You Are Slave/You Are Master. Ephesians 6:5-9

Jun 14, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Serving with sincerity as bondservants of Christ

Paul’s letter to Ephesus reframes earthly roles as sacred callings. Slaves were told to work "as to the Lord," not merely to please human masters. This wasn’t endorsing oppression but redirecting all labor—whether menial or mighty—toward eternal purpose. The early church’s bondservants faced brutal conditions, yet stories like Ladina’s martyrdom proved their identity in Christ outweighed their social status. Every task, from scrubbing floors to signing documents, becomes worship when done with a heart surrendered to Jesus. [49:53]

“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” (Ephesians 6:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane task in your life feels disconnected from your faith? How might doing it “as to the Lord” reshape your attitude today?

Day 2: Identity in Christ transcends earthly status

First-century slaves and masters shared pews, yet Paul declared their ultimate allegiance wasn’t to social hierarchies but to Jesus. The martyred slave girl Ladina and noblewoman Parmatua both clung to one title: “Christian.” Their stories expose the lie that our worth derives from roles, wealth, or power. Whether CEO or cashier, our true citizenship is in a kingdom where the ground levels at the foot of the cross. [52:41]

“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. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: When has your job title or social status tempted you to forget your primary identity as Christ’s possession?

Day 3: Masters with a Master: stewards under heaven’s gaze

Paul’s command to masters—“do the same to them”—would’ve shocked Ephesus. Christian employers weren’t exempt from submission; their authority became stewardship. Threats and exploitation died under the weight of knowing they’d answer to the same Master as their servants. Power, when filtered through the cross, becomes responsibility, not privilege. [57:48]

“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.” (Ephesians 6:9, ESV)

Reflection: If Jesus audited your use of authority this week—parenting, managing, or leading—what would his review highlight?

Day 4: No partiality: Christ’s blood pays full price for all

God’s indifference to human hierarchies isn’t apathy but radical equity. The slave’s calloused hands and the master’s signet ring hold equal value at the throne. Partiality dies where the cross stands—no résumé impresses, no poverty disqualifies. Heaven’s currency is Christ’s blood, spent lavishly to claim janitors and judges alike. [01:05:07]

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels “beneath” or “above” you? How does the cross recalibrate that relationship?

Day 5: Repentance now: conviction before consequence

The invitation to surrender isn’t a halftime pep talk but a trench warning. Withholding any part of our lives from Christ’s lordship isn’t compartmentalization—it’s rebellion. Ladina’s “I am a Christian” wasn’t a slogan but a death warrant she embraced, proving partial surrender is no surrender at all. [01:09:23]

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What closet in your heart still has a “Do Not Enter” sign hung for Jesus? What’s stopping you from handing him the key today?

Sermon Summary

Paul speaks straight to Ephesus about life under authority. The world they know runs on power, threat, and class. The gospel cuts across all of that. The text names slaves and masters and then shoves both under one Lord. The word that gets softened in English is not bondservants. It is slaves. Paul does not call manstealing holy. Scripture already nailed that to the wall with Exodus 21:16. What Paul does is speak into a messy world and put Jesus on top of it.

The command lands first on slaves. The text says obey with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as to Christ, not as eye servants or people pleasers. It says do the will of God from the heart. Render service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. That is the line that pulls the load. Whatever the station, the work becomes worship when Christ is the one being served. Cashier or CEO, slave or free, the name over the timecard is Jesus.

Church history supplies faces for that identity. A slave girl named Ladina kept saying under torture, I am a Christian and nothing wicked is done among us. A noblewoman named Parmatua answered, I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian. That is why Paul can say in 1 Corinthians 7, remain as called, and if freedom opens up, take it. But either way, you were bought with a price. The deepest truth is not the situation. It is the self in the situation. What is happening to a person is not as important as how that person is in the happening.

Then the text turns and shocks the masters. Masters, the same to them. Stop your threatening. That sentence levels the room. Authority is not ownership. Authority is stewardship under heaven. The gospel restrains power, dignifies people, and levels the ground because master and slave share the same Master. 1 Corinthians 6 says the body is a temple, not its own, bought with the blood of Jesus. So glorify God in your body.

Finally, the text speaks to all. God shows no partiality. Rich, poor, male, female, Jew, Greek, slave, free. He will pay full price for anyone, the blood of his Son. So whatever is done is done heartily as for the Lord, serving the Lord Christ. Wrong will be repaid. The Master in heaven sees, owns, and will set it right. The only sane response is surrender and repent now while conviction is the only consequence. Call him Master and come.

Key Takeaways

1. Identity in Christ outruns station Identity that says I am a Christian cuts deeper than job title, status, or class. Station can shift, but union with Christ holds. When that identity dominates, both comfort and complaint lose the steering wheel. Freedom is received as a gift, not a god, and bondage does not own the last word. [52:41]
2. Work becomes worship to Jesus The text makes every task an altar by aiming service at Christ. Eye-service dies and integrity shows up when the real Boss is watching. Good will rises where resentment used to live. The reward comes from the Lord, not from the scoreboard of people. [49:53]
3. Authority is stewardship under judgment Power does not authorize pressure tactics, it forbids them. Masters have a Master, so threats and fear-mongering are off limits. Leadership under Jesus carries people, it does not crush them. God will weigh how authority treated his image bearers. [58:49]
4. God shows no partiality at all Bank accounts, pedigrees, and categories do not move the needle in heaven. The price tag for persons is the same for all, the blood of the Son. That levels pride and lifts the shamed at the same time. Judgment and inheritance both come from the same impartial Lord. [64:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:11] - Hard truths in Ephesus
[40:17] - Life under authority
[41:12] - Identity in Jesus
[41:42] - Reading Ephesians 6:5-9
[43:11] - Slaves and masters named
[43:37] - Word to slaves
[45:07] - Manstealing condemned
[47:33] - Indentured servitude context
[49:53] - Work as unto Christ
[51:42] - I am a Christian
[55:19] - Word to masters
[58:49] - Stop threatening
[64:06] - No partiality with God
[69:23] - Repent now and come

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 6:5-9 (ESV)
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 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.

