Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
It forbids working merely when watched or to win human approval, and requires acting as servants of Christ doing God's will sincerely from the heart. In full it requires servants to obey earthly masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, forbidding negligent, slothful and unfaithful work done only to satisfy human inspection. Faithfulness is defined by looking beyond the human master to God whose eyes behold all work and who sifts motives and reads hearts, taking no human being as pattern but Christ as Pattern and weaving loyalty into every temporal as well as spiritual action with an eye single to God's glory. Whatever good thing anyone does, whether bond or free, he shall receive of the Lord, even the reward of the inheritance with approval and advancement to greater responsibility. Daily labor is sacred work to be done with entire devotion as in God's presence, keeping the same diligence present or absent, willingly doing even small and uncommanded duties with care, and working from principle and love for what is right rather than from selfish motives or desire for human praise.
Meaning and Setting
The verse forbids working merely while watched or to win human approval, and requires acting as servants of Christ who do God's will sincerely from the heart. Doing God's will from the heart means working from principle and love for what is right rather than from selfish motives, impulse, or desire for human praise. Even a few workers serving in this sincere way can accomplish a great work.
In full it requires servants to obey earthly masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men. It forbids negligent, slothful and unfaithful work done only to satisfy human inspection. For those associated together in office labor it requires spiritual life as a living active principle through communion with the living God rather than mere outward service to please men.
The verse belongs to instruction on household duties for parents and children, servants and masters, and employers and employed, learned from the Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Masters must do the same things to servants, forbearing threatening because their own Master is in heaven with no respect of persons. Parents bear responsibility to train children in obedience to God's requirements, and neglect of their spiritual welfare meets judgment. Doing the will of God from the heart means consecrating the whole heart for God to mold after the divine similitude as His ambassadors bringing the message of truth in the great work to be cut short in righteousness.
God enjoins the servant to be faithful to his master and contented for Christ's sake, not rising against those in power or resisting oppression. At the same time He assures the master that he also has a Master who will requite him in full measure for his deeds.
The verse belongs to the call to be strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil, because the wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. This standing requires counting the cost, obeying Jesus as Captain with soul, strength and might, dying to self, hiding in Jesus, and standing shoulder to shoulder in unity with candor, confidence, love and cooperation, without disparaging one another's work or acting on independent judgment. Its principle of righteousness is to shape all work in daily spiritual warfare, with words and actions seen by God's angels. This stand is joined to being quickened from death in trespasses, raised with Christ, saved by grace through faith as God's gift unto good works ordained beforehand, and to reconciliation and everlasting righteousness and deliverance through the sacrifice of the cross for those who walk separated from the world, act upon it, endure to the end, and hold firm the beginning of their confidence.
For master and servant the verse creates a gospel bond in Christ that undermines slavery. The converted servant is a member of Christ's body, to be loved and treated as a brother and fellow heir of God's blessings, privileges and gospel.
Faithfulness is defined by looking beyond the human master to God whose eyes behold all the works of the hands, whose angels see words and actions, who sifts motives, reads hearts, tries the reins, and records faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Like the ox that works when it believes its master is near, workers should remain faithful even when no human observer is present, conducting themselves as though God's eye is upon them and keeping attention fixed on Jesus. They are to take no human being as pattern or limit of duty but Christ as Pattern, asking whether Christ approves the use of time and the appointed work. Loyalty is to be woven into every action, temporal as well as spiritual, including erecting a building, with an eye single to God's glory and striving to do the best, and such work from principle forms a faithful character.
Whatever good thing anyone does, whether bond or free, he shall receive of the Lord, even the reward of the inheritance, with the verdict of approval and advancement to greater responsibility. In human weakness workers are enabled by supernatural assistance to do the deeds of Omnipotence.
Faithful Service in Practice
Daily labor is sacred work to be taken up as if in God's presence with entire devotion and consecration from the heart, because God sifts motives and reads hearts and tries the reins. This applies with special force to office work in publishing truth that decides the destiny of souls, which must be done faithfully as work for God with full devotion rather than only enough to earn wages. The faithful are not satisfied with doing just enough to pass along and receive wages, but work in any place where the most help can be given. Service to Christ must not be performed merely to please people or when someone is watching, for His will is to be done sincerely, from the heart.
