lack of principle their influence hinders others and causes those who see it to stumble over the truthfulness of Christianity.