Others Minded - Workplace

Ephesians 6:5-9

"Work is not, primarily, something one does to live, but the thing one lives to do." Dorothy Sayers, British author and Christian humanist, 1893-1957 (Lord Peter Wimsey detective stories)

Doctrines: vocation, providence, decrees of God, eighth command, 2nd greatest command (love your neighbor)

A. Employees

1. Action

a. obey - same instruction as to children: listen with the intent of following orders 5a

b. do well - for fear of displeasing either employer or Heavenly Father (Col_3:22) 5b

With fear and trembling - That is, with that kind of anxiety which one has who feels that he has an important interest at stake, and that he is in danger of losing it. The reason or the ground for “fear” in this case is in general this: there is danger of losing the soul. Barnes, Php_2:12

c. be loyal - singleness ( ἁπλότης ) of heart 5c

d. be consistent - work diligently whether or not the boss is looking 6a

e. be exemplary - work wholeheartedly 6c

2. Attitude

a. be positive - serve gladly, enthusiastically 7a

b. be humble - as a servant of Christ, as serving Christ 6b, 7b

3. Advantage

a. Christ is the real paymaster 8b

b. The reward is the inheritance of a (full) son, not a slave 8c & Col_3:24

B. Employers

1. Responsibility

a. treat them well - to avoid displeasing either employee or Heavenly Father 9a

b. be loyal - singleness ( ἁπλότης ) of heart 9a

c. be just and equitable, giving each his due; see Col_4:1
d. don't be abusive - using employment as a weapon 9b

“Perform the duty which on your part you owe to them.” What he calls in another Epistle, that which is just and equal, is precisely what, in this passage, he calls the same things. And what is this but the law of analogy? Masters and servants are not indeed on the same level; but there is a mutual law which binds them. By this law, servants are placed under the authority of their masters; and, by the same law, due regard being had to the difference of their station, masters lie under certain obligations to their servants. This analogy is greatly misunderstood; because men do not try it by the law of love, which is the only true standard. Such is the import of Paul’s phrase, the same things; for we are all ready enough to demand what is due to ourselves; but, when our own duty comes to be performed, every one attempts to plead exemption. Calvin on Eph_6:9

2. Accountability

a. Employers serve a higher Master 9c

i. they are not a law to themselves

ii. Their responsibility is also bi-directional

b. their Master doesn't show favoritism 9d

c. Remember what Jesus promised:

NAU Mat_7:2 "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

3. Rabbit trail

a. The same principles apply to other "transactions" as well

b. Stewardship and generosity

C. Employment

1. Be "others minded".

a. It's what God requires. Mic_6:8

b. Employees - consider the best interests of your employer

c. Employers - consider the best interests of your employee

d. Bottom line - you can't expect better treatment from God than you extend to others

2. All is sacred!

a. Ministry isn't a higher calling.

b. All is service - to God and man. Mar_12:30-31

“God is present in all life, with the influence of His omnipresent and almighty power, and no sphere of human life is conceivable in which religion does not maintain its demands that God shall be praised, that God's ordinances shall be observed...
Wherever man may stand, whatever he may do, to whatever he may apply his hand, in agriculture, in commerce, and in industry, or his mind, in the world of art, and science, he is, in whatsoever it may be, constantly standing before the face of his God, he is employed in the service of his God, he has strictly to obey his God, and above all, he has to aim at the glory of his God. Consequently, it is impossible for a Calvinist to confine religion to a single group, or to some circles among men...

To be sure, there is a concentration of religious light and life in the Church, but then in the walls of this church there are wide open windows, and through these spacious windows the light of the Eternal has to radiate over the whole world. Here is a city, set upon a hill, which every man can see afar off. Here is a holy salt that penetrates in every direction, checking all corruption. And even he who does not yet imbibe the higher light, or maybe shuts his eyes to it, is nevertheless admonished, with equal emphasis, and in all things, to give glory to the name of God.” Abraham Kuyper, Calvinism and Religion, p. 53

“But it remained the special trait of Calvinism that it placed the believer before the face of God, not only in His church, but also in his personal, family, social, and political life. The majesty of God and the authority of God press upon the Calvinist in the whole of his human existence. He is a pilgrim... [who] must remember his responsibility to that God so full of majesty, who awaits him at his journey's end. In front of the Portal which opens for him, on the entrance into Eternity, stands the Last Judgment; and that judgment shall be one broad and comprehensive test, to ascertain whether the long pilgrimage has been accomplished with a heart that aimed at God's glory, and in accordance with the ordinances of the Most High.” Abraham Kuyper, Calvinism and Religion, p. 69-70

3. Work isn't a curse!


a. God ordained it as the means he would use to provide for our needs and those of others.

i. God worked and then rested Gen_2:2-3

* We are made in His image Gen_1:26-27

ii. Jesus worked the works of His Father Joh_4:34 Joh_9:4 Joh_17:4

* We are being conformed to His image Rom_8:29

Kirsten Birkett concludes her excellent study “The Essence of the Reformation” (ISBN-10: 1876326093) with these thought provoking words:

“The Reformation was more than an alteration of liturgical and ceremonial practice; it was a new way of looking at the world, which invaded the parish church and the daily life of every parishioner. There was more than a change in ‘religion’; it was a change in thought, in life, and what it meant to be a human being in God’s World.

It was a world in which we can have confidence in God and hope for the future, based on his grace to us in the Christ of the Scriptures, which we receive through faith alone.

Too often since then, these certainties have been attacked and eroded, and continue to be attacked today. Indeed, many Christians are ignorant of the issues, and do not realise that the truths for which the Reformers fought and died are as much under threat now as they were then. Many errors of Roman Catholicism remain uncorrected. Mystical, magical and superstitious versions of Christianity keep re-emerging in different forms.

We do not need to copy the Reformers out of love for history or tradition. Yet we need to learn the lessons of the Reformation, and be reminded that the truth that inspired that generation to protest, and to reform, is still true today.”