Eye-service that is diligent when a human overseer or employer is present but careless in his absence violates the command, while the faithful keep the same restraint and diligence whether watched or not. They are conscientious, accurate, careful and diligent in the employer's absence as well as presence, doing right because of love for what is right and a sense of duty and obligation to God, not for human praise. This includes accurate accounting of work time and faithful care of what belongs to God. Even small duties are to be done faithfully with genuine interest and humility instead of acting as an eye-servant, and appointed tasks are to be done willingly, gladly and faithfully, giving the best as service to Christ because God sees all work.
Faithful service is not limited to what is noticed or expressly commanded. The faithful worker willingly makes the extra effort needed for the work to prosper, prevents avoidable losses, and carries out responsibilities with diligence and unselfish love, knowing talents belong to God and should be used in His service, whether for human employers or in God's cause. Mere profession of following Christ without conscientious commitment to duty does not show transformation or sanctification through the truth, for to appear faithful without such commitment is itself eye-service. One who is an eye-servant only fails the test of being trusted to keep working faithfully alone after others have finished, and proves untrustworthy to work unsupervised.
Ministers who serve Christ must give themselves wholly to the work from the heart rather than serving merely to please people, receive wages, or gain personal advantage. They obey Jesus as Captain with soul and strength and might, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, dying to self and standing shoulder to shoulder in unity with candor, confidence, love and cooperation, without disparaging one another or acting on independent judgment. Even a few workers serving in this way can accomplish a great work.
Doing God's will from the heart means working from principle rather than from selfish motives, impulse, or desire for human praise. It means doing right because of love for what is right and duty to God, loving and choosing the right out of obligation to Him, and doing work intelligently and wholeheartedly as serving the Lord. It means consecrating the whole heart for God to mold and fashion after the divine similitude as His ambassadors, doing appointed tasks willingly, gladly, intelligently and with one's best as service to Christ, with faithfulness and unfaithfulness witnessed and recorded by God. Doing it in this way requires strength from God, is prompted by gratitude for His mercy and loving-kindness, and brings comfort, blessing, gratitude and happiness even when the mind is not clear and in early morning waking.
Faithfulness in duty without eye-service upholds religious principle. By contrast, eye-service, visiting, amusement, selfishness, talk that diverts the mind from the work, jesting, and engrossment in company during work show lack of religious principle. Such conduct drives angels away and causes those observing to stumble over the truthfulness of the Christian religion.
It forbids working merely when watched or to win human approval, and requires acting as servants of Christ doing God's will sincerely from the heart. In full it requires servants to obey earthly masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, forbidding negligent, slothful and unfaithful work done only to satisfy human inspection. Faithfulness is defined by looking beyond the human master to God whose eyes behold all work and who sifts motives and reads hearts, taking no human being as pattern but Christ as Pattern and weaving loyalty into every temporal as well as spiritual action with an eye single to God's glory. Whatever good thing anyone does, whether bond or free, he shall receive of the Lord, even the reward of the inheritance with approval and advancement to greater responsibility. Daily labor is sacred work to be done with entire devotion as in God's presence, keeping the same diligence present or absent, willingly doing even small and uncommanded duties with care, and working from principle and love for what is right rather than from selfish motives or desire for human praise.
Meaning and Setting
The verse forbids working merely while watched or to win human approval, and requires acting as servants of Christ who do God's will sincerely from the heart. Doing God's will from the heart means working from principle and love for what is right rather than from selfish motives, impulse, or desire for human praise. Even a few workers serving in this sincere way can accomplish a great work.
In full it requires servants to obey earthly masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men. It forbids negligent, slothful and unfaithful work done only to satisfy human inspection. For those associated together in office labor it requires spiritual life as a living active principle through communion with the living God rather than mere outward service to please men.
The verse belongs to instruction on household duties for parents and children, servants and masters, and employers and employed, learned from the Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Masters must do the same things to servants, forbearing threatening because their own Master is in heaven with no respect of persons. Parents bear responsibility to train children in obedience to God's requirements, and neglect of their spiritual welfare meets judgment. Doing the will of God from the heart means consecrating the whole heart for God to mold after the divine similitude as His ambassadors bringing the message of truth in the great work to be cut short in righteousness.
God enjoins the servant to be faithful to his master and contented for Christ's sake, not rising against those in power or resisting oppression. At the same time He assures the master that he also has a Master who will requite him in full measure for his deeds.