Observation Questions

What specific instructions does Paul give to both slaves and masters in Ephesians 6:5-9? How do these commands differ from the cultural norms of Ephesus?
The sermon highlights that work becomes worship when done "as to the Lord" (v. 7). What practical examples were given in the sermon about how this transforms daily tasks? [49:53]
According to the passage, why should masters "stop [their] threatening" (v. 9)? How does this contrast with typical power dynamics in ancient societies?

Interpretation Questions

Paul tells both slaves and masters they share "one Lord" (v. 9). How does this shared accountability to Christ redefine their relationship and responsibilities?
The sermon emphasizes that "what is happening to a person is not as important as how that person is in the happening." How does this idea challenge common views of suffering or unfair circumstances? [54:28]
Why does Paul stress God’s impartiality (v. 9) in a context where social status heavily defined worth? How might this truth have impacted early Christians’ understanding of identity?

Application Questions

The phrase "I am a Christian" was central to the stories of martyrs like Ladina and Parmatua. How does identifying first as a Christian reshape your attitude toward your job, relationships, or hardships? [51:42]
If work is worship, what specific task or role in your life (e.g., parenting, a job, volunteering) needs to shift from "eye-service" to "service with a good will"? What practical step could you take this week?
For those in authority (at work, home, or church): How can you actively "stop threatening" and lead in a way that reflects stewardship rather than ownership? [58:49]
The sermon states, "God shows no partiality." Where do you struggle to believe this—either feeling inferior because of your status or superior because of your achievements? How might repentance look here?
Reflect on a time when resentment or people-pleasing motivated your work. How would focusing on Christ as your "real Boss" change your approach tomorrow? [49:53]
The call to "repent now while conviction is your only consequence" challenges delayed obedience. Is there an area of your life you’ve withheld from surrender? What would it look like to release it today? [01:09:23]

Sermon Clips

55s

#MastersAccountable

“Masters the same to them. That was the proverbial knock their socks off moment. In this culture, in this climate, nothing was expected of masters. They're yours. Do as you please. Use them however you desire. In that culture, in that climate, at that time, nothing was required or expected of masters. But here Paul writing to them says, the same to them.”

40s

#StopAbuseOfPower

“In in in in the Roman Empire and in the culture in which these people had grown up in and come of age in, threatening was just as common as breathing. Those in authority, those in power could threaten anyone they want at any time for anything. Do this or I'll. It it was just common. Paul says, stop threatening, stop bullying, stop pressuring, stop running over people just because you can because you're a follower of Jesus.”

56s

#TotalSurrenderToGod

“If you are a born again blood bought child of God, you have a master, and he is over everything. And if you are keeping back anything from your master, you are sinning against God. If there is a part of your life, if there is a part of your soul, your mind, your heart, your body that you have not surrendered to him and placed under his authority, you are sinning, and the only viable response to sin is to repent.”

66s

#BoughtWithAPrice

“Slave free, Jew, Greek, male, female, rich, poor, doesn't care. He is willing to pay full price to make anyone his possession. He will pay full price. Full price, the blood of his son for master and slave, boss or employee, he'll pay full price to make you his. And when you are his, belong to him. Bought with a price. So glorify in your body.”

43s

#ScriptureCondemnsSlaveTrade

“Slavery was not a blanket term meaning in the bible. It was not a one size fits all type definition. When you and I think of slavery in our context, we think of the Transatlantic slave trade. We think of individuals being brought here from another continent and sold like cattle and forced into labor until the day they died. That is something that has been going on from the dawn of time but that was only a that was only a small part of what was happening particularly in the context we're reading. And that particular practice was outright condemned very early on in the pages of scripture.”

70s

#GodShowsNoPartiality

“And if you are here today and you don't have a master, almighty god who shows no partiality, who does not care how much you have in the bank or don't have, who does not care who your daddy is or isn't, who does not care your native language, your skin tone, or your education, could not care less. You'll pay full price, the blood of his son for you today. Call him master and come to Jesus. Whatever you need to do today, get it done here in this place.”

30s

#HonorImageBearers

“And yes, the world and the culture and the society and all these other they may do a certain thing, they may go certain places, they may ask, they may have that management style but not you. You don't threaten image bearers of me. You don't threaten fellow brothers and sisters in the faith. That's not how your master tells you to do those things. You do things differently.”

36s

#CharacterOverCircumstance

“The bottom line is the situation you are currently in is nowhere near as important as you in that situation. What is happening to you is not as important as how you are in the happening. How you are in what's going on with you. That is ultimately the important thing. That is ultimately what we are responsible for. There's a word to slaves. But not only that, there's also a word to masters.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Southside Baptist Princeton, KY This sermon · AI assistant

What is the Christian's identity under earthly authority?

How should masters treat those under their authority?

How does Scripture distinguish servitude from chattel slavery?

You Are Slave/You Are Master. Ephesians 6:5-9

Devotional

Day 1: Serving with sincerity as bondservants of Christ

Day 2: Identity in Christ transcends earthly status

Day 3: Masters with a Master: stewards under heaven’s gaze

Day 4: No partiality: Christ’s blood pays full price for all

Day 5: Repentance now: conviction before consequence

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

You Are Slave/You Are Master. Ephesians 6:5-9

Share