The verse belongs to the call to be strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil, because the wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. This standing requires counting the cost, obeying Jesus as Captain with soul, strength and might, dying to self, hiding in Jesus, and standing shoulder to shoulder in unity with candor, confidence, love and cooperation, without disparaging one another's work or acting on independent judgment. Its principle of righteousness is to shape all work in daily spiritual warfare, with words and actions seen by God's angels. This stand is joined to being quickened from death in trespasses, raised with Christ, saved by grace through faith as God's gift unto good works ordained beforehand, and to reconciliation and everlasting righteousness and deliverance through the sacrifice of the cross for those who walk separated from the world, act upon it, endure to the end, and hold firm the beginning of their confidence.
For master and servant the verse creates a gospel bond in Christ that undermines slavery. The converted servant is a member of Christ's body, to be loved and treated as a brother and fellow heir of God's blessings, privileges and gospel.
Faithfulness is defined by looking beyond the human master to God whose eyes behold all the works of the hands, whose angels see words and actions, who sifts motives, reads hearts, tries the reins, and records faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Like the ox that works when it believes its master is near, workers should remain faithful even when no human observer is present, conducting themselves as though God's eye is upon them and keeping attention fixed on Jesus. They are to take no human being as pattern or limit of duty but Christ as Pattern, asking whether Christ approves the use of time and the appointed work. Loyalty is to be woven into every action, temporal as well as spiritual, including erecting a building, with an eye single to God's glory and striving to do the best, and such work from principle forms a faithful character.
Whatever good thing anyone does, whether bond or free, he shall receive of the Lord, even the reward of the inheritance, with the verdict of approval and advancement to greater responsibility. In human weakness workers are enabled by supernatural assistance to do the deeds of Omnipotence.
Faithful Service in Practice
Daily labor is sacred work to be taken up as if in God's presence with entire devotion and consecration from the heart, because God sifts motives and reads hearts and tries the reins. This applies with special force to office work in publishing truth that decides the destiny of souls, which must be done faithfully as work for God with full devotion rather than only enough to earn wages. The faithful are not satisfied with doing just enough to pass along and receive wages, but work in any place where the most help can be given. Service to Christ must not be performed merely to please people or when someone is watching, for His will is to be done sincerely, from the heart.
Eye-service that is diligent when a human overseer or employer is present but careless in his absence violates the command, while the faithful keep the same restraint and diligence whether watched or not. They are conscientious, accurate, careful and diligent in the employer's absence as well as presence, doing right because of love for what is right and a sense of duty and obligation to God, not for human praise. This includes accurate accounting of work time and faithful care of what belongs to God. Even small duties are to be done faithfully with genuine interest and humility instead of acting as an eye-servant, and appointed tasks are to be done willingly, gladly and faithfully, giving the best as service to Christ because God sees all work.
Faithful service is not limited to what is noticed or expressly commanded. The faithful worker willingly makes the extra effort needed for the work to prosper, prevents avoidable losses, and carries out responsibilities with diligence and unselfish love, knowing talents belong to God and should be used in His service, whether for human employers or in God's cause. Mere profession of following Christ without conscientious commitment to duty does not show transformation or sanctification through the truth, for to appear faithful without such commitment is itself eye-service. One who is an eye-servant only fails the test of being trusted to keep working faithfully alone after others have finished, and proves untrustworthy to work unsupervised.
Ministers who serve Christ must give themselves wholly to the work from the heart rather than serving merely to please people, receive wages, or gain personal advantage. They obey Jesus as Captain with soul and strength and might, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, dying to self and standing shoulder to shoulder in unity with candor, confidence, love and cooperation, without disparaging one another or acting on independent judgment. Even a few workers serving in this way can accomplish a great work.
Doing God's will from the heart means working from principle rather than from selfish motives, impulse, or desire for human praise. It means doing right because of love for what is right and duty to God, loving and choosing the right out of obligation to Him, and doing work intelligently and wholeheartedly as serving the Lord. It means consecrating the whole heart for God to mold and fashion after the divine similitude as His ambassadors, doing appointed tasks willingly, gladly, intelligently and with one's best as service to Christ, with faithfulness and unfaithfulness witnessed and recorded by God. Doing it in this way requires strength from God, is prompted by gratitude for His mercy and loving-kindness, and brings comfort, blessing, gratitude and happiness even when the mind is not clear and in early morning waking.
Faithfulness in duty without eye-service upholds religious principle. By contrast, eye-service, visiting, amusement, selfishness, talk that diverts the mind from the work, jesting, and engrossment in company during work show lack of religious principle. Such conduct drives angels away and causes those observing to stumble over the truthfulness of the Christian religion.